URI DPT Newsletter (vol.1)

8/12/2019 URI DPT Newsletter (vol.1)

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Edition 1 (vol.1) Winter 2014

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Alum Spotlight:David Pavao, DPT, OCTS, CSCS Dr. Dave Pavao is a skilled physical therapist who isgiving back to the URI community. He not only worksfull time at Performance Physical Therapy (Smithfield,RI), but he also teaches at URI where he got his start.

Dr. Pavao graduated from the University of RhodeIsland with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science in2006, and received a Doctorate in Physical Therapy,complemented with the Academic Excellence Award,in 2009. He joined the URI physical therapy faculty in2010 as an adjunct clinical instructor and was awardedthe Outstanding Alumni Award in 2013.Dave Pavao, DPT, OCS, CSCS

Letter from the ChairGreetings! I am so excited to join the URI DPT family! Over the past fewmonths I have begun to get to know many of you, and I will continue myefforts to meet as many of you as I can. It didnt take me too long to realizethat the strengths of this program lie within the faculty, staff, students,university administration, alumni, clinical preceptors, and the manysupporters within the community.

Everyone I meet is so proud of this programs rich history and tradition, and Icould not be any luckier to be a part of the exciting future here! I am certainthat all of the great successes will continue and that we will build upon them

to launch many new and exciting initiatives.

During the next year, we will be working diligently to complete our programs self-study in preparation forthe upcoming accreditation site visit in September of 2015. As always, our goal will be to receive full re-accreditation for 10 years. Until then, 2014 looks to be a great year!

I invite any of you who want to get involved with the program to contact me. There are so many waysthat our students can benefit from your expertise and interests!

Jeff G. Konin, PT, PhD, ATC, FACSM, FNATAProfessor & Chair


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Chearino Wins US

Boxing Gold The URI physical therapy department is academichome to one of Americas top female boxers. DestinyChearino (Class of 2016) proved to be the best femaleboxer in the country in her 141-pound weight class,winning the gold medal in the U.S. BoxingChampionships January 26, 2014 in Spokane, WA.

The road to the championship in January was notan easy one; Chearino had to fight four times inone week and go through the number one rankedboxer in her class to get there. But herdetermination, talent, and hard work paid off.

She works harder than most of the guys Ivetrained, says trainer Brian Pennacchia. She hasthat fighting spirit. Shes not afraid to go after it. Alot of people get intimidated by the moment anddont do their best in the ring because theyrealmost afraid. She goes after what she wants.Shes a natural fighter.

Chearino is in class every day and still managesto train 3-4 hours daily. When asked how shebalances her physical therapy classes andboxing, she paints a picture of how the twoworlds are closely intertwined. I spend threehours in the gym, but if Im early Ill pull out abook, or practice PT stuff on teammates in the

ring when theres down time. They overlap.

While the DPT course load is more thanenough to keep many students busy,Chearino welcomes the physical and mentalbreak that boxing provides her. Its good to

have something to focus on besides school.Its nice to have an outlet.

Because this is not an Olympic year forboxing, there are no trials, so Chearino doesnot know what the next step is. But for nowshe is continuing to train and focus on herstudies. I just want to take it a day at a time.

Attention Clinical InstructorsCI-URI PT Social in Providence, RI

Save the Date: Friday, April 11, 2014. Details coming.


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Tradition continued from page 1

The newsletter is produced by the departments Graduate

Assistants (GAs), a group of selected students who contributeto classes and assist professors with coursework, teaching andgrading, and help keep the department clean and runningsmoothly. Each semester these positions change, so thecontributors for the newsletter will have new faces every coupleof editions. We look forward to providing a bridge ofcommunication between Independence Square and thecommunity.

It is our intent to share recent and upcoming news and events,as well as feature at least one URI DPT alumni and/or a URI-

affiliated clinical site or instructor each edition. We feel it isimportant to share with the larger URI DPT family theuniqueness that this extraordinary department offers.

Enjoy this first edition, and we look forward to stayingconnected with you.

