News and Announcements
Announcing a Special Achievement Award:
Andrea Behrman,
PhD, PT is elected a Catherine
Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association,
which is one of the highest honors given by the APTA. Read The Post coverage
here.
September 2009 - The cast and crew of Darius Goes West!
visits UF for the September 10th screening at the University of Florida
Phillips Center.
Click here for more information.
August 2009 - Read Duke University's PT
Alumni Spotlight of Andrea Behrman,
PhD, PT, FAPTA here (pg.
4.)
July 2009 - PT Rehabilitation Science Doctoral (RSD) student Emily
Fox has been selected as one of the Clinical Translational Science Institute
T32 trainees for 2009-10. Drs. Andrea Behrman
and Dena Howland serve as her mentors.
June 2009 - The Foundation for Physical Therapy board of trustees
awards PT RSD students Barbara
K. Smith a PODS II award and Elisa
Gonzalez-Rothi the Barnes-Leahy Scholarship. Read the the APTA announcement
here.
The Department welcomes new hire Brendan
Lally , Project Coordinator for Dr. Chmielewski.
May 2009 - Patricia A. Furlong, Founding President and CEO of Parent
Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest non-profit organization in
the United States focused on finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
(Duchenne), announces that Krista Vandenborne,
PhD, PT is one of two recipients of the newly launched End Duchenne
Grant Award Program. Vandenborne will receive $200,000 to continue her work
with MRI and MRS technology as a tool to monitor the disease progression
of Duchenne. Read the complete press release here.
Carolynn Patten, PhD, PT is named The Foundation
of Physical Therapy's Researcher of the Month. Read the Foundation's feature
on Dr. Patten here.
Congratulations to the following PT faculty members who have been promoted
and/or recommended for the awarding of tenure: Promotion to the rank of
Professor: Steven Kautz, PhD; Promotion to the
rank of Associate Professor with tenure: David Fuller,
PhD and Steven George, PhD, PT
Welcome Baby Jack Fuller, our department's newest arrival!
April 2009 - Steven Kautz, PhD
has been awarded a University of Florida Research Foundation (UFRF) Professorship.
These three-year professorships were created by UFRF to recognize tenured
faculty who have a current distinguished record of research, have shown
strong performance in the past five years, and show evidence of a strong
research agenda that is likely to lead to continuing distinction in their
field. The award recognizes recent contributions and provides incentives
for continued excellence in research. The term of this professorship is
2009-2011.
David Fuller, PhD receives the American
Physiological Society Respiration Section New Investigator Award. The award
recognizes an outstanding investigator in the early stages of his career
who has made meritorious contributions to the area represented by the Respiration
Section, and who shows promise for strong publications, grant funding, and
peer review activities. Fuller was recognized at the society's Respiration
Section 'Experimental Biology 2009' banquet in New Orleans April 20th.
Read coverage of this award here
and some of Dr. Fuller's collaborative, interdisciplinary research on page
23 of The
Post.
The University of Florida awards Steven George, PhD,
PT one of only ten Jack Wessel Excellence Awards for Assistant Professors.
Through the generosity of a friend of the university, Mr. Jack Wessel, a
one-time allocation of $5,000 is awarded in support of research that can
be used to fund travel, equipment, books, graduate students, and other research-related
expenses.
Joel Bialosky, PhD, PT, FAAOMPT, OCS
and RSD student Jason
Beneciuk present at the Florida Physical Therapy Association Northern
District Super Meeting in St. Augustine, FL. View photo here.
March 2009 - Andrea
Behrman, PhD, PT is elected a Catherine
Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association, which
is one of the highest honors given by the APTA. Read The
Post coverage here.
February 2009 - Read about the innovative training and research
being used in the VA's Human Motor Performance Laboratory to assist our
veterans and other patients on pages 12 - 15 of The
Post. Among others, the article showcases RSD student Kristin
Day and her mentor Andrea Behrman, PhD, PT
as they train patients to use a robotic type of locomotor therapy to help
patients with spinal cord injuries relearn how to walk again.
Also on page 21 of The
Post, read about RSD students Virginia Little
and Elisa Gonzalez-Rothi, who are among
six national recipients of the Florence P. Kendall Doctoral Scholarships
from the Foundation for Physical Therapy board of trustees. Read the announcment
on page
5 of the FPTA Update.
January 2009 - Steven George, PhD, PT
receives the American Pain Society's John C. Liebeskind Early Career Scholar
Award, which recognizes early career achievements that have made outstanding
contributions to pain scholarship. Read the American Pain
Society's announcement here
and coverage by The Post here,
p.22.
December 2008 - The Muscle Physiology Laboratory unveils their
new website. Located within the McKnight Brain Institute and under the
leadership of Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT,
and Glenn Walter, PhD, the
lab's mission is to non-invasively quantify the plasticity of skeletal muscle
from disease, disuse, and aging.
November 2008 - Physical Therapy Deparment Rehabilitation Science
Doctoral (RSD) students Manuela Corti and
Milap Sandhu are recipients of awards from
UF's International Center. Read more about it on the PHHP
Awards webpage and in The PHHP
News.
October 2008 - David Fuller, PhD presents
“Cervical Spinal Cord Injury and Respiratory Neuroplasticity”,
at the symposium “Physiology in Medicine: Bridging Bench and Bedside”,
at the Beijing Joint Conference of Physiological Sciences in Beijing, China,
October 19-22, 2008.
