Physical Therapy >> News and Updates

Fall 2011

Welcome DPT Class of 2014:
We welcomed thirty-six new DPT students to Mercer in August with a White Coat Ceremony.  Ben Massey, PT, immediate past-president of the APTA gave the keynote address.  It was wonderful to see so many community partners in the audience.  (see 2014 Class Photo with Ben Massey and Darlene Sekerak, PT, PhD)

Service-Learning
The Class of 2013 continued their service-learning projects across the lifespan during the summer semester. Students and faculty engaged in health promotion activities at Camp Hollywood and Camp TEAM with Alyssa Fiss, Good Samaritan Health Center with Jeannette Anderson, and Cathedral Towers with Niamh Tunney and David Taylor.  
This semester, the first year students (Class of 2014) are engaged in service-learning projects at FOCUS with Alyssa Fiss, work place assessments on campus and continued engagement with Good Samaritan Health Center with Jeannette Anderson, and at Briarcliff Oaks with David Taylor and Leslie Taylor.  

Update on Student Accomplishments
Lisette Davila, SPT, (DPT 2013) and Danielle Edsinger, SPT (DPT 2013) were selected to serve as ambassadors for the University.  Congratulations, Lisette and Danielle, for achieving this honor to serve as Jesse Mercer Stewards.  

Rose Burgett and Jennifer McGuffey (DPT 2013) are on the slate of nominations for officer positions with National Student Conclave.  We wish them and fellow Georgia nominees the best of luck and we thank them for their service.

Nancy Boore and Brian Walker (DPT 2013), pictured with Ann Lucado, PT, PhD, CHT, provided assistance at the recent Georgia Hand and Upper Extremity Special Interest Group program taught by Ken Flowers, PT, CHT.  (see photo)




 

Sarah Caston, PT, DPT.  Resident in Neurologic Physical Therapy

Post-Professional Program:
The Mercer-Shepherd Residency in Neurologic Physical Therapy began in August.  We welcome Sarah Caston, PT, DPT, as the first neurologic resident in the state!  Thanks to Joe Donnelly, Director of Post-Professional Education at Mercer, and Sarah Morrison, Lauren Greenfield, Rebecca Dail, and Diane Johnston at Shepherd for their efforts in designing the program. We look forward to exciting year, and are so pleased to have this collaborative residency with our colleagues at Shepherd. (See photo).

The credentialed Residency in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy continues, with the second cohort of residents Ingrid Anderson, PT, DPT, James Sechrist, PT, DPT, and Meredith Ireland, PT, DPT are scheduled to complete their studies and clinical practice in December.

Mercer Physical Therapy:
Our on-site clinic, Mercer Physical Therapy, is growing as well, under the direction of Tim McMahon, PT, OCS, clinic director.  Bethany Nelson, PT joined the clinic staff.  The clinic is open Monday – Friday, 8:30-5:00.

Faculty Updates
Welcome New Faculty:
We are very pleased to introduce three new, full-time faculty members to our team, Ann Lucado, PT, PhD, CHT, Ellen Perlow, PT, and David Taylor, PT, DPT.
 
Mandy Blackmon, PT, DPT, OCS, served as the physical therapist to actors and dancers in several musicals touring through Atlanta this summer and she will be the physical therapist for the tour of the television program “So You Think You Can Dance,” this fall.

Alyssa Fiss, PT, PhD, PCS, provided a two-day CE workshop on the use of group intervention in schools to the New York City Department of Education in July. She was also honored by the APTA as an Emerging Leader for 2011.  The APTA established this award to annually honor individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary service to the profession and APTA early in their careers.  Dr. Fiss was one of 15 members nominated by their component leadership to merit this honor.  Congratulations, Dr. Fiss. (See photo)


 
Philip Fabrizio’s teaching module, “Overview of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, was published in  MedEdPortal and Niamh Tunney’s case series on mental practice and the older adult was published in this month’s edition of the journal, “Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics.”  

Jeannette Anderson, Leslie Taylor, and Julie Gaiheimer presented a poster at the 4th International Symposium “Service-Learning in Higher Education: Connecting the Global to the Local” in Beijing, China in September.

Joe Donnelly has been slated to run for Director of the Orthopaedics Section of the APTA.  If you are a section member, watch for your electronic ballots in November.

Continuing Education Updates:
Jeannette Anderson has held four Jurisprudence and Ethics for Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants courses these past 4 months to more than 120 PTs and PTAs. 

David Taylor is scheduled to present an ethics course to the Metro School Consortium on October 28th and another with Bruce Greenfield at Emory on November 5th.