With URI pride,

Your Spring 2014 GAs

PT Alumni

News CornerJohn Garlick 2013 ) isemployed by Pappas Physical

Therapy (Johnston, RI) and hascompleted the CredentialedClinical Instructor coursethrough the APTA. He is also anorthopedic residency candidatethrough Evidence In Motion andwill sit for the OCS certification

upon completion.Kenneth Cox 2013) isfinishing up a 4-month contractat a SNF in Wilmington, MA,and recently completed acontract in Oregon state at anoutpatient sports clinic. He andhis fianc Amanda will marrynext September.

PT Alumni News Corner is aplace to share any news youhave with your fellow alums.

This could be related to new jobs, geographical relocations,family additions, achievedcredentials or promotions, etc.We hope you take advantage ofthis great way to stayconnected! Please email yournews to secretary Jane Schmitzwith Alumni News in thesubject line at [email protected],and she will pass along theinformation to the editors.ictured Top: Matt Heckel, Anna Skaggs, Mark Billard

Bottom: Steve Alden, Katie DeCarlo, Miranda Marsh, Kristen Brown


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Spotlight continued from page 2

Alum Spotlight: Reflections andInsight from Dr. Dave Pavao

What is one of your fondest memori es of URI

Back then Id probably say my trip to Guatemala. Part of the graduate school curriculum is to visitand observe physical therapy in a setting for 2 weeks that we wouldnt normally get to see. (The

program is called Broadening Experience.) It was interesting to see how the health care systemworks and how much culture affects that delivery. However, if you asked me today, I would saymeeting my future colleagues (classmates) and staying in touch with my professors followinggraduation.

What made you decide on physical t herapy as a career

Probably the push from my future wife. I started off as undecided and then thought I would dophysical education. But she saw that I was doing well in my Anatomy and Physiology classes andsuggested I look into PT.

Whats the best advice you have been giv en

Saying yes to every opportunity, professional or personal. I think we always regret the things wedont do. Id also say surrounding yourself with people that are smarter than you. They force you togrow and give you something to shoot for.

What advice would you give to current students

Its important to choose your first job wisely. Be patient in choosing a good job, not just the firstoffer that comes along. You can learn a lot from your new colleagues and it can influence yourcareer in the future.

Dr. Pavao works at Performance Physical Therapy in Smithfield, RI, where he was the 2012employee of the year. He was recently made Partner, and Director of Clinical Operations. Hecontinues to treat patients specializing in musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, and is amember of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the American Academy ofOrthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT), and the National Strength and Conditioning

Association (NSCA). In 2013 he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the URI Physical Therapy Department. Dr. Pavao and his wife are expecting their first child this summer.


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Student Leadership UpdateIn the Swing of Things

Everyone knows that children love to play! Andmaking play accessible for children withamputations in the form of golf was exactly whatthree DPT students successfully accomplished fortheir leadership project last fall.

Paula Kleniewski, Kayla Whiting, and JillianRebello created a fun and supportive environment

for children with amputations to play golf andreceive lessons from golf pros. The project was aone-day golf clinic for children with amputations atButtonhole Golf Course in Providence, RI.Buttonhole is a charitable golf course that is theonly handicap accessible golf course in thecountry. Golf pros, Bob Beach and Dan Gaughan,donated their time to teach Braylon (4) andCharlie (6) some basic golf skills.

After a fundraising campaign, Paula, Kayla, andJill raised $2,000 in support of this event anddonated all proceeds back to Buttonhole GolfCourse. The event proved to be extremelyrewarding for the volunteer DPT students, the golfprofessionals, and most importantly, the kids.

For more information about the event, or tocontribute to next years efforts, contact ShannonMcConnell at [email protected] .

Running for ALS The Mews 5krace is an

annualfundraisingevent thatthedepartmenthasparticipatedin for overfive years. This year, second year students Kevin

Alexander, Deryl Pace, and Steve Pirri, raisedapproximately $1,400 and donated all proceeds tothe ALS Family Charitable Foundation for theirleadership project. Twenty people represented thePhysical Therapy department in running the race,while another handful were volunteers for theevent. Participants from the program migrated toDr. Audettes house after the race for homemadechili and light conversation.

