UNC Chapel Hill Physical Therapy MS Scholarship

Watch the UNC Chapel Hill MS PT Scholarship You Tube video National and North Carolina Need Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society’s Commitment Building the Endowment UNC PT Points of Pride Meet the 2011-12 UNC PT MS Scholarship Recipients

Improving the Quality of Care

Recognizing an urgent need for physical therapists with expertise in treating Multiple Sclerosis, the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society teamed with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division of Physical Therapy to develop a ground-breaking scholarship and education track that benefits four Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students each year. The UNC Physical Therapy MS curriculum is the only one of its kind in the country and seeks not only to produce clinicians with a thorough understanding of MS, but also to educate the physical therapy community at large and develop teaching strategies that can be emulated by other PT programs.

Our goal is to improve the quality of care for individuals with MS by increasing the number of physical therapists who have specialized MS knowledge, clinical expertise, and experience. To reach this goal, the MS Scholarship Committee seeks to create a permanent MS Scholarship endowment at the Medical Foundation of NC, Inc. that will generate the annual investment income necessary to provide scholarship support and the resources needed for faculty curriculum development.

National Need

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, unpredictable neurological disease that attacks the central nervous system. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.5 mil worldwide. Physical therapy is often the only treatment that can positively impact those MS patients who, to date, have not responded to pharmacological advances.

Physical therapists provide a full spectrum of care for individuals with MS by instructing them in new movement strategies to relieve pain and improve balance and mobility. PTs can help reduce fatigue and enable patients with MS to feel and function their best at home and at work.

North Carolina Need

About 11,000 North Carolinians are living with MS. The Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society realized the paucity of physical therapists trained in the treatment of multiple sclerosis a few years ago when they were asked to provide a list of physical therapists with expertise in treating MS patients. The chapter could not identify any PTs who met that criterion.

Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society’s Commitment

Realizing that we have one of the PREMIER programs in Physical Therapy education in the nation, the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society partnered with the UNC Chapel Hill Division of Physical Therapy to fund a MS physical therapy scholarship and education track that benefits four DPT students annually.

Last year, the Chapter made a new three-year commitment to provide the funding for UNC Chapel Hill Physical Therapy student scholarships for the 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13 academic years. In addition, the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society committed resources for our faculty's curriculum development activities, including follow-ups with on-site clinical preceptors, student evaluations, curriculum evaluation, faculty student mentorship, and academic advising.

If you do not see the video player below, please click here.

Building the Endowment

We now seek tax-deductible contributions from alumni, colleagues, friends, and others to build a permanent endowment at the Medical Foundation of NC Inc. that will generate annual investment income to support four UNC Chapel Hill Physical Therapy scholarships and provide the resources needed for curriculum development. Our long-term goals for the UNC Chapel Hill MS Physical Therapy endowment are to:

• Attract exceptional students from North Carolina and around the world to become physical therapists with MS expertise,
• Create an innovative and cutting edge curriculum,
• Improve the quality of care for individuals with MS, and
• Build the national reputation of the UNC Chapel Hill Division of Physical Therapy as a center of MS excellence

Leading the Nation

It is our wish to make the UNC PT/MS scholarship become self sustaining so that it is a permanent addition to the physical therapy curriculum. We hope you will consider helping us to identify individuals who might be interested in making a lasting investment in improving the care for individuals with MS.

UNC PT Points of Pride

High national rankings—US News and World Report ranked UNC Physical Therapy:

• 11th out of over 200 programs in 2008 and
• 4th ranked public university

Exceptional students—95-100% of our UNC Chapel Hill Physical Therapy DPT graduates pass the boards on the first try.

Areas of interest—Orthopedics, MS, neuromuscular, pediatrics, sports-related physical therapy

Quality education programs—We offer three challenging graduate level-degree programs to educate the nation’s best physical therapists and human movement science researchers:

• Entry to Profession Doctor of Physical Therapy (eDPT)
• Transitional Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy (tDPT)
• Interdisciplinary Human Movement Science (PhD)

Faculty and research excellence—Our Center for Human Movement Science now features the Interdisciplinary Human Movement Research Laboratory with the capacity to offer virtual reality research experience.