Andrea Behrman, PhD, PT, Coordinator of the BRRC
Locomotor Research Initiative, receives the first ever Alumni Excellence
in Clinical Practice Award from Duke University. This new award is given
by Duke to an alumna who “embodies the professional characteristics
and ideals of a physical therapist and who has demonstrated innovation or
creativity in the delivery of physical therapy services/practice or exceptional
caring in the delivery of physical therapy services to patients or clients.”
Dr. Steve Kautz receives a prestigious VA Rehabilitation R&D Research Career Scientist Award for 5 years of direct funding totaling $405,000.
UF-Brooks Endowment grant entitled “Mechanisms of Restoring Gait Post-Stroke: Role of the Ankle Plantarflexors” awarded to Principal Investigator Dorian Rose, PhD, PT.
Drs. Behrman, Kautz and Patten each receives separate VA Rehabilitation R&D Large Equipment grants for their labs totaling $413,000.
Drs. Behrman, Patten and Kautz along with their Post-Doctoral Mentees, Drs. Nicole Tester (Behrman) and Chris Robertson, PhD (Patten) each receives separate VA Rehabilitation R&D Small Equipment grants totaling $148,933.
September 2008 - The Department welcomes new hire Joel Bialosky, PT, PhD, FAAOMPT, OCS as a Clinical Assistant Professor.
The Department welcomes new hire Donovan Lott, PhD, PT as a Research Assistant Professor.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research from Krista Vandenborne, PT, PhD’s lab was highlighted on a WCJB20 newscast in conjunction with the Jerry Lewis MD Telethon.
Dr. Donovon Lott receives a K12 Scholar award and is working with Dr. Vandenborne.
Dorian Rose, PhD, PT presents “Update in Stroke Rehabilitation – Promoting an Environment for our Patients to Learn” at Neural Perspectives ’08: Changing the Face of Stroke Conference in Oklahoma City, OK.
Dr. Mark Bishop receives funding for a 5-year NIH K01 award entitled, Neurobiological Mechanisms of Manual Therapy for $556,875.
Jason Beneciuk, current RSD doctoral student in Movement Science Track, receives a 3-year T32 NMPT pre-doctoral traineeship. Dr. George serves as his mentor.
August 2008 - The Department welcomes new hire Caroline Davis, Project Coordinator for Dr. Chmielewski.
Physical Therapy Department students and faculty presented with a number of awards during UF’s Spring 2008 Commencement, including:
The Outstanding Scholastic Student Award, is presented to DPT students graduating with a 4.0 cumulative average and was awarded to: Jennifer Megan Balla, Lindsay Alicia Perry and Stephen Zachary Sutton
The Martha C. Wroe Outstanding Clinical Performance Award, presented in recognition of a graduating senior who has demonstrated clinical excellence was awarded to Michelle Suzanne Scott.
The Dean’s Scholar, doctoral level, is presented to one student within the College of Public Health and Health Professions and was awarded to RSD student Joel Bialosky.
The Sam and Connie Holloway Endowment in Public Health and Health Professions, awarded to a 2nd year DPT student – Andrea Beaulieu.
Dr. Krista Vandenborne was one of two faculty
awarded the College of Public Health and Health Professions’ Excellence
in Faculty Leadership Award.
Elisa Gonzalez-Rothi, current RSD doctoral
student in the Movement Science Track, receives a T32 NMPT pre-doctoral
traineeship award. Dr. Patten serves as her mentor.
July 2008 - The Department welcomes new hires Laura Quintana, Program Assistant in the DPT Educational Office; Christa Richmond, Informational Specialist and Assistant to Dr. Vandenborne; and Sarah Wright, Program Assistant in the Fiscal Office.
Dr. Chris Gregory receives a prestigious 3-year
VA Rehabilitation R&D Career Development II Award, entitled "Skeletal
muscle properties and the metabolic cost of walking post-stroke.”
Drs. Kautz, Vandenborne, Patten serve as mentors on this project. ($350,000
in direct funding)
Steven George, PhD, PT receives an award of $2,416,508.00 for a 5-year NIH R01 grant entitled, “Biopsychosocial Influence on Shoulder Pain.”
Former RSD student and T32 Pre-Doctoral Trainee Michelle Woodbury, PhD, OT receives a prestigious 3-year VA Rehabilitation R&D Career Development II Award entitled, "A Toolbox for Measuring Post-Stroke Upper Extremity Motor Ability.” Dr. C. Patten and S. Kautz serve as her mentors. ($350,000 in direct funding).
June 2008 - (Also see October 2007 entry below.) Read the "On Campus" spotlight in Volume 9, number 2 of Florida, UF's Alumni Magazine. The article highlights the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research by Research Foundation Professor and PT Department Chair Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT, and colleagues Glenn Walter, PhD, and Claudia Senesac, PhD, PT. View page 4 of the issue here.
Kristin Day, MPT, and Emily Fox, MHS, DPT, NCS awarded an Early Career Rehabilitation Research Award (ECRRA) through the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program (BSCIP) from the Florida Department of Health. The two RSD students received the funding from the Biomedical Research category, which was one of five separately funded award categories. Both projects were generated as part of the initiative to investigate recovery after SCI in the UF Locomotor research laboratory, which is under the direction of Dr. Andrea Behrman.
Read the cover story of the
June 2008 APTA Magazine, highlighting the work of PT faculty member Andrea
Behrman, PhD, PT. View more coverage of Dr. Behrman's research in ABC
newspaper, Science
Daily, EurekAlert!,
and Medical
News Today. This piece was also broadcast by National Public Radio
and the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.
