Waves

Dr. Drew Contreras is the Vice President of Clinical Innovation and Integration at the American Physical Therapy Association . And while that title may not give you the clearest idea about his job description, he can share a lot of pearls of wisdom as to where our profession has been and where it is going. Oh, and he used to be the White House physical therapist during the Obama Administration. Th...

What does it mean to be authentic in patient interaction? For Dr. Allyson Sutkowi-Hemstreet , it means not hiding any aspect of herself. Instead of trying to fit in, she found that she provided better patient care when she brought every aspect of herself into the patient-provider relationship. Now she works to bring that message to students and clinicians who may feel that being part of a marginal...

Did you know our very own co-host Dr. Katharine Cline is a published author? She is! Dr. Cline is a pediatric pelvic floor physical therapist who wanted to create a resource to help kids when they may be having difficulty controlling their bowel or bladder. She collaborated with medical illustrator Rylee Lane to make Potty Heroes: An Interactive Coloring Book , a book that aims to be accurate, ana...

Physiotherapists say that they are the movement system experts across the lifespan, but what about the very end of life? What if the patient has a terminal diagnosis? Do we have a place there? Dr. Chris Wilson has strong opinions (and evidence!) on the topic. APTA Oncology World Health Organization statement on palliative care www.facit.org

Morgan Andrade is a 3rd year DPT student at Oakland University and the first winner of APTA Michigan's DEI Student Award . He serves as the Health and Wellness Advocate for Transcend the Binary , a non-profit serving the transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse community throughout Michigan. He has guest lectured for various programs across Michigan, such as Wayne State University's phy...

Many PT and PTA students are exposed to pro bono work while in the clinic, but few have an opportunity to continue that work as a licensed clinician. Dr. Kari Ayoob, co-founder of The Movement Network , tells us how she is helping to build a network of physios across the country to provide care to underinsured and underserved populations. USC Fit Families Phillips Neighborhood Clinic UCLA Mobile C...

Steve Leppard is a physiotherapist and co-founder of the Solstice Foundation , a non-profit that provides money for people to do good in their communities. Their scholarships and awards include the Solstice Scholarship , awarded to DPT students at University of Michigan-Flint, Western Michigan University, and Grand Valley State University, and the Vaughn Philanthropy Award , given to clinicians wh...

So far, this podcast has been a completely American-centric endeavor but today we change that. Alistair Beverley, Bsc. Hons., MCSP, ACPPLD, HCPC is a physiotherapist in Yorkshire, England, and may be better known online as the LD Physio . Through his own personal experience and passion, he has carved out a niche of working with the LD/ID (Learning Disability/Intellectual Disability) population in...

Do you feel like you can't keep up with the research? No time to pore over articles? Do you wonder what the pelvic floor is all about? Did you even know you had one? Did you know the high correlation between constipation and low back pain? Would you feel comfortable talking to your patient about sex? And why is Australia doing so many cool things (except for the deadly animals)? Luke Hollomon is a...

If you think physical therapy is just three sets of ten reps, walking a patient to the bathroom, or a lifetime of polos and khakis, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Megan Mitchell . She would like to tell you about emergency preparedness, which includes, but is not limited to, chemical weapons, wildfires, motor vehicle accidents, and hurricanes. The tweet that started it all. The Center for Do...

Some highlights of the 2022 APTA Michigan Research Day and Fall Conference, held at Boyne Mountain Resort. Special thanks to all of the students, faculty, and clinicians who spoke with us and shared their hard work and new knowledge with the rest of us. 

On top of the rigors of completing a DPT degree, Megan Hare, 2nd year student at Oakland University , has decided that running for a national office sounds like fun! We interviewed her to talk about her candidacy for delegate on the APTA Student Board of Directors , and what inspired her to pursue leadership roles as a student.

Dr. Nick Hoopes is a physical therapist in northeast Ohio. He works in a rural setting, sees many patients with what some would consider poorly-reimbursing insurance payers, and is dedicated to his community. We had the privilege of talking with him shortly before the birth of his second child. For your consideration, Dr. Nick Hoopes.