Pictured left to r ight: Jillian Rebello, PaulaKleniewski, Braylon, Kayla Whiting, & Charlie


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On December 9 th, 2013, URIs Physical TherapyDepartment received a visit from First LadyStephanie Chafee. Lady Chafee is a Rhode Islandnative and earned her Honorary Doctorate ofHumane Letters from URI so she has always beena strong supporter of the University. During thisvisit she focused on learning more about the URIDPT program by taking a tour of the facilities andspending time with the students and faculty. Aftermeeting faculty and touring the department, LadyChafee was able to interact with students and hearinsights about their studies.

Her interest was personal, as she knows what ittakes to become a health care provider. LadyChafee had a career as a registered nurse prior toher current appointment. She shared with thestudents her own journey in health care workingwith patients with HIV/AIDS, and the uninsured andother at-risk populations. Mrs. Chafee also gave a

rousing speech to the students advising to pursuewhat you love in life; find a passion.

Lady Chafee expressed her enthusiasm about theprograms role in the future of health care servicesin Rhode Island and applauded the students forchoosing a career path that can positively impactthe lives of others. URI Physical Therapy wasproud to host such an advocate for health andhonorable guest.

RI First Lady Chafee Visits Physical Therapy Department

Mrs. Chafee was very impressed with our program, and sheencouraged our students to keep upthe great work. They are making a

difference in Rhode Island. Dr. Konin

Pictured Top: Lady Chafee spends time with first yearstudents in class.

Pictured Bottom: Second year student Casey Hilldiscusses course content with Lady Chafee.


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Think Big. We do. That is the slogan for theuniversity, and the department of physical therapyis following suit by thinking outside of the box.Broadening Experience (BE) is a two-creditcourse offered during the second year, and itspurpose is to expose students to physicaltherapy in an atypical setting they otherwisewould not be exposed to in the classroom or

during regular clinical observation hours.Students are active participants in their learning,responsible for choosing what type of physicaltherapy setting they observe and where they gofor the two-week internship. Student interestsrange from staying local to traveling the farreaches of the globe and everywhere in between.

Broadening Experience was initiated by Dr. Jenny Audette and started as a group trip traveling tothe highlands of Guatemala each year. While thatannual trip still occurs, BE has expanded to avariety of settings and countries. Below is whatsome second-year students have alreadyexperienced this year, with many moreadventures planned during spring break mid-March.

Broadening Experience is truly something thatsets URI PT apart from other DPT programs andit leaves its students with memories for a lifetime.

Hasboro Childrens HospitalDanielle Lovette spent two weeks in Januaryobserving inpatient and outpatient physicaltherapy at the Hasboro Childrens Hospital inProvidence, RI. She also spent time at The

Tomorrow Fund, the childrens oncology unit inthe hospital, and shadowed a child life specialist.

Broadening Experiences Students Venture Near and Far For Unique PT Opportunities

Danielle was able to visit all areas of the hospitalpertaining to pediatrics, and her involvementincluded playing with children, keeping themoccupied while they were administeredmedication, and visiting children in the wards toensure they had everything they needed. Whenasked what was most valuable about theexperience, Danielle said, Realizing how simple

it is to brighten a childs day by just exchanging asmile or spending time with them.

Donley Rehabilitation Center Adam Pinegar experienced the world of laborand workers compensation for his BroadeningExperience at the Donley Rehabilitation Center inProvidence, RI. Adam was able to work with

seasoned PTs that were accustomed to viewinga clinical picture that is very abstract and unclear,and discovered one of the most valuable skills aPT can have is not learned in a book: I learnedthat patient observation is the most valuable toolin your belt. What the patient does can be farmore telling than what they say.

Broadening continued on page 9


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University of Toronto

Second-year PT students Kevin Alexander, MarkBillard, Matt Heckel and Steve Pirri participatedin almost 2 weeks of physical therapy education,hospital and clinic site visits, and new research in

Toronto, Canada. Canada is doing a lot inphysical therapy! It was impressive to see howmuch they are pioneering, said Mark.

