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. There's a video somewhere about that...

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 marginalized group means being something other than yourself.

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, anatomically correct, and helpful for young kids.

We spoke to the author and illustrator to hear more about how the project came to be and what might be next for our Potty Heroes!

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 physician assistant program, on providing trans inclusive healthcare. In his free time he enjoys jiu jitsu, boxing, and hiking with his wonderful wife and two pups.

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 Clinic

Midnight Mission

USC PT Multicultural Leadership Alliance

California Physical Therapy Association

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 who want to lift others up in the profession and in their community. Leppard tells us about how he got started on this journey, about some of the past winners of the scholarships, and how it all got started in a canoe.

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 the UK, his work with Team GB in the Special Olympics, and uses his social media presence to educate other clinicians and the public, all the while drinking a cup of delicious Yorkshire Tea.

The LD Physio on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wicks.

Luke Hollomon is a DPT student at Virginia Commonwealth University and the founder of PT Crab, a very insightful weekly newsletter to boil down the latest research into easily digestible chunks. He 's also passionate about pelvic floor health and hopes that it will become something we're all comfortable talking about, since we all have pelvic floors.

The Pelvic Health Podcast with Lori Forner

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 Domestic Preparedness

World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

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 Alamo.

APTA Academy of Leadership and Innovation

PT in the Community

Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wicks

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 Wicks.

SAMHSA's "Key Ingredients for Successful Trauma-Informed Care Implementation"

ACEs Aware Training

Mental Health First Aid Training

Music by Andy Wicks and Mark Joesting

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 the joys of the every days.

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.

Dr. Sheldon can be found on Twitter and at her website.

Co-hosted by Dr. Katharine Cline and Dr. Andy Wicks.

Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wicks.

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 Specialists

Calley Lonier, SPT, president of APTA Michigan Student SIG

Kathleen Walworth, PT, DPT, GCS, A-CEEAA, chair of MPT-PAC

Brian Scherff, PT, founder of The Multiple Applications Table

Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wicks

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 challenges she faces. And she is looking for a co-worker! If this sounds like your cup of tea, find her on Twitter or via email at rachel.jermann@gmail.com.

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 Wicks.

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. Bana Odeh, along with the regular crew of Drs. Katharine Cline and Andy Wicks.

Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wicks.

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 belt in tae kwon do in April. If you aren't inspired after being in her presence, you may want to check your pulse.

The title of the episode is "PT in the ED," but really it could have been "A Masterclass in Service by Dr. Rebekah Griffith." Enjoy.

We conclude our round-table discussion with Drs. Lori Boright, Andrew Chongaway, Deb Doherty, and Chris Wilson, about the importance of oncology rehabilitation, the need for self-care, the importance of seeing and treating the whole person instead of just a "patient," and the international prevalence of oncologic rehabilitation.

Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wicks.

One of my favorite parts of making this podcast is getting to talk to people who are super excited about what they do. Today's guests are four examples of just that. Drs. Andrew Chongaway, Chris Wilson, Lori Boright, and Deb Doherty are oncology rehabilitation experts and share some of their wisdom and enthusiasm with us. Come along as we learn what "oncology rehabilitation" is all about.

Links discussed:

• The OncoPT Podcast, episode 56: Dosing exercise for your oncology patients
• APTA Michigan Oncology SIG
• ACSM Guidelines for Exercise and Cancer

Music by Mark Joesting and Andy Wicks.

We conclude our discussion with Dr. Nicole Piemonte about the importance of including the humanities in healthcare education, appreciating the lived experience of our patients, understanding the impact of social determinants of health, acknowledging our own vulnerabilities, and detachment as a protective mechanism.

#nicolepiemonte #humanitiesinhealthcare #humanitiesinmedicine #humanitiesinphysicaltherapy

Dr. Nicole Piemonte tells us about how important the humanities are in healthcare education (hint: it makes us better clinicians!).

#nicolepiemonte #humanities #humanitiesinmedicine #humanitiesinhealthcare