Andrea Behrman, PhD, PT presented details of
one of her current clinical trials, “Walking Recovery after SCI: The
Kids STEP Study” at the April 5th “Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury:
Issues in Management, Rehabilitation, and Research Conference” at
Tampa General Hospital. As Principal Investigator of this study, Behrman
presented the background and relative science related to walking recovery
after SCI. Research project coordinator Emily Fox, MHS, DPT, NCS then spoke
about the Kids STEP Study and was joined by Jill Heilman, MS, who detailed
the psycho-social aspects which she is examining in the children and thier
families.
The Foundation for Physical Therapy Board of Trustees awards a total of $292,500 in Promotion of Doctoral Scholarships (PODS I & II) to 25 physical therapists, including Barbara Smith, PT, MPT, who was awarded the Scot C Irwin, PT, DPT, CCS Scholarship.
Courtesy Faculty member Sandra Davis is recruited to the Governmental Advocacy Committee (GAC) of the Florida Physical Therapy Association Board Task Force to draft Florida Statute 486, Physical Therapy Practice, revisions using the Model Practice Act of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) as a template. This Task Force reviewed the act, made suggestions for change, and wrote a final revision to present to the GAC, Florida Physical Therapy Association Board, and lobbyists.
Drs. Steven Kautz (Co-PI), Carolynn Patten (Co-PI) and Dr. Andrea Behrman (Co-I) receive funding for a 3 year VA Rehabilitation R&D Merit grant entitled "Development of Evidence Based Parameter Selection for Locomotor Training. ($672,759 in direct funding)
RSD student Manuela Corti, under the mentorship of Carolynn Patten, PT, PhD in the Neural Control of Movement Lab, awarded a competitive UF Alumni Fellowship. She was also accepted for the 2nd Summer School on Advanced Technologies for Neuro-Motor Assessment and Rehabilitation sponsored by Strategic neTwork for Assistive & Rehabilitative Technology in Emilia-Romagna (STARTER), which was held in Monte San Pietro, Bologna, Italy.
May 2008 - The Department welcomes new hire Shelly Trimble, PT as an Assistant Instructor.
Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT receives a 5-year, $1,305,295 renewal of the NIH T32 pre-doctoral training grant entitled, “Interdisciplinary Training in Rehabilitation and Neuromuscular Plasticity.”
WCJB 20 aired a segment highlighting the work of Dr. Light’s lab and the IMPACT study.
The following presentations were made at The Neural Control of Movement (NCM)’s 18th Annual Meeting in Naples, Florida:
Bowden MG, Clark DJ, Kautz SA. Evaluation of abnormal synergy patterns post-stroke: relationship of clinical examination to hemiparetic locomotion, poster. May 1.
Clark DJ, Dairaghi CA, Patten C. Effects of concentric vs. eccentric resistance training on muscle strength and walking function in adults post-stroke, poster.
Clark DJ, Subramanian N, Neptune RR, Ting LH and Kautz SA. Fewer basic activation patterns account for lower extremity EMG during walking in adults post-stroke compared to healthy controls, poster.
Fox E, Tester N, Subramanian S, Kautz S, Howland D, Behrman A. Two muscle synergies account for pattern of motor recovery in a child with SCI (May 1), poster.
Kautz SA, Clark DJ, Neptune RR. Deficits in voluntary modulation of step length in hemiparetic walking, poster.
Kautz SA, moderator, Bastian A, Reisman D, Patten C. Altering locomotion through learning and conscious control: What are the implications for rehabilitation? Workshop.
Brendan Dougherty, under the mentorship of David Fuller, PhD, wins an IDP Medical Guild Incentive Award (considered a mini-grant) in the amount of $750.
DPT students organize the successful Gator Challenge Service Project May – July 2008.
The following presentation was made at The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)’s Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana including Phadke CP, Klimstra M, Zehr EP, Thompson FJ, Behrman AL. Soleus H-reflex modulation during stance phase of walking with altered arm swing patterns, poster.
April 2008 - Terese Chmielewski, PhD, PT is awarded a NIH R21entitled Real-Time Model-Based Gait Retraining for Knee Osteoarthritis Rehabilitation Is a two year grant for a total project funding of $72,000.
Terese Chmielewski, PhD, PT is awarded a K01 entitled, “Muscle Weakness and Post-Traumatic Knee OA” for the period of 9/30/07 to 8/31/12 for $714,784.
Steven Kautz, PhD receives a VA RR&D Supplement to his grant entitled "Mechanisms of Response to Locomotor Training after Stroke. $70,000 in direct funding was awarded.
Mark Bishop, PhD, PT is awarded a $30,000 Brooks
Rehabilitation Award entitled, “Psychosocial Inflence on Gait and
Balance in Older Adults." This project is partially supported by the
Ida Mae Foundation.
March 2008 - Read comments from Professor and PT
Department Chair Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT
in The
Post (pages 13 - 15) regarding successful grant submission strategies
during challenging economic times.
Read The
Post
(pages 6 - 7) feature article on the Functional Motor Control lab, which
is conducting The Stroke I.M.P.A.C.T. Study (Improving Motor Function Applying
Constraint Therapy) under the direction of Kathye Light,
PhD, PT. This study explores the use of CIMT (Constraint-Induced Movement
Therapy) for outcomes in improving upper-extremity function.
February 2008 - Nicole Tester, PhD,
a post-doctoral fellow in the departments of Physical Therapy and Neuroscience,
and a former T32 trainee, has been awarded a two year, $120,000.00 grant
entitled "Physical Interlimb Coordination during Walking Post-SCI Rehabilitation."