Accomplished alumni—We are very proud of our over 1,300 alumni with accomplishments ranging from becoming president of the American Physical Therapy Association to being in the state legislature or being prolific contributors to the physical therapy literature

Meet the 2011-12 UNC PT MS Scholarship Recipients

“I am honored and excited to be a part of the Multiple Sclerosis track in the UNC Chapel Hill Physical Therapy program. There is a serious need for health care professionals that understand the complexity involved in the MS diagnosis and that can share the knowledge with colleagues, patients, and families of patients with MS. I plan to study the disease in depth, get to know more patients with MS, advocate in the community, work with neurologists, and participate in meetings and activities with the MS Society to develop my understanding of the role physical therapists have in the management of MS. This generous award from the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society will enable me to expand upon my skills and learn more about the treatment of MS and how to empower those with the disease to manage their lives. I genuinely appreciate this opportunity to specialize my focus in physical therapy in preparation for serving North Carolina as a leader in the treatment of MS."
April Marian Fay, MS Scholarship Recipient, UNC-EDPT Class of 2012

“I would like to extend my greatest appreciation to the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society for the opportunity to be a part of this challenging and rewarding scholarship program. I intend to represent the UNC Chapel Hill Division of Physical Therapy enthusiastically, professionally, and compassionately. I am both honored and excited to be able to participate in this unique experience to gain more knowledge in neurologic rehabilitation for patients with MS. This scholarship will allow me to take advantage of opportunities to further my education including: attending National MS Society meetings and conferences, participating in clinical affiliations specific to patients with MS, additional coursework, research, and community outreach. In the future I hope to apply the knowledge and experience gained from this program to improve the quality of life of individuals with MS both in the clinic, and by getting involved with new research.”
Cari Eicher, MS Scholarship Recipient, UNC-DPT Class of 2012

“I am delighted to be selected for the UNC Chapel Hill Physical Therapy Multiple Sclerosis Scholarship and am excited by the opportunities and challenges the scholarship provides. This invaluable experience allows me to focus on neuromuscular physical therapy, which I find immensely rewarding and interesting. As I progress through the MS curriculum, I will utilize the wealth of resources the program provides to enhance my education. The immersion into studying MS will prepare me to meet the needs of patients with MS and to share this knowledge with my classmates and community. I am thankful for this collaboration between the UNC Division of Physical Therapy and the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society. As a MS Scholar, I am fortunate to be involved with others that are passionate about their work. Collectively, we will improve patient care, advocacy, and awareness of MS. I have the upmost gratitude to those that have made this scholarship possible and I am committed to giving back to the community.”
Elizabeth Carlton Waddell, MS Scholarship Recipient, UNC-EDPT Class of 2013

"Many thanks to the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society and the UNC Division of Physical Therapy for the unique and exciting opportunity to be part of the MS Scholarship program. It is an honor to have been selected and I am thrilled to continue the great work already underway. Integrating physical therapy into the lives of Multiple Sclerosis patients has been a rewarding experience,and I am looking forward to learning about and serving MS patients over the coming years. The MS scholarship track offers specialized education and experiences through participation in directed clinical rotations and observations, research initiatives, community advocacy, national MS conferences and meetings, and coursework. Through the program, I will have the opportunity to lead and educate other physical therapists about how to better help patients manage MS, and I will gain knowledge to provide better quality care for patients with MS.”
Jennifer Anne Tooher, MS Scholarship Recipient, UNC-EDPT Class of 2013

Make a Gift

Online Credit Card Gifts to the UNC-Chapel Hill Physical Therapy
MS Curriculum & Scholarship Fund

It's easy and secure! Follow the three-step instructions below to make an online credit card gift.

Step 1: Visit the UNC-Chapel Hill PT Online Giving Page

Click here to visit the UNC-Chapel Hill Physical Therapy online credit card gift page.

Step 2: Designate Your Gift

In the designation drop down menu, select Physical Therapy MS Curriculum and Scholarship.

Step 3: Make Your Gift

Please provide the personal and credit card information requested and make your gift. Thank you for your support!

For more information, contact Kyle Gray, Director of Development for the Division of Physical Therapy, at 919.966.3352 or kyle_gray@med.unc.edu.