According to the lectureship invitation letter, Segal was nominated for the honor due to his “many significant contributions toward the science underlying Physical Therapy and . . .overall service to the profession.”

The following reflection, written by Doctor of Physical Therapy student Erin Hopper and Master of Public Health Leadership student La Shonya McNeil, was published in the Scuppernong Reminder and Coastland Times newspapers.

“One project transported the graduate students back to gym class. A team of six volunteers spent two days at the Columbia Middle School gymnasium talking and moving with more than 175 energetic middle and high-school students. Niobra Samuel-Peterson, a former Carolina track-and-field athlete who recently earned a master’s degree in sociology, worked closely with Terry Donoghue to plan engaging health and fitness activities for participants in Grades 6 - 9.

On their first day, the UNC students and Dr. Sonda Oppewal set-up and manned four health stations to promote smart dietary, fitness and personal health choices to students during four physical-education classes. Columbia students rotated in groups between stations and were greeted with a variety of health challenges by the UNC team such as: guessing how many cubes of sugar are in a 20-ounce soda, relating muscle and fat models with dietary choices, reading a nutrition label, and correctly performing the high-intensity, mountain-climber exercise. The eighth and ninth grade students were also led in a jeopardy-style game about college. After spending five to six minutes at each learning station, the students assumed a spot on the gym floor for the closing activity: doing a fun mix of exercises and dance moves to Beyonce’s popular “Move Your Body” song. As the music played, every class performed the high-energy fitness routine twice alongside Ms. Donoghue and the UNC team.

The following day, the Carolina students returned to share their personal stories as well as college preparation, funding and success strategies with the seventh, eighth and ninth-grade students. Afterwards, the middle-school students introduced the graduate students to “pinball” and allowed them to be honorary Wildcats while playing several rounds of the fast-paced, dodge-ball game. Before the day ended, several students signed-up for a nutrition challenge posed by Lisa Roberts, a nurse practitioner and post-master’s certificate student. After receiving advice on how to reduce their intake of sugary drinks, more than 40 students agreed to consume healthier beverages, such as drinking more water, and were rewarded with a sports medal as a reminder of this commitment.

Meanwhile, another team of graduate students focused on increasing awareness of fall prevention among senior citizens. At the Tyrrell County Senior Center, under the direction of Dr. Vicki Mercer, the students assessed seniors’ fall risk and educated them on effective ways to prevent life-threatening accidents. Sarah Yancey, a third-year, physical therapy student who conducted risk assessments shared: “I love our state and I have always felt a calling to serve its residents, especially the growing elderly population. This trip allowed me to gain a better perspective, to some degree, of what it is like to be an aging adult in a rural area and what can be done to decrease health disparities among this demographic.”

Among the flurry of activities, student volunteers found time to work with patients at Columbia Medical Center. A collaborative team of second and third-year physical therapy students addressed physical therapy-related problems affecting patients. While there, the students also interacted with the medical staff. Michelle O’Neill, a third-year physical therapy student, delivered a presentation and provided the staff with educational materials highlighting current concepts on wound care.

Additional efforts with the medical center included home visits to clients in need of physical therapy and several older-adult, Meals on Wheels program participants. During these visits, one professor and a small group of public health, nursing and physical therapy students assisted community members by answering questions about health conditions and behaviors, reviewing medications, assessing balance and risk for fall, and making suggestions to prevent falls in the home.

The Tar Heels also rolled up their sleeves and picked up paint brushes and trash bags to help encourage residents and visitors to use important resources in Tyrrell County. Students added paw prints to the Columbia Fitness Trail and painted other community spaces, including the basketball backboard and tennis court lines at Columbia Playground; markers along the Wildcat Fitness Trail; and the outdoor classroom at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. The UNC team also worked for one day in Dare County with park rangers to transplant foliage and remove dead branches and litter along the beautiful Soundside Trail in Jockey’s Ridge State Park.

Inspired by the dedication of their partners, friendliness of residents, and each other, the UNC students welcomed an opportunity to speak with members of the Columbia Rotary Club about their service. Jen Tooher, a third-year physical therapy student admitted, “I didn't know what to expect, but I really enjoyed interacting with both the youth and older adults in the community. I am thankful to have been a part of a trip with such a wonderful mission.”