The grant, awarded by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation's Individual
Research Grant Program, will be used to assist Dr. Tester in reaching one
of her goals: to help clinicians develop new rehabilitation therapies to
promote the recovery of walking. Read more about the grant and Dr. Tester's
exciting new research here.
Trevor Lentz, MPT, CSCS, was named recipient of the 2008 Excellence in Research
Award from the Sports section of the APTA for his platform presentation
entitled "Identifying Impairments That Predict Function: A Preliminary
Step in Developing Return-to-play Guideline for ACL Reconstruction"
by authors: Trevor A. Lentz, Susan M. Tillman, Michael W. Moser, Peter A.
Indelicato, Steven Z. George, and Terese L. Chmielewski. Lentz received
the award for work done during his tenure at the Sports
Clinical Residency in the SHANDS Rehab Center/UF Department of Physical
Therapy Program, under the mentorship of Terese
Chmielewski, PhD, PT.
View the summary of the more than two dozen
poster presentations presented by the UF PT department's students and
faculty at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in Nashville, TN. 13 posters
were presented by UF faculty and students and an additional 13 were selected
as platform posters; the education courses and roundtable discussions can
also be viewed in the summary.
The CSM 2008 Neurology Section Award to Post-Professional Student was awarded
to UF Rehabilitation Science Doctoral (RSD) student Mark Bowden, MS, PT.
Bowden is also an affiliate faculty member
of the UF PT department . His abstract entitled "Validation of a Speed-based
Classification System Using Quantitative Measures of Walking Performance
Post-Stroke" was one of two abstracts selected to receive this award.
The James
A. Gould Excellence in Teaching Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Award has
been awarded to Terese Chmielewski, PhD, PT.
This national award was presented to Chmielewski at CSM 2008 in recognition
of excellence in the instruction of orthopaedic physical therapy principles
and techniques and in acknowledgment of an individual with exemplary teaching
skills.
January 2008 - Rehabilitation Science Doctoral (RSD) student and
T32 trainee Barbara K. Smith has been selected
as a G.A.T.O.R. Graduate Mentor for the 2008-2009 school year. Smith will
serve as a team leader for The UF-Howard
Hughes G.A.T.O.R. Program for Biomedical Science which brings together
graduate, undergraduate, and high school students who work together in research
teams under the guidance of faculty advisors.
Mark Bishop, PhD, PT receives an NIH K12 Scholar
award and is working with Drs. Krista Vandenborne and Mike Robinson.
Chris Gregory, PhD, PT receives an NIH K12 Scholar
award and is working with Dr. Steve Kautz.
December 2007 - Mary Thigpen, PhD,
PT receives a $58,000 1-year grant from Shands Hospital entitled, “A
Model of Integrated PT Practice Service and Integration.”
November 2007 - Gwenda Creel, MHS, PT, and
Giselle Mann, PhD, a speech pathologist and faculty member in the department
of Behavioral Science and Community Health, have been awarded a UF Public
Health-Health Professions Model Program project grant. The project is one
of four supported by $20,000 grants from the College of Public Health and
Health Professions and the UF Area Health Education Centers program. Creel
and PT department faculty and research team members Mary
Thigpen, PhD, PT, and Genné McDonald,
PT, have teamed up with UF public health faculty to review current clinical
practice guidelines and ultimately develop a model of optimal service delivery
for patients with head and neck cancer. The research team will survey patients,
family members, and health care providers, to identify rehabilitation needs
for patients who experience disabling health conditions, particularly following
radiation or surgery. Read more
here (page 21).
UF Assistant Professor Terese Chmielewski, PhD,
PT has been awarded $125,000 on behalf of the NFL Charities and the
NFL member clubs and players in support of her research project entitled
"The Effect of Plyometric Exercise Intensity on Function & Articular
Cartilage Metabolism after ACL Reconstruction". Chmielewski received
the maximum award able to be made to an individual grantee for this proposal.
October 2007 - The Cancer Rehabilitation Clinic opens.
Read page 23 of this month's The
Post highlighting the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research being
performed by Professor and PT Department Chair Krista
Vandenborne, PhD, PT, Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics
Assistant Professor and T32 mentor Glenn
Walter, PhD, and PT Clinical Assistant Professor Claudia
Senesac, PhD, PT. Also read the Mag Lab Reports research spotlight
here.
University of Florida SPTA (Student Physical Therapy Association) members
celebrated National Physical Therapy Month in October by promoting community
awareness of the importance of physical activity in helping to prevent and
manage overweight and obesity in both children and adults. Spotlightlighting
the physical therapy profession, SPTA members earned a spot in a TV20 newscast.
View the news video: Physical Therapy
Month Promotion TV20 Video
September 2007
A $5 million National Institutes of Health grant has been awarded to the
University of Florida and the University of Texas Medical Branch. The Rehabilitation
Research Career Development Program will train 12 occupational and physical
therapy scholars to become rehabilitation researchers. Professor and PT
Department Chair Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT,
is the program deputy director. Read more about this K
12 grant, of which only two have been awarded nationally, on page 2
of PHHP
News and in the UF
Health Science Center News.
August 2007 -The Department welcomes new hire Carolynn
Patten, PT, PhD as an Associate Professor.
Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT, presented at
the American College of Sports Medicine 54th Annual Meeting symposium session
entitled “Symposium Skeletal Muscle Biology: Lessons from the Past
to Improve the Future - In Memory of Gary A. Dudley.” More than 4,500
people attended the New Orleans conference to network, explore products
and service exhibits, and learn about emerging sports medicine and exercise
science research.
