Summer newsletter of the Doctor of Physical Therapy and Physical Therapist Assistant programs
Embedded Files
DPT update
DPT update
Jennifer Biggs, PT, PHD, MPH, CWS
Jennifer Biggs, PT, PHD, MPH, CWS
The DPT Program graduated another outstanding group of students on May 16. It was such fun to celebrate their many accomplishments with them! They are now starting residencies, new jobs, studying for the NPTE and/or looking out for new opportunities. We hope they are also relaxing a bit and enjoying summer.
Each year brings changes to the DPT Program and this year is no different! This past year we welcomed a new faculty member, Dr. Steve Elmer. Later this summer we will say goodbye to long time faculty member Dr. Dave Chapman as he retires and sets his sights on new adventures! A new faculty member, Dr. Becky Horton, will join our team to help cover the neuro rehab and pediatric content. You can read more about these changes here.
Another change that will impact our program is a new university calendar without a January Term. Some of our courses will have to adjust their timing and content, but we are feeling confident that the changes we are making are good ones!
We continue to value our collaborative approach to the St. Kate’s DPT Program and the many accomplishments of our students and alumni are indicative of our positive outcomes. If you have an idea of how you would like to be involved in the ongoing work of the DPT Program, please click here, we would love to stay connected with you! If you would like to share career and personal updates, featured in the Alumni spotlights, please click here.
PTA update
PTA update
Holly Clynch, PT, DPT, MA
Holly Clynch, PT, DPT, MA
Happy summer! The PTA program continues to feel very positively about our “new”, primarily online curriculum. We graduated our first cohort of 14 students in March, and were thrilled with the positive feedback that came from students and clinical instructors regarding our longer (8 weeks vs. 6 weeks) terminal clinical experiences. We hope that this might entice others of you to consider taking a PTA student for one of these experiences! These students were all eligible to take the April licensure exam, but only half chose to do so, while the other half has chosen to wait and take the July exam. We’re happy that the new curriculum gives them more options to take the exam when ready to do so!
Feedback from this initial cohort has helped us make improvements in our curriculum delivery with our second cohort, who are now beginning their second year in the program. These 16 students (along with our incoming first years), will benefit from a recent grant that our faculty obtained, allowing us to purchase multiple licensure preparation resources. The 1st year students will also get year-long subscriptions to a physical therapy educational database. We are hoping that providing these required resources will help our students financially, and will assist in student retention.
Many of you will remember that our program had our reaccreditation site visit last September. It took until the end of May to get our official decision, and we are happy to report that our accreditation was reaffirmed for another 10 years. Thanks to those alums and clinicians who participated in meetings with the site team, and to the PTA faculty for their amazing teamwork in putting together a successful review!
Now that we’ve gotten past the heavy lift of reaccreditation, we’ve got some transitions happening amongst the PTA program faculty. After 10 years in the role, I am stepping down from the program director position, cutting back on my 2025-26 workload as I transition toward retiring in May 2026. It’s an easy decision, especially when I have such qualified colleagues who are willing to step into new roles. Please read the related article to learn more about who’ll now be doing what in the PTA program!
Wishing you all the best!
(pictured with Jessica Scholl, PTA, EdD and Jon Duellman,PT, DPT)
PTA faculty updates:
PTA faculty updates:
Holly Clynch has stepped down as program director for the AAS and BS PTA programs. She will remain on as teaching faculty for the 2025-26 academic year, then retire in May 2026. Jessica Scholl is taking over as AAS PTA Program Director, relinquishing her role as Director of Clinical Education to Jon Duellman. Jon will also serve as Program Director for the BS PTA program. We’re all excited about the new learning opportunities, and grateful that our overlapping roles will allow for a smooth transition and ample time to plan staffing for 2026-27.
Community Engaged Learning
Community Engaged Learning
DPT and PTA students recently participated in a community-engaged learning immersion experience over the span of multiple weeks. Students learned about various contextual factors that impact health and spent time with community members and organizations in specific tracks that included: Immigrant and Refugee Health, Socioeconomic Disparities and Health, Indigenous History and Health, and Racism, Criminal Justice, and Health. Students also had the opportunity to translate this learning and experience into action through an advocacy assignment and touring the capitol and meeting with a legislator.
St. Kate's DPT Research Study at the Minnesota State Fair
St. Kate's DPT Research Study at the Minnesota State Fair
You are invited!
You are invited!
You are invited to participate in the St. Kate's DPT research study at the Minnesota State Fair in the Driven to Discover Research Facility! Faculty members Steve Elmer and Erin Schumacher are leading their student research team in a project aimed at characterizing the health and wellness of Minnesotans. Study participants will complete a health history questionnaire and four different functional tests including grip strength, gait speed, step test, and a ball toss. If you're at the fair, please stop by to participate in our study!
If you'd prefer to help out as a data collection volunteer, you're welcome to join - please sign up here. See you at the Fair!
Continuing Education Opportunities
Continuing Education Opportunities
Anatomy Lab CE series
Anatomy Lab CE series
This year we developed a series of case-based anatomy review sessions, with a variety of different themes - including orthopedic, neurologic, cardiopulmonary, and abdominal organ system pathologies and anatomy review. Participants received continuing education credits, and we hosted 64 attendees across the four nights, with many more sharing their interest. We will be offering this series again in the future, so if you did not get a chance to participate this time around, be on the watch for our next offering.
-Hugo Klaers, PT, DPT, OCS
Ethics CE
Ethics CE
Alumni and Clinical Instructors who work with St. Kate's students are invited to register for the Fall Ethical Considerations in Physical Therapy Clinical Education
presented by:
Deb Madanayake, PT, JD, GCS, CLT, CEEAA
Erin Schumacher, PT, DPT, EdD
To register, go to the St. Catherine University Continuing Education Web Catalog. Find the course titled “CE 2025-2026 Ethical Decision-Making in Physical Therapy Clinical Education (DPT (DPT-2000)”and click Add to Cart. Click on the cart and follow the on-screen prompts to create an account and submit your registration.
The registration deadline is Friday, September 19, 2025.
This course will be provided in a two-part series:
Part 1: Asynchronous – to be completed between Monday, September 29 and Monday, October 13, 2025.
Part 2: Synchronous online - Tuesday, October 14, 2025 6:30 – 7:45 pm
APTA MN Move & Groove 5K
APTA MN Move & Groove 5K
The 3rd Annual APTA MN Move & Groove 5K will be on Sunday, September 28th at a new location this year - Long Lake Regional Park in New Brighton, MN on a certified 5K course. Please consider signing up to volunteer or race!
Website:
https://www.mnapta.org/page/MooveGroove5K
Registration:
https://raceroster.com/events/2025/107478/apta-mn-move-and-groove-5k
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