May 2009

Dear Alumni:

It is with a mixture of happiness and sadness that we announce the retirement of Dr. Patricia Winchester from the Department of Physical Therapy.  Patti served as Chair of our department for 14 years (an unheard of tenure in the PT academic world) and was the instrumental force in moving the program from the bachelor’s of PT to the MPT and then from the MPT to the DPT.  While we miss her presence we wish her and her husband, Bill, a wonderful retirement in Colorado.

Which bring us to the next topic.  We are very excited to announce that Dr. Patricia Smith has been named the new chair of our department!  Dr. Smith served as Vice Chair for 7 years and with her credentials was the overwhelming choice of a, multi-disciplinary search committee which conducted a nation-wide campaign to locate our next chair.  The faculty and staff are very happy to have such a strong student, patient, and research advocate running out department.

You cannot imagine the excitement that surrounds the completion of the initial DPT didactic curriculum!  The now third year students (Class of 2009) completed an eight-week internship and returned to campus for a mini semester to hone their advanced therapeutic skills, give their research presentations, and work on their professional portfolio.  Their clinical instructors were in agreement that “back-loading” the clinical internships, the students were well prepared to integrate classroom knowledge with clinical experience.  Their expanded, evidence-based skill set helped them make the most of their internships and prepared them for the future of our profession, direct access.  These students will start their 14-week internships the second week in May.  Our third DPT class begins on May 26 so we think we’re getting the hang of this, which is good as our DPT program goes forward for Accreditation in 2011.  Your input to us about our program will be invaluable so please watch the website (www.utsouthwestern.edu/pt) for updates.

Our final major news item is we are pleased to announce a new residency-based educational program in Orthopedics initiated by Dr. Ed Mulligan, beginning in January 2010. It is modeled in the spirit of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Vision 2020 of providing post-professional training.  The residency will be held at UT Southwestern’s Department of Physical Therapy and the School of Health Professions faculty practice.  A residency is defined as a planned program of post entry-level clinical and didactic education that will significantly advance a clinician’s skill and knowledge in the delivery of orthopedic physical therapy.  The resident will spend one year at our training site working with a designated mentor and participate in six weekend intensive educational programs.  The curriculum will be taught by clinical experts with advanced credentials and residency experience. If you would like additional information or are interested in applying for the residency program employment, please email us at pt.sshp@utsouthwestern.edu or visit us online at www.utsouthwestern.edu/orthoptresidency.

In closing, we thank you all for the roles you play in helping us continually attract the top students in the state and area.  Your visibility, professional society involvement, and quality patient care is an exceptional example to patients, prospective students, and fellow clinicians.  Truly, the strong reputation of our program is in large part due to the strength of its graduates.

Regards,

The UT Southwestern Department of Physical Therapy Faculty and Staff