Dr. Katie Franklin is a physical therapist working in a NICU setting, which may seem like a strange place for a PT to be, but Katie, whose Twitter handle is @neonatalPT , helps break it down for us. Along the way, she talks about the highs and lows of working with the littlest humans, being a part of the larger APTA community, and how we may not remember last night, but we will always remember the...

Do you know what APTA House of Delegates does? Do you know who your delegates? Do you know how many delegates Michigan has? (Thirteen.)  We learned all of this and more after talking with delegates Mackenzie Sebesta, SPT, Dr. Cameron Faller, and chief delegate Dr. Caroline Gwaltney ahead of this year's House of Delegates in Washington DC.

Many PT students dream about working with elite athletes, but few actually make that dream a reality. Dr. Kristen Schuyten is one of those few. She is a clinician, an educator, and a physiotherapist for Team USA figure skating . She talked with us about her career path and how glamorous it is (or isn't) working at the international level for sports competitions. Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wic...

Physical therapists are great at evaluating and treating functional movement impairments and disorders, but we may feel less confident about handling the icky, gooey, intangible, "human" side of things. The sadness, anger, aloofness, or "non-compliance" that we see in many of our patients. Dr. Kenneth Miller is studying trauma-informed care and the importance of teaching our DPT students about the...

Dr. Dan Steventon , also known as PT Dan or The Kid's Cancer PT , works in an arena of care that may seem too daunting, too draining, too much for everyday folks. Pediatric oncologic rehabilitation is no laughing matter, but PT Dan seems to find a way to bring smiles and joy to his patients during some of their darkest times. He spoke to us about his work, about the realities of the hard days, and...

We conclude our interview with Dr. Devra Sheldon by talking about the importance of good interpreters, the social communication model of pain, and dinosaurs with gait abnormalities. It was a hoot. Co-hosted by Dr. Katharine Cline and Dr. Andy Wicks. Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wicks . Produced by Andy Wicks.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for a patient is to dip your feet in the pool or paint a watercolor with them. I may be oversimplifying things, but Dr. Devra Sheldon has some unique and effective methods for working with people who have chronic pain, sensory disorganization, and many other impairments. She is a such a passionate advocate for her patients that we had to split her interview int...

Have you ever wondered what it's like at one of APTA Michigan's annual events? Our roving reporter and president of APTA Michigan, Dr. Edward Mathis, sent in this dispatch to keep you informed. Guests included: Abigail Skallerud , APTA Michigan Legislative Director David Harris, PTA, MBA: Chief Delegate, PTA Caucus Kevin Barclay, PT, ATC, SCS, CSCS, Co-Owner and CEO of Orthopedic Rehabilitation Sp...

Physical therapists work in a wide variety of settings, from the outpatient clinic to the hospital to the school, to name just a few. But did you know that they can commute by bush plane?  Dr. Rachel Jermann is a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist who works on Kodiak Island, Alaska. She tells us about what life is like in a rural, isolated community and about some of the unique ch...

Despite being a few months into 2022, we wanted to bring you the annual State of the State message from the president of APTA Michigan, Dr. Edward Mathis. He talks about what was accomplished in 2021, what is in the works for 2022 (like the physical therapy licensure compact ), why he doesn't like prime rib, and why he needs Windex to stay socially appropriate. Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wick...

Mentorship, social media, awkwardly meeting your idols, and bad clinical rotation experiences! This episode has it all! Or at least those things! Dr. Mike Ukoha is a physical therapist in Maryland and the founder of Live and Grow Mentorship , an organization that strives to help those who are on the pre-physical therapy path and be a light in the world. This episode features special guest host Dr....

Today we talk with Dr. Rebekah Griffith , a physical therapist who works in the emergency department of University of Colorado Hospital near Denver. Not only does she practice in a niche field of physical therapy, she is a board certified neurologic clinical specialist, is working on her manual therapy fellowship, is the chief delegate for APTA Colorado, and will be testing for her first black bel...