The University of Toronto prepared a jam packedexperience with visits to: 4 area hospitals, TSMS(the largest sports medicine clinic in Canada),

University of Toronto 2nd

year PT classes, theCentre for Interprofessional Education, andcutting edge research at the iDAPT Centre forRehabilitation Research. They even stopped atNiagara Falls on the way back. In addition, thefour spent time with U of T PT students, touredfamous Canadian sites (like the CN Tower), andate lots of great food!

Canada has universal healthcare. It wasinteresting to see how PT fits into that model,said Steve. Also, delivery of physical therapy isvery similar to the U.S., so it was easy to seewhere our systems are different. Kevin added,Canada is big on research. The iDAPT facility isthe only one of its kind in the world. Overall, thefour raved about their experiences and cameback with a lot of new insight.

Arusha, Tanzania Tanzania was on Anna Skaggs mind since fall ofher first year. Something was drawing me to

Tanzania, so I had to go. Over winter break, Anna spent two weeks volunteering in anoutpatient clinic in a government-funded hospitalin the northern city of Arusha. She worked alongside a physiotherapist and treated patients with avariety of diagnoses, ranging from contracturesto post-CVA. It was a challenge to work withpatients when we spoke different languages orwhen equipment was needed but not available,

but problem solving in those situations is part ofwhat makes traveling internationally so fun. Forher third week in Tanzania, Anna traveled to aremote Maasai village to observe in the localvillage healthclinic andexperiencevillage life.One day atthe healthclinic I tookthe bloodpressure ofabout 75pregnantwomen. Theywere there fortheir monthlyprenatalcheck-up. It was nice to be able to help sincethere is only one doctor and one nurse in the

clinic, which serves multiple villages in the area. Theyre very busy. Anna took advantage of whatthe region has to offer. She enjoyed a multipleday safari and waterfall hikes in her free time.

Above front: Steve, Kevin, Mark, & Matt pose withstudents from the University of Toronto

Pictured above: Anna and a Maasai womanbecome friends in the village health clinic.

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News by ClassesClass of 2014Dotted all around the country, the class of 2014 is

just a few months away from finishing their finalclinical rotation! Overall, the clinical rotations havebeen smooth and a tremendous learningexperience. Now 14 is looking forward to finishingup strong. We are looking forward to having them

all back on campus for a week in May beforeenjoying the ever-anticipated graduation.

Class of 2015Clinicals is the buzzword for the Class of 2015.With formal course work coming to a close, sightsare now set for the next phase of learning in the in-and out-patient settings. Placements are beingestablished and the students are eagerlyanticipating this next step. In the mean time, 15 isenjoying working with patients in theirNeuromuscular Therapeutics course and are tyingup loose ends from ongoing leadership andresearch projects from the past two years.

Class of 2016 The class of 2016 is well into the curriculum at thispoint and has adapted nicely to the life of a DPTstudent. They are a close-knit group that enjoys

spending time together when they can, like havinga class Thanksgiving Day dinner last Novemberand a Christmas party to celebrate the end of lastsemester. Class of 16 is treating patients for thefirst time as part of their Orthopedics I course,which brings about both the nervousness andexcitement that treating a patient for the first timedoes. Keep up the great work, 2016!

Above: Class of 2016 posed as gangrene lastHalloween.

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Yorkshire, EnglandLeanne Wilson enjoyed learning about theeducation process of becoming aphysiotherapist during her time in Bradford,

Yorkshire. Leanne spent three days at theUniversity of Bradford touring facilities andlearning similarities and differences between oureducational systems. She spent the remainder

of her time at a private outpatient clinic,Whitehall Physiotherapy, where she was able totreat two patients under a physiotherapistssupervision and learned about DynamicNeuromuscular Stabilization, a Czechoslovakianrehabilitation technique. Her favorite part waslearning how minimal the documentationrequirements are in the UK as compared tohealthcare reimbursement requirements in theUS. While in Europe, Leanne found her way tothe Eiffel Tower for some splendid sightseeing.


