Chair's Corner
The Department of Physical Therapy, located within the College
of Public Health and Health Professions, consists of a dynamic, and
growing faculty dedicated to excellence in education, research, and service.
The Department is committed to preparing entry-level students to become
practitioners of evidence-based physical therapy, training PhD students
to perform basic science and clinical research, advancing the science of
physical therapy and rehabilitation through innovative interdisciplinary
research, and professional and community service. The Department's faculty
is nationally and internationally known for their areas of expertise, which
include Neurorehabilitation, Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, Exercise Physiology,
Neurophysiology, Musculoskeletal Imaging, Pediatrics and Cardiopulmonary
Rehabilitation. The Department is housed in the new state-of-the-art PHNP
building.
We pride ourselves in our entry-level professional educational program, which is ranked fourth in the nation for AAU Public Universities by U.S. News and World Report.
The mission of our professional program is to prepare graduates to be autonomous practitioners, capable of providing excellent clinical services in any practice setting. We expect our graduates to be authoritative practitioners in the treatment and diagnosis of movement disorders, fully prepared to work in collaboration with other health professionals.
Our Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (DPT) offers a comprehensive curriculum, 32 weeks of full-time clinical internships, and integrated clinical experiences during the remainder of course work. The program embodies a strong foundational background in the biological, kinesiological and behavioral sciences, incorporates principles of logical and scientific reasoning throughout the curriculum, and the philosophy that the practice of physical therapy is empowered by the collaborative efforts of the team, ensuring a partnership of people working towards a common goal. The department maintains clinical contracts with over 250 clinical facilities all over the US, and has established a strong partnership with Shands Health Care at UF, the university affiliated hospital. Our Academic Coordinators of Clinical Education actively provide training to Clinical Instructors to ensure quality clinical education through the Florida Consortium of Clinical Educators, and multiple teaching faculty have been recognized for teaching excellence through college-wide awards. Finally, our professional students have the opportunity to participate in community outreach programs, such as the Nicaragua Service Learning Project and the Interdisciplinary Family Health Program.
Students interested in specializing after completing the DPT curriculum are eligible to apply for placement in our Clinical Fellowship Program. The Clinical Fellowship is offered in collaboration with Shands Rehabilitation Services, one of the Southeast's premier health systems, affiliated with the university. The clinical fellowship at UF is designed to substantially advance the fellow’s expertise in examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention, and management of patients in a defined area of clinical practice. In addition, we expect the fellow to gain an in-depth understanding of the science underlying clinical techniques and evidence-based practice. Experiences beyond the physical therapy clinic include one-on-one interaction with a clinical mentor, observing physicians during office hours and surgery, participation in grand rounds, attending clinical and research seminars and assisting in the entry-level education of physical therapist students. Fellows receive a stipend of approximately $30,000 with benefits and are expected to present at a national conference near the end of their fellowship. Fellowships are available in the clinical practice specialization areas of Sports, Orthopedics, Neurorehabilitation, and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation.
We also take great pride in our interdisciplinary Ph.D program in Rehabilitation Science, which is the only one of its kind in the Southeast, and the largest in the United States. It is designed to prepare future scholars and scientists committed to advance the science of rehabilitation. The Rehabilitation Science PhD Program (RSD) offers three tracks, of which one, movement science, is the preferred track for students mentored by faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy. Movement science, the study of human movement and postural control, serves as the foundation for the development of evidence-based rehabilitation practices, and reflects the converging knowledge from multiple disciplines. These disciplines include motor control and learning, anatomy, biomechanics, exercise physiology, muscle physiology, neurophysiology, and neuroscience. We encourage application to the movement science track from physical therapists, occupational therapists, exercise physiologists, athletic trainers, neuroscientists, and bioengineers, as our program prepares the leaders of tomorrow's rehabilitation science research programs to work in interdisciplinary teams to provide an integrative approach to intervening to reduce physical disability. The majority of our RSD students are financially sponsored through prestigious University or College-wide fellowships, research assistantships, training fellowships or teaching assistantships.
The academic environment at UF is exceptional, with rigorous academic programs, state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, one of the largest number of Rehabilitation Centers of Excellence nation-wide, and a large offering of clinical and research seminars. However, ultimately what makes the Department of Physical Therapy truly exceptional is the quality and commitment of the faculty. The dynamic faculty at UF has received numerous national awards and grants from federal and private agencies including the National Institutes of Health, Christopher Reeve Foundation, US Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Florida Biomedical Research Program, US Department of Defense and Paralyzed Veterans of America. During the last year the faculty published more than 40 peer reviewed publications in leading journals and received approximately $2 million in research funding. The faculty conducts research in the areas of muscle degeneration/regeneration, activity dependent plasticity after spinal cord injury and stroke, pain management, knee stability after acute anterior cruciate ligament injury, biomechanical and neurophysiological principles related to coordination of lower limb function in persons with post-stroke hemiparesis, motor behavior problems of the elderly, respiratory conditioning in post lung transplant and ventilator dependent persons, biopsychosocial models for prevention and treatment of disability from spine pain, and neuroplasticity of the brain and spinal cord as it influences respiratory muscles.
I am truly excited about the opportunity to serve as Chair of such a dynamic, innovative group of faculty eager to be at the foreground of physical therapy and rehabilitation science. I hope that you visit the rest of our Web site and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future!
Dr. Krista Vandenborne
Professor and Chair,
Department of Physical Therapy