UF DPT student Maggie Horn has been selected to receive one of the Florida Public Health Association’s (FPHA) 2007 Graduate Student Scholarships. The FPHA scholarships are awarded to motivated undergraduate and graduate students from universities throughout the state of Florida who exhibit strong leadership qualities. Ms. Horn is coordinator of one of UF PT’s grant related projects and has nearly completed her certificate in public health. Her scholarship was presented at the Annual Awards Luncheon held August 2nd at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa Bay, FL. See page 3 of the PHHP News.
July 2007 - A number of University of Florida Rehabilitation Science Doctoral (RSD) students and PT faculty attended and presented at the 18th International Conference of the International Society for Posture and Gait Research (ISPGR) held in Burlington, Vermont, July 14-18, 2007. UF T32 trainee and RSD student Kristin Day received the “Best Poster Research Award for Doctoral Students” at the ISPGR’s international pre-conference. The pre-conference, entitled, “Innovations in Balance and Locomotor Rehabilitation: The Translation from Fundamental Science to Clinical Applications” was held July 13th in Montreal, Canada and brought together interdisciplinary scientists, clinicians, and trainees interested in identifying and bridging the gap between basic and clinical research in an international arena. Day’s winning poster was “Quantifying dynamic walking stability in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury.” UF faculty and RSD students presented over a half dozen ISPGR posters in Burlington, VT as well as several at the pre-conference in Montreal, Quebec. See page 3 of the PHHP News.
The Department welcomes new hire Dorian Rose, PT, PhD as a Research Assistant Professor.
June 2007 - UF DPT class historian Tiffany Wasson attended the APTA's Annual Conference and Exposition (PT 2007), in Denver, CO and met APTA President Scott Ward, keynote speaker Rear Admiral Penelope Slade Royall, PT, MSW, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health.
May 2007 - UF physical therapy assistant professor Steven Z George, PT, PhD has been named the 2007 Eugene Michels New Investigator Award recipient. The purpose of the APTA award is “to acknowledge an outstanding new investigator who has demonstrated a commitment to a defined research theme as exemplified in the professional and research career of Eugene Michels,” who was the APTA's Associate Executive Vice President for Research and Education, and was a catalyst in the organization’s movement to foster research in physical therapy. See page 22 of The Post.
The University of Florida Research Foundation (UFRF) has named UF physical therapy department chair Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT, one of 33 UF faculty members as UFRF Professors for 2007-2010. The recognition goes to faculty members who have a distinguished current record of research and a strong research agenda that is likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields. The UFRF professors were recommended by their college deans and evaluation criteria included: recent research accomplishments, as evidenced by publications in scholarly journals, external funding, honors and awards, development of intellectual property and other measures appropriate to their field of expertise.
Seven DPT students and two faculty traveled to the UNAN, a university in
Managua, Nicaragua, to participate in an annual service learning project
to teach physical therapists, and physical therapy students how to manage
low back pain, based on the latest research. Faculty members Mark
Bishop PT, PhD and Eugene Fueyo, PT led students
Ashley Mayer, Bernice Lee, Chris Simms, Lynette Guimond, Zach Sutton, Drew
Oswald, and Michelle Scott on the Nicaragua project.
The group also visited the Hospital in Managua, which provided a vast array
of services covering the neurological, acute, outpatient, and pediatric
populations. The Walking Unidos Clinic, a prosthetic clinic in Leon, Nicaragua,
located just outside of Managua, was also visited.
41 graduate posters were presented at the College of Public Health and Health Professions 19th Annual Research Fair, nine of which were presented or co-authored by the Physical Therapy department’s faculty, Rehabilitation Science Doctoral (RSD) students, T32 fellows, and/or post-doctoral students. 22 undergraduate posters were also presented. Michelle Vega, mentored by Mark Bishop PT, PhD, received one of the Undergraduate Honors Thesis Awards for her poster, “Predicting Outcome in Frail Older Adults.” Two RSD students in the Physical Therapy department, Chitralakshmi Balasubramanian and Milapjit Singh Sandhu, received a Graduate Research Grant. Their grant proposals were entitled, respectively: “Swing Phase Dynamics During Hemiparetic Walking: Step to Step Variability” and “Neural Repair and Functional Respiratory Recovery After Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.” PT RSD student Barbara K. Smith's “Inspiratory Muscle Training Improves Strength in Difficult to Wean Patients" also won in the category of graduate student posters.
April 2007 - A Craig H. Neilsen Foundation Award for $250,000 for a two year period was approved for a project entitled "Restoring Walking in Non-Ambulatory Children with Severe Chronic SCI." The award was given to PT Associate Professor and PI Andrea Behrman, PhD, PT and UF neuroscience department Assistant Professor and co-PI Dena Howland, PhD. They are collaborating with the Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies, Jacksonville, FL and the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute.
Richard R. Neptune, PhD, associate professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin (PI) , and Steven Kautz, PhD, (PI of sub-contract to University of Florida) have been awarded a $1.37 million four year grant by the National Institutes of Health. The NIH R01 grant entitled, "Development of a SimTK-based framework for hemiparetic walking assessment" will provide simulation analyses of data from a VA grant studying biomechanical changes due to locomotor training (Kautz PI, Behrman, Co-PI). The goal is to develop a theoretical framework that associates post-rehabilitation changes in spatiotemporal characteristics of hemiparetic walking, which are easily measured in a clinical setting, with changes in individual muscle force generation and muscle action on individual body segments, which are unmeasurable but predictable from dynamic musculoskeletal simulations.