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URI-Affiliate Clinic SpotlightLocated near the heart of charming Wickford isPhysical Therapy Services of Rhode Island. Foundedin 1989 by owner Michael Noonan, he and his wifeDonna, an occupational therapist, began playing theroles of therapist, secretary, accountant, handyman,laundry service and busy parents of three preschool-aged daughters. They would spend the next six yearsbuilding their clinic and clientele. In 1995 they openeda second office in Wakefield and have been faithfullyserving both North and South Kingstown for overtwenty years.

Michael (left), Donna (right), & theirthree daughters

The philosophy of Michael's clinic is simple: to provide the highest level of holistic, hands-ontherapy to help patients achieve optimal health and wellness. The staff at PTSRI primarily usesmanual orthopedic techniques, exercise, and postural adjustments to improve functionality.

There are no PTAs or aids, and each patient gets undivided time and attention with Michael oranother therapist. The URI Physical Therapy Department would like to thank Michael and hiscolleagues at PTSRI for their continued collaboration and ongoing commitment to theenhancement of students learning.

URI DPT Faculty Present Research at CSM in Las Vegas

The URI PT faculty recently contributed their work at the APTAs Combined Sections Meeting held inLas Vegas. Dr. Jennifer Audette , along with two colleagues Lana Svien, from the University ofSouth Dakota, and Cathy Peterson from the University of the Pacific presented a 2-hour workshop,Im Taking Students Abroad! Whats the Worst That Could Happen? They discussed how to plan,

prepare, and organize international travel with PT students in ways that reduce the risk of things goingwrong. Dr. Audette is one of the professions recognized leaders in the area of International physicaltherapy experiences.

Dr. Pete Blanpied led a group of International collaborators in an effort on revising the Neck PainClinical Practice Guidelines published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy.Professors Janice Hulme and Samantha Brown presented a poster titled, Building CollaborativeEnvironments in Geriatrics Curriculum: An Inter-professional Educational Model. The goals of inter-professional, community, and patient partnerships are to provide opportunities for students to improvehands-on and clinical reasoning skills, foster professional behaviors, and strengthen effectivecommunication strategies with patients and the healthcare team.


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The Physical Therapy faculty is dedicated to graduating doctors of physical therapy competent in providingphysical therapy to a variety of patient/client populations in Rhode Island and nationwide; who value theneed for and use of evidence in practice; who are committed to professional development through life-longlearning; and are active contributors to their professional and social communities. The faculty aspires toadvance the theory and practice of physical therapy and provide service to the University, State, and Nation,through works that promote the profession, interacting communities and related disciplines.

The program is highly selective and seeks candidates who exhibit a combination of success in the sciences,a broad understanding of physical therapy practice, dedication to their community, and potential forsuccess in the Program. The curriculum is designed to challenge students toward excellence in clinicalpractice, professional behavior, and service.


Upcoming Events

March 10-21Spring Break Broadening Experiences

Florida Ireland MassachusettsGuatemala Virginia Rhode Island

April 8-9Distinguished Visiting InternationalScholar Dr. Emma Stokes

RI APTA Evening Lecture (April 8)o Swan Hall, Doody Auditorium-

Kingston campuso Tuesday, April 8; 6:00 p.m.

Public Lecture (April 9)o Edwards Auditorium- Kingstono Wednesday, April 9; 7:00 p.m.

Contact [email protected] for more info.

April 11Clinical Instructor-URI PT Social

Location and Time: TBD Look for details on URIs website and via

email as date nears

May 17Class of 2014 Graduation

Location: Thomas M. Ryan Center,Kingston Campus

Date: May 17, 2014 Time: 1:00 p.m.

Visit http://www.uri.edu/commencement/ forupdated commencement information.

Dr. Emma Stokes, PT

Dr. Stokes is vice president for the WorldConfederation of Physical Therapy. She is also

Associate Professor in physiotherapy at TrinityCollege, Dublin. She has authored numerouspublications and was previously a representative ofthe Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists.

URI

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