BRIEF: Physical Therapy Department Faculty, Students, and Alumni Attend, Present, and are Honored at APTA MA Chapter Conference
There were ten presentations at the American Physical Therapy Association Massachusetts Chapter Annual Conference on November 16 by MGH Institute Physical Therapy Department faculty, students, and alumni as well as two award winners.
Third-year DPT students Alexander Weimer, Kristina Osorio, Caylyn Rodriguez, and Michael Sohn presented a poster with Assistant Professor Catherine Schmidt on “Enhancing Conservative Care for Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis: Insights from a Survey of Physical Therapists” and PhD student Meredith Young worked with Assistant Professor Benjamin Adams on the platform presentation, “Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Injuries Among Cadets at U.S. Coast Guard Academy.”
Rebecca Pham, a PT instructor, was involved in several presentations, including one on anti-fatness in healthcare and David Selkowitz, an associate professor, did two education session presentations on “Putting the Hip in Patellofemoral Pain: Problems with Muscle Activation and Kinematics in Exercise” and “Electrical Stimulation for Strengthening: What’s the Evidence and Best Practice.”
Alumni presentations included Naseem Chatiwala’s on “ChatGPT Meets PT: Tech-Driven Transformation in Physical Therapy” and Aimee Perron’s on “Technology enabled healthcare: Improved digital literacy leads to better health equity and quality of life.”
Associate Professor Devashish Tiwari received the Richard Kessler Memorial Award, which honors an individual physical therapist who has given of themselves to society without thought of personal or professional gain. Tiwari teaches Neuro-based content and Evidence Based Practice to first- and second-year DPT students, who appreciate his enthusiasm and ability to explain complex concepts in understandable terms with relatable analogies. Tiwari also mentors residents from the Institute’s Clinical Residency in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy in research.
MGH Institute alum Aimee Perron won the Mary MacDonald Distinguished Service Award, which honors those members of the American Physical Therapy Association of Massachusetts, past and present, who have significantly helped to advance the profession of physical therapy. It is only awarded when the APTA of MA’s Board of Directors feels there is an individual who has selflessly provided distinguished service to the APTA of MA, and to their community.