David Fuller, PhD, was recently invited to speak at a symposium hosted by the Center for Adaptive Neural Systems at Arizona State University. A group of international experts in neuroscience research were hosted for a symposium on "Adaptation and Learning in Neuro-Biomechatronic Systems". The aim of the two day session was to organize a group of life scientists, engineers, mathematicians and clinician-scientists with a broad range of expertise to discuss the development of "intelligent brain-machine interface systems". The workshop was sponsored by a catalyst grant from the NSF. Participants gave a research seminar and also participated in workshops aimed at identifying key issues the currently limit the development of "neuro-biomechatronic systems".
March 2007 - David Fuller, PhD, received a $1,250,000 five year grant from the National Institutes of Health, entitled "Control of Breathing and Glycogen Storage Disease.” The work funded by this RO1 grant will describe the neural control of breathing in a mouse model of glycogen storage disease type II (Pompe Disease), and will explore the use of gene therapy to reduce pathologic glycogen accumulation in the central nervous system and associated respiratory insuffiency.
Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT was invited to speak at a workshop of international experts in skeletal muscle research. The workshop was coordinated by the RAMP (Rehabilitation Aimed at Muscle Performance) research team based in the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) and the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Presenters discussed their current research program as well as potential partnerships for collaborative research focused on skeletal muscle rehabilitation to improve mobility in older people and people with chronic diseases.
Terese Chmielewski, PhD, PT received a $40,000 one year grant award from The UF Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies for her project entitled "Urinary levels of knee osteoarthritis biomarker during the early period after ACL reconstruction." Dr. Chmielewski is an assistant professor in the UF department of physical therapy and will utilize the award to investigate levels of a knee osteoarthritis biomarker in urine after ACL reconstruction. The Brooks Center granted the award based on the project’s relevance to its rehabilitation mission, which is to address the rehabilitation and human performance needs of individuals with disabling conditions resulting from birth, injury, or disease.
UF Physical therapy department alumnus Donald A. Neumann, PT, PhD was named the Wisconsin Professor of the Year, making him the first physical therapy professor in the country to be recognized by the US Professors of the Year program, which is sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is administered by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Dr. Neumann is also a three-time Fulbright scholar and has assisted with the establishment of physical therapy programs in Lithuania and Hungary.
February 2007 - The first ever student-coordinated FPTA Student Conference was held February 2-3, 2007. Led by Meryl Alappattu, SPT and Stacy Gorski, SPT, nearly 175 students, faculty members, and clinicians from all over the state convened at UF for two days of networking, discovery of cutting edge research, and learning more about the transition from student to professional. The events included a keynote address by FPTA President Mark Stoff, professionalism and research presentations, roundtable discussions, and a meeting with FPTA Board of Directors members Margaret Nonnemacher and Arie van Duijn to discuss possible methods of revitalizing the FPTA Student Special Interest group. Read more
January 2007 - UF Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) students traveled to the Elks Camp in Umatilla, Florida as volunteers for children with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. This collaborative effort between the University of Florida physical therapy department and the Elks is led by Claudia Senesac, PT, PhD, PCS. First year DPT student participants included: Lindsey Waddell, Jennifer Smales, Lucas Van Etten, Benjamin Herget, and Ryland Galmish, as well as second year DPT students Alina Stefan and Michelle Scott. Student volunteers assist with coordinating camp activities while UF faculty provides consultative services to therapists in the field throughout the state of Florida.
December 2006 - Congratulations to Gloria Miller, MHS, MA, PT, NCS for her election to the University of Florida Faculty Senate where she represents the college of Public Health and Health Professions.
Terese Chmielewski, PhD, PT, presented two lectures at the Team Concept Conference 2006, sponsored by the Sports Physical Therapy Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. Dr. Chmielewski presented “Injury Prevention Strategies” and “ACL Injuries: Who Can Cope?” at the December 1st- 3rd, 2006 conference in Las Vegas.
Graduate students from four colleges within UF presented posters at the Second Annual Neuromuscular Plasticity Symposium, held December 1, 2006 at the UF President’s House and Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute. 41 posters were presented following plenary lectures by Kevin P. Campbell, PhD of the University of Iowa, Steven C. Cramer, MD of the University of California Irvine, and Jonathan Wolpaw, MD of the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health. Winners of the poster session included: Mark Bowden, PT, and Rehabilitation Science Doctoral (RSD) doctoral student; Jenna J. Betters, MS, Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology doctoral student; and Sunitha Rangaraju, BS, Interdisiplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences (IDP) doctoral student. Each received a $500 travel award sponsored by the NCMRR sponsored training grant T32 HD043730. View symposium photos.
Led by Gwen Creel, MHS, PT, the PT department and DPT classes teamed up to collect donations for a needy family in the Interdisciplinary Family Health (IFH) program. A food gift card, blankets, non-perishables, and at least one new item of clothing for each family member were wrapped and delivered to the extended family of eleven over the holidays. View photo.
November 2006 - Welcome to our four new PT dept. faculty babies who arrived within days of one another: Ava Fuller, Evelyn George, Carter James Gregory, and Meghan Anne Bishop.
The APTA Student Conclave in Dallas, TX was attended by PT students Maria Delazzer, Kristen Swank, Jackie Mataja, Renee Doddington, Derek Miles, Drew Oswald, Alina Stefan, Meryl Alappattu, and Michelle Scott.