Many of the student volunteers will graduate with advanced degrees this May. Reflecting on their time in Tyrrell County, the group shared that while the trip had a few challenges, overall it made an impact on the way they will consider working with clients, patients and communities in the future. The memories they created around Main Street, in residents’ homes, on the gym floor, at the dunes, and winding down at Colon Bailey’s establishment will remain far into the future. Tooher added, “Working within the community brings to life the value of our hard work and our dedication to serve others; it is rewarding for all those involved.” The faculty and students appreciate the warm reception they received in Tyrrell County, the help that community partners gave them to identify meaningful projects to work on, and look forward to forgoing Cancun or other spring-break destinations to return in 2014.”

The story goes on to cite several examples of McCulloch’s leadership during her 22 years of service to the section, including the formulation of the Neurology Section Home Study Course, her role as co-founder of the Brain Injury Special Interest Group, her position as the first Director of Education, and her service in planning and steering multiple courses and educational efforts within the section.  She served as Co-Chair of the TBI Edge Task Force–Outcome Measure Recommendations Committee, and is a Clinical Summary  Editor of PTNow.

Also in early 2013, McCulloch became co-chair of the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina and began serving on the Governor's Advisory Council for Brain Injury.

McCulloch is the primary investigator for a grant, titled Assessment of Military Multitasking Performance (AMMP), funded by the Department of Defense through Allina Health System. The AMMP is a battery of functional dual- and multitasks that simulate the combined sensorimotor, cognitive, and exertional demands of soldiering for use after concussion/mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).  Investigators anticipate that once validated, the AMMP will help discriminate between “duty-ready” and “non-duty ready” military service members with mTBI.

Collaborators on the AMMP project include Rich Goldberg in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, CAPT Henry McMillan, PT, DPT, at Fort Bragg, who is an alumnus of the BS PT program at UNC, and Amy Seal Cecchini, PT, MS, from Fayetteville, who is a graduate of the Human Movement Science master’s program. Roger Yu, a biomedical engineering PhD student and DPT graduate students are also involved in the project.

The AMMP project previously received support from a United States Army Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) grant and Dr. McCulloch received funding as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow through the Rehabilitation and Reintegration Division (R2D) of the Army Office of the Surgeon General.

Sara Fowler Anderson was a loyal Tar Heel with close ties to the University.  Her mother, father, uncle, brother, sister, and two daughters are all graduates of UNC.  Recognized as a Margaret L. Moore Scholar during her time as a PT student, Anderson frequently expressed her appreciation for the education she received and the association she maintained with her professors.

“She was really proud that so many of the people she’d been educated by were pioneers in the field of physical therapy,” said Dr. Ted Anderson. “She felt like by going to UNC, she became part of that history and the development of the discipline.”

Sara Anderson’s physical therapy career spanned three decades prior to her death in September of 2012. She enjoyed providing services to a wide spectrum of those in need of physical therapy, from infants and children in early intervention programs to seniors in retirement facilities, from those requiring home health care to those receiving inpatient care. She developed close relationships with her patients and was frequently approached when out in the community by former patients expressing thanks to her. Anderson’s compassionate character and capable clinical skills combined to make her one of those rare health care providers whose mere presence could make those she served feel better.

The Sara Fowler Anderson Scholarship in Physical Therapy will be awarded annually to a UNC physical therapy student with preference given to a student who is a resident of the state of North Carolina and who expresses an interest in providing physical therapy services in a community setting.

“Sara was very grateful for the education she received at UNC,” said Dr. Anderson. “She felt they did a great job of providing her with the knowledge and skills she needed to be a good physical therapist. We really wanted to honor her and encourage others to pursue a career in this field. We hope it will be helpful to the students who receive the scholarship and eventually to the community, which will benefit from the care and leadership these students will provide in the future.”

UNC Physical Therapy Division Director Rick Segal and Jason Albright, the first recipient of the Sara Fowler Anderson Scholarship.

UNC PT Division Director Rick Segal and Jason Albright, the first recipient of the Sara Fowler Anderson Scholarship.

After he had been selected as the first Anderson Scholarship recipient by the Physical Therapy faculty based on his academic performance and potential for contributing to the PT profession, Jason Albright quickly realized that he had connections to Sara Anderson that extended even beyond their educational and professional choices.

“I was surprised to find that she lived in my hometown of Asheboro, her husband was my pediatrician until he moved his practice, I went to school with her two daughters, my dad was their mailman, and we both have connections to Camp Thunderbird,” Jason said.  “Even though I never personally knew Ms. Anderson, I know that she was a caring Tarheel that provided a realization of a better tomorrow for me and my family–a realization that I hope I can pass along, everyday, as I proceed in my career.”

