Department of Physical Therapy

The student selection and admissions process for the first DPT cohort has been completed.  Forty students have accepted invitations to join this group.  We have established an alternate list should any of the forty students have a change in plans.  We are excited to have the process completed and are in preparation for the start of this cohort May 29 and 30th with orientation.  Classes start June 2, 2008.

Application materials for 2009 will be available later in 2008.  An announcement will be posted here when available.

 

First DPT Class Scheduled for June 2008

The first class in the recently approved DPT program will be admitted in March and will start classes in June during the first summer session.  The faculty are working diligently to perfect the curriculum and plan for the first semester of the 9 semester, 3 year program. 

The final MSPT class will graduate in May 2009.  These students are excited to be part of the selection process for the new DPT students and to have a front row seat as they begin their DPT education. 

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Texas State Faculty and Graduates Achieve Board Specialization Status

Congratulations to Jason Hardage and Mary Elizabeth Parker, both faculty in the Department.  Jason has been recognized as a Neurology Certified Specialist and Mary Elizabeth as a Pediatric Certified Specialist.  They were recognized along with other newly certified specialists at a recognition ceremony at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in Nashville, TN, February 6, 2008.  Two graduates were also recognized - Jeff Cowan and Matt Parker, both achieving certification in orthopaedics.  Dr. Sanders was recognized for her second recertification in sports. 
    A number of graduates have achieved board certified specialist status in orthopaedics, pediatrics and sports. Michael Benson, Brent Dunbar, Arthur Hastings, Stacy Yount, Benjamin Keene, Toko Nguyen, and James Harris were recognized in Boston in 2007 at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting. They join a number of other graduates in this accomplishment -  Steve Edwards, Ben Keene, Julie Mankinen, David Penn, and Steven Vinson. Terri Flynn is a Certified Pediatric Specialist. Certified as Sports Specialists - Kevin McHorse and Catherine Ondrusek. If we have missed anyone, let us know. This is a major clinical achievement - recognition of master clinician status through a volunteer route which requires demonstration of advanced clinical competence in the practice area as well as competence in critical inquiry, education and administration. Congratulations!
    We are proud to have on our faculty these board certified specialists - Rob Wainner, PhD, PT, OCS, ECS; Suzanne Dougherty, MSPT, PT, SCS, ATC; Barbara Sanders, PhD, PT, SCS, Jason Hardage, DScPT, NCS, and Mary Elizabeth Parker, MSPT, PCS. 

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Special Olympics

On Saturday, February 2, 2008, students from the MSPT Class of 2009 participated in the Texas Special Olympics FunFITNESS program in San Antonio.  They joined students from Angelo State, Hardin Simmons, and UTHSCSA to screen over 150 Special Olympics athletes.  The students directed several different screening stations including flexibility, strength and balance.  Students also educated athletes on exercises that would improve their function.  Local physical therapists also helped to supervise the screening and education stations.  FunFITNESS is a Special Olympics program created and implemented in collaboration with the American Physical Therapy Association.  The Texas State Physical Therapy Program has a long history of participation in the Special Olympics FunFITNESS program. The next state screening will be May 23-24 in Arlington, TX at University of Texas at Arlington.  Contact TPTA if interested in participating.

 

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Faculty Highlight

Denise Gobert, PT, PhD

Dr. Gobert comes to Texas State from the Washington, DC area.  She has been practicing physical therapist for 13 years in several states - Texas, Kansas, Virginia and Washington, DC.  She has taught at the University of Kansas Medical Center and George Washington University.  In addition to her clinical degree in physical therapy, she finished her Master's degree in Exercise Science and her doctorate in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin.  Her clinical and research expertise lies in neurorehabilitation techniques with a focus on biomechanical analysis of human movement and balance coordination.  Her specialty area includes balance disorder for persons with acquired brain injury such as vestibular dysfunction, stoke or post-concussion syndromes.  She also has extensive experience working with the amputee patient populations after working for the Department of Veterans Affairs and Walter Reed Medical Center. 

Dr. Gobert is active in several state and national organizations such as the American Physical Therapy Association and the American College of Sports Medicine.  Currently she serves as Chair of the Vestibular Rehabilitation SIG for the APTA Neurology Section and board Member for the Geriatrics Section of the ACSM.

She is currently busy setting up her research agenda at Texas State and intends to continue post-concussion syndromes studies in the athletic and military populations.  The focus is to develop a clinical differential diagnosis algorithm to assess safe return-to-play or active duty.

In her leisure time she enjoys hiking, biking, playing tennis and music.  She says that she is "glad to be back in Texas and excited about exploring the good ol' Texas outdoors!" 

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PT Students Creative Approach to Learning

Check out how the students in PT 5630 are learning from Dr. Rob Wainner, Ms. Stacy Fancher and Ms. Suzy Dougherty this semester. blog.myphysicaltherapyspace.com/2007/11/ebp-education-a.html

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Texas State PT Faculty 100%

Texas State Faculty have taken the challenge.  There is 100% membership in the American Physical Therapy Association by the faculty of the Department of Physical Therapy.  This is the second year in a row that Texas State has achieved this recognition. 

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Thanks Lakeway Aquatic Therapy & Wellness Center!

The first year students were welcomed again one night in September for an educational session in aquatic therapy by the staff of the Lakeway Aquatic & Wellness Center.  They rescheduled their business activities to devote the entire evening to a successful and fun educational experience for the MSPT I class.  Thanks!

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Graduate Highlight

Kirk G Painter, PT, Cert MDT

Kirk is currently Director of Physical Therapy & Rehab Concepts, PC in San Marcos, Texas.  Kirk was born and grew up in Corpus Chrisit.  A proud honor graduate of Texas A&I University in 1989 with a BS in Animal Science, he is a 1994 BSPT graduate of Texas State University.  He is married and has twin 8 year-old sons and a ten year-old daughter. 

Kirk has been a licensed physical therapist since 1995 and the director and co-owner of the San Marocs Physical Therapy & Rehab Concepts Clinic since 1997.  He is in charge of all the occupational medicine at the clinic including:  WorkSteps, work hardening, work conditioning, functional capacity evaluations, post offer placement exams, and ergonomic evaluations.  He is also in charge of the general operation of this clinic as well.  He has completed all five courses offered by the McKenzie Institute, plus their Certification in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy of the Spine; Myofascial Release of the Upper Quarter; Reading-Berks Fitting Feet for Function; the Atlanta Back School course in Cumulative Trauma and Ergonomics, and he has satisfied the requirements for Functional Capacity Evaluation Seminar Certification under Keith Blankenship and also with WorkSteps.  His hobbies are trail runing, triathlons, adventure races, hunting, and mountain biking.

 

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Ask the Alumni

We want to add a new feature to the web site - Ask the Alumni.  We would love to hear from you so that we can develop a section that includes your comments.  Take some time and send us an e-mail at phystherapy@txstate.edu to respond to the following questions.

What did your experience at Texas State (or Southwest Texas State) mean to you?

What would you like to tell prospective students?

Please provide your full name and year of graduation.  We look forward to hearing from you.  As you provide your response you are providing your approval to post that response.  if you prefer not to be identified, please indicate that as well.

Notes from our Alumni.

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