Affiliate faculty member, Genné McDonald, PT, joined John Kerry, Elizabeth Edwards, Lance Armstrong, and Jim Collins in addressing delegates of the Lance Armstrong Foundation LIVESTRONG Summit in Austin, TX. She was also recently named the recipient of the American Cancer Society's Terese Lasser Award for the state of Florida, an award given to one individual per state in recognition of exceptional achievement, performance and dedication to breast cancer awareness. View Armstrong and McDonald photo on page 20 of The Post.
October 2006 - In recognition of national Physical Therapy
Month, the Student Physical Therapy Association organized a number of activities,
including: a Health Science Center library display, a 5K Healing Hands Fun
Run, a Health Fest, and painting the Gainesville 34th Street Wall, a popular
artistic student tradition. View photos.
Steven George, PT, PhD, an assistant professor
in the department of physical therapy, received a two-year $275,000 grant
from the National Institutes of Health. The aim of the NIH R21 grant entitled,
"Mechanisms of Neural Mobilization for Chronic Pain" is to determine
if patients with CTS demonstrate excessive central sensitization of pain,
when compared to healthy control subjects. Its second specific aim is to
determine if the median nerve NMT's effect on the nervous system is a reduction
in central sensitization of pain. The study will use novel measures of pain
sensitivity to investigate one aspect of the underlying neurophysiology
of manipulative and body-based methods.
DPT student Diane Jett (picture1,
picture2) received
the Kynes Memorial Scholarship at the Homecoming UF - LSU game on October
7, 2006. The $5000 scholarship recognizes academic and athletic leadership
among former intercollegiate athletes currently attending UF graduate school.
It is awarded to only five student athletes. Ms. Jett was recognized for
her 3.97GPA, many community service hours, and excellence in Track and Cross
Country at the University of Florida. See page 22 of The
Post.
Two platform presentations were given by University of Florida representatives at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) 12th Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC. UF Assistant Professor Mark Bishop, PT, PhD presented “Effect of neurodynamic intervention on pain perception.” RSD student Joel Bialosky, PT, MS, OCS, FAAOMPT presented “Manual Therapy Induced Analgesia: a Comparison of Healthy Subjects and Those with Low Back Pain.”
September 2006 - Professor Dr. A. Daniel Martin presented at the September 2 - 6, 2006 16th Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society in Munich. His presentation was entitled, "Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training Improves Outcome in Failure to Wean Patients."
August 2006 - Read about us in The Post: Toast honors memory of physical therapy professor - p. 7; Research team to measure outcomes of muscular dystrophy treatments - p. 13; and Students globe trot during international trips p. 25-6.
July 2006 - Mark Bishop, PhD, PT was awarded a Division of Sponsored Research Opportunity Fund for his proposal entitled "Development of an Experimental Model of Endogenous Low Back Pain" in the amount of $80,769 for a one year period.
David Fuller, PhD, and Neuroscience Department Eminent Scholar Dr. Paul Reier received a research contract from Sangamo Biosciences, Inc. Dr. Fuller’s award is for a sub-project entitled "Safety and Feasibility of Viral Vector or Plasmid-Based Targeting on Zinc Finger Protein Gene Activators in the Normal and Injured Rat Spinal Cords" for $64,926 during the period of 7/1/06-6/30/07.
June 2006 - Andrea Behrman, PhD, PT appeared as a guest speaker at the "Working 2 Walk Symposium" held April 30th in Washington, D. C. The event was sponsored by the Unite 2 Fight Paralysis and The Christopher Reeve Foundation as part of an organized and highly visible effort to educate advocates from the paralysis community. The symposium served to educate the advocates who then went on to rally Capitol Hill to call for passage of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act (CRPA), which advocates advancing research into cures and treatments for paralysis and increasing quality of life initiatives to aid those already living with disability. Photo1, Photo2
Faculty and RSD students who presented at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 53rd Annual Meeting included Department Chair Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT, who presented “ Molecular Signatures Associated with Skeletal Muscle Disuse Atrophy in Humans”; Assistant Professor Terese Chmielewski, PhD, PT, who presented “Contribution of Trunk and Hip Muscle Performance to Single Leg Hop Distance”; faculty member Chris Gregory, PhD, PT; and RSD students Min Liu, Prithvi Shah, Neeti Pathare, Arun Jayaraman and Mark Bowden.
A $1,000,000 grant was awarded by the James & Esther King Biomedical Research Program for the period of July 2006 - July 2008 to Principal Invesigator Paul W. Davenport, PhD, from the UF Physiological Sciences Department, and co-Principal Investigators Dr. David Fuller and Dr. A. Daniel Martin. UF Associate Professors Linda Hayward and Donald Bolser are also co-PI’s on the grant, entitled “The Role of Nicotine in the Neural Control of Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems”.
May 2006 - University of Florida Physical Therapy department faculty member Steven George, PT, PhD recently served as guest editor of Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Physical Therapy. Dr. George’s editorial “Fear: A Factor to Consider in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation” appeared in the May issue of JOSPT. University of Florida Physical Therapy department Assistant Professor Terese Chmielewski, PhD, PT also provided this issue of the JOSPT with it’s cover clinical commentary. Chmielewski and co-authors Gregory D. Myer, MS, CSC, Douglas Kauffman, PT, LMT, CSCS, and Susan Tillman, PT, CSCS, SCS explored “Plyometric Exercise in the Rehabilitation of Athletes: Physiological Responses and Clinical Application”.
April 2006 - University of Florida Assistant Professor Mark Bishop, PhD, PT has been chosen as the 2006 recipient of the Margaret L. Moore Award for Outstanding New Academic Faculty Member. The award is given to an outstanding new faculty member who is pursuing a career as an academician and has demonstrated excellence in research and teaching.