Albright intends to use his physical therapy education for both local and international outreach.  He hopes to have a fall prevention program set up and ready to implement by the time he graduates in 2013, and would like to develop more preventative programs for common problems people encounter, such as back injuries, and programs that help patients who have completed their physical therapy treatments but still feel they need guidance to reach their optimal health goals.  He also wants to use his knowledge of physical therapy to help children in orphanages that he visited in China.

“Many of these kids had functional problems that could be treated with PT and I hope that by treating them, they will more likely be adopted,” he said.

Memorial gifts to the Sara Fowler Anderson Scholarship in Physical Therapy Endowed Fund at the Medical Foundation of NC can be mailed to Kyle Gray, Director of Development, Division of Physical Therapy, UNC-Chapel Hill, CB # 7120, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7120 or make your gift online at https://medicalfoundationofnc.org/givetouncpt.

Free from Falls, an eight-week fall prevention program developed by the NMSS, incorporated elements of discussion, exercises to enhance balance and safety, and group and individual activities.  According to Fay, the focus of the program was to “[teach] the participants about the reasons for falls, the aspects of balance, exercises that strengthen the systems involved in maintaining balance, strategies for making their environment safer, ways to navigate outdoors and in the community, options for assistive devices, and how to safely recover from a fall.”

By the end of the program, Eicher noticed that “participants were more confident when completing the exercises and performing the post testing.  They worked together to discuss their own personal problems and solutions that may have worked well for others.   They really seemed to come together as a group and rely on each other.”

Program participant, Roy Williford, age 62, of Chapel Hill was impressed by the class. “Both April and Cari did an excellent, professional, inclusive, and caring job as facilitators of the program and its participants,” Williford said.  “The audio visuals, handouts, and instructional materials were well organized and enhanced the timing and flow of the program.”

Participants have maintained contact with each other and plan to continue their informal support group.  The success of the program not only speaks well of Eicher and Fay, but also the impact of the MS STEP UP: UNC PT program.  Physical therapists provide education and treatment and promote good health and general conditioning in order to keep people with MS moving.   Because of the efforts of Eicher and Fay, Free from Falls participants are armed with the information to live healthy and balanced lives.

The U-Step is an advanced walker that focuses on three key areas: stability, maneuverability and control.  “Our goal is to see how In-Step Mobility can collaborate with the UNC PT program and other PT programs across the nation on a ‘U-Step University’ program to both assist individuals with neurological conditions and help train PT students,” said Mitch Strobin with In-Step Mobility.

“Our chapter nominated Angela because of her dedication and hard work on the UNC Division of Physical Therapy/National MS Society collaboration,” said Kaye Gooch, Executive Vice President for Programs, Services, and Volunteers for the National MS Society, Greater Carolinas Chapter. “We are so excited that she has won this award because of her numerous volunteer hours and work to improve the quality of life for people living with MS.”

Rosenberg realized the paucity of physical therapists trained in the treatment of MS after her own MS diagnosis several years ago in the prime of her career as a faculty member and leadership consultant. She encouraged the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society to team with UNC Physical Therapy to develop this groundbreaking scholarship and education program, now designated as the MS Standardized Training and Education Program with University Partners (MS STEP UP: UNC PT). Since the program’s inception in 2008, six DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) students have graduated after completing the curriculum, and four more are currently enrolled.

Click here for more information about the National MS Society Hall of Fame recognition. Visit www.med.unc.edu/ahs/supporting-ahs/ms-scholarship for more information about the scholarship program.

The 2012 trip was the first to include UNC PT alumni. Amanda Niles (’05), Catherine Noonan (’10), and Darcy Little (’11) joined faculty members Sadye Paez Errickson, Lisa Johnston, and Katie Ollendick, and students Katherine Culver, Christina Gray, Aisha Jones, Leigh McLaughlin, Nikki Oladele, Derrick O’Neal, Samantha Price, and Amanda Reed. Noonan and Little had participated in previous PT Outreach trips to Guatemala as students.

For more information and photos about the trip, visit uncptoutreach.blogspot.com.