Mercer’s CI Credentialing course is scheduled for November 18 – 19.

Philip Fabrizio will be conducting an Upper Extremity Anatomy review course on Saturday, December 3rd.

For more information on any of our continuing education courses, please contact Maxine Caruth for more information at 678.547.6708.  

Summer 2011

Rose Burgett, SPT, Class of 2013, Wins National Award

Rose Burgett, SPT, Class of 2013, was awarded the Outstanding Core Ambassador for the Student Assembly of the APTA.  Dr. Scott Ward, President of the APTA, presented her with the award.  We congratulate Rose for this award and thank her for all of her efforts on behalf of the student assembly and student physical therapist s/ physical therapist assistants around the country.

 

Mercer PT Student “REACH” 100%

Mercer PT Students have 100% membership in the APTA in the REACH 100% campaign.  Mercer is the only program in Georgia to achieve this.  Congratulations to our students!

2011 Annual Conference, National Harbor, MD

Nancy Boore, SPT, was one of only 50 students selected to serve as an usher at the conference.  Congratulations, Nancy!

Dr. Joe Donnelly represented the Orthopaedics Section at the House of Delegates.  In collaboration with Steve Kraus, PT, Leslie Taylor, PT, PhD presented a poster, “Comparing the demographic profile and self-reported lifestyle and medical histories of female patients diagnosed with temperomandibular disorders to those diagnosed with other musculoskeletal disorders.”  As at CSM, you could find former orthopaedic residents Dr. Adrianna Nebedum and Dr. Casey O’Dell at work in the Gebauer booth in the exhibit hall.

Research Updates:

Dr. Alyssa LaForme Fiss was awarded a Mercer University Seed Grant to conduct a pilot study of the use of group constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) for young children with cerebral palsy.  Dr. Fiss will be collaborating with Dr. Charles from Emory University, Division of Physical Therapy and Dr. Rosenstein from the Mercer University, College of Education on this project.  Dr. Alyssa LaForme Fiss presented a platform presentation, Family Ecology for Young Children with Cerebral Palsy, at the International Society of Early Intervention meeting in New York City on May 6, 2011.  
 
Dr. Philip Fabrizio was awarded a grant from the College's Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning to support his project, "Bridging Foundational and Clinical Knowledge Using a Cadaver as a Patient Simulator for Learning Clinical Orthopedic Skills."

Spring 2011

Combined Sections Meeting 2011, New Orleans, LA

Six of our core faculty and 24 of our first year DPT students attended the APTA CSM several weeks ago in New Orleans.  Our faculty’s research was well represented at the meeting.  Dr. Leslie Taylor presented a platform entitled, “The development, implementation, and preliminary findings of a seated tai chi program for older adults.”   Dr. Philip Fabrizio, along with two current third-year Georgia State University students, displayed a poster presentation entitled, “The anatomy of the distal attachment of the piriformis muscle: a pilot study.”

Dr. Alyssa Fiss’s Move & PLAY research team displayed two poster presentations, “Development of the Early Clinical Assessment of Balance for young children with cerebral palsy,” and “Current pediatric physical therapy interventions for young children with cerebral palsy and relationship to gross motor and self-care abilities: A pilot study.” 

Mercer University’s Residency in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy was recognized as one of 11 newly credentialed orthopaedic residencies in the United States. This is the first of many residency and fellowship initiatives planned by the Department of Physical Therapy. We congratulate our first cohort of seven orthopaedic residents who successfully completed the year of intensive clinical practice, mentoring, and education and are pleased that our second cohort of residents has initiated their studies.  Additionally, two former residents, Casey O’Dell and Adrianna Nebedum attended the conference as exhibitors for Gebauer’s Spray and Stretch. 
 
Mercer University DPT Class of 2013 Meets with Dr. Donald E. Baxter

On February 14-15, 2011 the Mercer University DPT Class of 2013 had the honor of spending time with Dr. Donald E. Baxter, a member of Mercer’s Board of Trustees and a renowned orthopedic surgeon from Houston, Texas, who specializes in the foot and ankle.  Dr. Baxter has spent his career working with world class athletes to return them to their elite level.   Dr. Baxter led the students in a lecture presentation and an anatomy lab demonstration on the nerves of the lower extremity and surgical release of nerve entrapments related to the leg and foot.  The students and faculty are excited to plan return visits to campus for Dr. Baxter and to begin developing research projects that capitalize on his expertise in foot and ankle anatomy and treatment.

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