Affiliate faculty member Genné McDonald, PT was selected as one of 25 extraordinary advocates in the fight against breast cancer by Yoplait®, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and SELF magazine. Her story appears in the April issues of Allure, Self, Bon Appetit, Vogue, and Glamour. McDonald recently created a nonprofit organization, Team Survivor North Florida. Read the press release.
February 2006 - Dr. Andrea Behrman received the Award for Research from the Neurology Section at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in San Diego in recognition of an outstanding research record. Her research is focused on recovery of function after spinal cord injury. |
December 2005 - In conjunction with the UF & Shands Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute, affiliate faculty member Kevin McDonald and Physical Therapy Department Professor A. Daniel Martin collaborate on physiological and psychological testing in preparation for the 2006 bicycle racing season for the new US developmental professional cycling team, VMG Racing. Read more at: VMG Racing ready to go for 2006 |
December 2005 - Physical Therapy Department Chair
Krista Vandenborne, PhD, PT, will spearhead the University of
Florida’s portion of an NIH grant "Modulation of Muscle
Growth for Muscle Distrophies”. The University of Pennylvania
holds the master (U54 AR052646) grant with Dr. Lee Sweeney as the
Principal Investigator. The award is for the period of 9/25/05 thru
5/31/10 for $205,680 over the five year period. |
November 2005 - Physical Therapy Department Associate Professor Andrea Behrman, PhD, PT and Pamela W. Duncan, PhD, PT, Department of Physical Therapy joint faculty member, receive the largest rehabilitation trial ever funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) will provide $13.5 million over a 5-year period in support of their "Locomotor Experience Applied Post-Stroke" (LEAPS) project. Read more at: Researchers in Stroke Therapy Receive Largest NIH Rehabilitation Trial Grant. |
November 2005 - Affiliate faculty member Sandra B. Davis, BS, PT, was elected Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Florida Physical Therapy Association by her fellow committee members during a recent teleconference meeting. |
October 2005 -The Locomotor Training and Recovery Research Program (LTRRP) is featured in The Gainesville Sun. See Gainesville.com: Research on strokes bolstered |
August 2005 -The Locomotor Training and Recovery Research Program (LTRRP) is featured in The Gainesville Sun. See Gainesville.com: VA striving to serve new vets of Iraq, Afghanistan |
July 2005 - Steven George, PT, PhD
was awarded a four-year $1 million grant to study low back pain prevention
programs for U.S. soldiers. The grant is funded by the Department
of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program of the Office of
the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Medical Research
Program. Working with co-principal investigator, Maj. John Childs,
PT, PhD, MBA, of the Army Medical Department Center and School at
Baylor University, George's research team will test prevention programs
for 2,700 soldiers. Read more on page 22 of The
Post. |
July 2005 - Steven George, PT, PhD was awarded one of the University of Florida’s Research Opportunity Incentive Seed Fund for a proposal entitled, “Biopsychosocial Factor’s Influence on Shoulder Pain”. The amount of the award is $88,500 for 1 year. The purpose of the grant is to investigate the influence of psychological and genetic factors on pain perception and the development of chronic disability in patients with shoulder pain. |
June 2005 - Congratulations to Dr. A. Daniel Martin, PhD, PT on his promotion to full Professor. Dr. Martin is our department’s first Professor effective July 1 st. |
May 2005 - Dr. Andrea Behrman, PhD, PT appointed to the Editorial Board of Physical Therapy ... read more |
April 2005 - Dr. A. Daniel Martin, PhD, PT has been selected to receive a University of Florida Research Foundation (UFRF) Professorship award. These three-year professorships were created by UFRF to recognize the faculty who have established a distinguished record of research and scholarship that is expected to lead to continuing distinction in their field. He is commended for his key role in the University’s research enterprise and our growing emphasis on graduate education. The term of this professorship is 2004-2006. |
April 2005 - Aneesha Jennings, a first year student in the UF Physical Therapy program was selected as a Community Health Scholar for Summer 2005. Aneesha is one of two students from the University of Florida working with the staff at the ACORN clinic on a literacy project. This is the second year that a student in the UF Physical Therapy program has been afforded this opportunity. Gaby Shumrak was selected in 2004 to participate in a Pensacola, FL project. |
April 2005 - Congratulations to PI Dr. Andrea Behrman and Co-PI Dr. Steve Kautz for receiving funding for the proposal “B5-4024, entitled “Differential Effects of Robotics vs. Manually-assisted Locomotor Training”. In addition, Dr. Steve Kautz (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Andrea Behrman (Co-Investigator) received a fundable score for their VA Rehabilitation R& D merit review grant entitled “Mechanisms of Response to Locomotor Training after Stroke”. |
April 2005 - Dr. David Fuller is one of four winners of the 2005 Young Investigator Awards sponsored by the American Physiological Society. The awards recognize society members who have demonstrated outstanding potential in the field of physiology. A $20,000 prize will be made to UF on behalf of Fuller. Fuller, an assistant professor in the department of physical therapy at UF’s College of Public Health and Health Professions, investigates how adaptations in the brain and spinal cord influence control of respiratory muscles. Improved respiratory muscle control may help patients with spinal cord injury decrease their dependence on mechanical ventilators and enhance their quality of life. Read the press release here and page 16 of The Post here. Dr. Fuller also received an R-03 NIH award for his proposal entitled “Endogenous Female Sex Hormones and Spinal Cord Injury.” This $150,000 R-O3 NIH award is from August 1, 2005 – July 29, 2008. |
Mark Bishop, PhD, PT honored as a Teacher of the Year 2003... read more |