Their work is testing two contrasting motor learning theories to find out the best way to rehabilitate people who have had stroke and restore their ability to walk symmetrically. On average, every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke, according to the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation. Often survivors experience partial or full paralysis on one side of the body. Regaining the ability to walk involves a long and arduous rehabilitation process. Despite rehabilitation, walking often remains slow, with an asymmetrical gait pattern that may be energy inefficient. In fact, walking after stroke can require as much as 40 percent more metabolic energy contributing to reduced endurance.

Using a programmable split-belt treadmill with sides that can speed up or slow down separately, Lewek and colleagues are testing whether it is more effective to have the treadmill automatically correct a person’s gait, or to have the treadmill amplify errors so that the person’s brain learns through the process of self-correction. The researchers’ hypothesis is that self-correction leads to better motor learning. Lewek likens it to children learning to ride bicycles using training wheels.

“When they have training wheels, it forces them upright. Then you bend the training wheels up and they start to wobble a little bit. They have to be able to experience those errors to learn what ‘straight’ is,” he said.

During the two-year project, the researchers hope to enroll 54 participants who have suffered stroke and randomly assign them to one of three groups – a control group, which receives no feedback from the treadmill, a group which has the treadmill autocorrect their gait or a group that will try to learn through self-correction. The researchers are also resubmitting an application for an NIH R01 award that would allow them to test these theories in a virtual environment where participants receive visual feedback about their walking to guide them in self-correction of their gait. They have already developed and done preliminary testing with the virtual environment, published a description of it and have presented it at national conferences.

“Even though they have had a stroke, their brains are still capable of processing information to adjust walking patterns,” said Lewek in a previous story on this work.

While Lewek’s primary interest is working with people who have suffered stroke, he sees potential for this bedside-to-practice research to translate into helping people who have mobility and gait problems due to other health issues, such as cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis or as part of rehabilitation following knee or hip replacement.

Lewek and his collaborators are currently recruiting people who are post-stroke to participate in the study. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Mike Lewek at (919) 966-9732 or strokegait@med.unc.edu.

Adapted from a story by Elizabeth Witherspoon on the NC TraCS Web site.

UNC Physical Therapy had previously recognized McLaughlin’s excellence and potential by selecting her to receive the 2010-11 Charlotte Money Beatty Memorial Scholarship, the 2010-11 Judy White Professional Development Award, and the 2011-12 James and Evelyn Fowler Physical Therapy Loyalty Fund Annual Scholarship.

McLaughlin is currently leading the student efforts to raise funds for the 2012 UNC PT Outreach trip to Guatemala.

“Billie has been influential in physical therapy for most of the 60 years she has been a member of APTA,” UNC PT Division Director and Professor Rick Segal said in his letter nominating Nelson for the honor.  “Her record of contributions to the advancement of physical therapy in many areas is amazingly sustained and exemplary.  She has carefully shaped the teaching and practice of electrophysiologic PT and successfully advocated for its place in the profession and society.”

Nelson joined the UNC Chapel Hill Division of PT in 1961 and is now an Emeritus Associate Professor who continues to actively support the division.  Throughout her career and even after her retirement from UNC, Nelson played a pivotal role in the development and acceptance of electrotherapy and electrodiagnostics.

In the late 1970s, Nelson helped lead a group of PTs and PT advocates protesting rules by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals that required PTs to be supervised by physicians for electromyographic services.  After their compelling arguments helped reverse the rules, Nelson focused her attention on establishing rigorous training and guidelines for the field.  She became a member and Chair of the Section Task Force on Electroneuromyographic Competencies and Specialization, which ultimately resulted in the creation of the Specialty Council of Clinical Electrophysiologic Physical Therapy.  In 1989, 38 years after becoming a PT, Nelson passed the specialty exam and became an Electrophysiologic Clinical Specialist (ECS).

Among other honors, Nelson received APTA’s Lucy Blair Service Award in 1981 and was selected to deliver the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association (NCPTA) Founders Lecture in 1997.

The individual courses in the series cover the mechanical properties of each of the musculoskeletal tissues, including composition, architecture, mechanical behavior, mechanisms of injury and healing, clinical interventions that would facilitate the healing response, interventions that would impede healing, and how these issues change throughout the life span.

Mike Gross, PT, PhD, FAPTA

Dr. Gross has 32 years of experience as a physical therapist and has been a faculty member at UNC-CH for the last 26 years, teaching entry level Physical Therapy students and PhD students in the Human Movement Science program. Dr. Gross has taught this specific material to physical therapy students, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and occupational therapists for more than 24 years.

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