Dear colleagues,
Waves of “vertical growth” at CU PM&R have produced new faculty, new service areas, and research lines. In 2022, we surpassed 50 attending physiatrists in our core affiliate hospitals. A total of 23 faculty members of various rehabilitation disciplines were added in the last 12 months. These new faculty have helped us broaden and develop important rehabilitation service areas:
• cancer rehabilitation
• amputation rehabilitation
• physician-scientist pathways
• rehabilitation and neuropsychology
• pediatric rehabilitation in Colorado Springs
• regenerative medicine at a new center at UCHealth Steadman Hawkins Inverness
• pediatric pain and sports medicine
• community spine/MSK practices at CU Medicine Specialty Care Center in Longmont
Among departments at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, CU PM&R is the largest educational house with nearly 200 trainees (DPT students, PhD candidates, PM&R residents and fellows) at any given time. We recently received accreditation to start a hybrid DPT degree program (which incorporates blocks utilizing 6 weeks of online education with 1-2 weeks of in-person education) adding 40 more students with our partners at University of Colorado- Colorado Springs. Having this large contingent of trainees truly makes us a “school within a school.”
Our research portfolio continues to blossom with a strong group of junior researchers (two of which have received career development training awards in 2022); mid-career researchers (with three NIH awards and multiple VA merit awards); and senior researchers leading labs, centers, multicenter grants culminating in new rehabilitation knowledge.
In 2023, we endeavor to create more “horizontal growth” with the aim of being more academic. As many of you know, I refer to the analogy and theme of aspens often. Aspens thrive because they are one organism connected by a singular underground root system. Horizontal growth means we nourish our root system through being true to the academic mission and creating infrastructure to grow more sprouts. Tangibly, this means creating different financial models with the help of our partner hospitals; increasing rehab beds and consults; recruiting in strategic areas; increasing our research infrastructure; expanding our community presence; and cultivating our burgeoning scientists. These lofty horizontal growth goals are not possible without our faculty and staff. Many of whom are featured in this year’s annual bulletin; and many more diligently cultivate our root system. Thank you for supporting CU PM&R and our mission to increase the value of rehab!
Sincerely,
Professor and Chair, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, School of Medicine
Each year, 5280 Magazine surveys Denver physicians and asks them, specialty by specialty, which metro-area physicians they would trust to treat themselves and their families. The 2022 Top Docs list includes seven of our esteemed colleagues:
MEDICAL SPECIALTY: PEDIATRIC REHABILITATION MEDICINE
HOSPITAL AFFILIATION: Children’s Hospital Colorado
Dr. Michael Blei
MEDICAL SPECIALTY: PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION
HOSPITAL AFFILIATION: UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital
MEDICAL SPECIALTY: SPINAL CORD INJURY MEDICINE
HOSPITAL AFFILIATION: Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Administration Medical Center
MEDICAL SPECIALTY: BRAIN INJURY MEDICINE
HOSPITAL AFFILIATION: Craig Hospital
MEDICAL SPECIALTY: PAIN MEDICINE
HOSPITAL AFFILIATION: Denver Health, UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital
MEDICAL SPECIALTY: BRAIN INJURY MEDICINE
HOSPITAL AFFILIATION: Denver Health
MEDICAL SPECIALTY: PEDIATRIC REHABILITATION MEDICINE
HOSPITAL AFFILIATION: Children’s Hospital Colorado
After 25 years as a faculty member (18 as core faculty), for the CU Physical Therapy Program, Paul Mintken, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT retired on July 1, 2022. Dr. Mintken earned his master’s degree in Physical Therapy from CU in 1994 and his transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (tDPT) from CU in 2004, as part of the first cohort of DPTs to graduate from CU. He completed fellowship training in orthopedic manual physical therapy at Regis University. He joined CU PT as adjunct faculty in 1997 and practiced as a full-time clinician for 10 years before becoming a full faculty member in 2004.
Dr. Mintken has been a driving force in many initiatives for CU PM&R and CU PT including service as co-chair of the PM&R Departmental Evaluation (Promotion and Tenure) Committee. He helped initiate the mentoring program in PM&R. Dr. Mintken was also chair of the CU PT Senior Faculty Committee and a member of the Curriculum Committee. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he also helped start an interprofessional learning experience that paired physiatry residents and psychologists with our Doctor of Physical Therapy students, which he hopes will continue again in the future.
Dr. Mintken describes his time at CU as, “magical”. Working with such amazing human beings in a state-of-the-art facility was more than I could have ever hoped for. Mark Twain once said, ‘Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.’ That has certainly been the case for me at the University of Colorado. It really was my dream job, and I often told my wife that I loved it so much I would do it for free. I am so blessed to have been able to learn and grow alongside an amazing faculty, administrative team, and our outstanding students. CU PT is truly remarkable, we all get along, support each other, and there are no egos or hidden agendas. I have no doubt that CU PT will continue to thrive after my departure. I will miss the people. CU PT is not just the incredible faculty; it is the amazing administrative team that makes the program go and our exceptional students. I will miss the daily human interactions which make life so meaningful.”
As a retiree, Dr. Mintken looks forward to playing his guitar, hiking, and bike riding, and hopes to cross the Appalachian trail off his bucket list. But he has learned, “not get too carried away thinking about the future. My destination today is the here and now. After all, the present moment is all we ever have.”
Dr. Mintken leaves these closing thoughts, “28 years ago I walked into the Wardenburg Health Center Physical Therapy Department at the University of Colorado Boulder ready to change the world. I retired from the University of Colorado knowing that, without a doubt, I am the one who is changed. I gave my best years to this University, and in return, the University of Colorado gave me opportunity, challenges, support, and friendships that will remain intact long after I’ve forgotten the joy of walking into my first classroom to teach future physical therapists. The University of Colorado Physical Therapy Program has a bright future ahead of it. Even though I will not be ‘on the team’ on a daily basis going forward, I take solace in knowing that I was able, in some small way, to contribute to making this a top-ranked program in the nation – just as the University and all the amazing people had a hand in making me the man I am today. I am forever grateful for my career and the University of Colorado. Life could have taken me in so many different directions. Now as I stand here many years later, I can say that I did the best I could to be a good physical therapist, a good teacher, and a good person, and maybe that is enough.”
Franchesca König, MD, recently joined the CU Cancer Center to create a continuum of rehabilitation care through patients’ cancer journeys.
Written by Rachel Sauer on September 23, 2022
Every person who receives a cancer diagnosis experiences the symptoms of the disease and treatments differently. However, a common thread is that the disease can influence every aspect of life, even after a person reaches no evidence of disease (NED) status.
An important aspect of the multidisciplinary care offered at the University of Colorado Cancer Center is a continuum of care that spans screening and continues through diagnosis and treatment all the way to follow-up after NED. This includes rehabilitation care at each stage of the cancer journey.
Franchesca König, MD, an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the CU School of Medicine, recently joined the CU Cancer Center as the first cancer rehabilitation physician. As these important services are incorporated into the holistic, multidisciplinary care that patients receive, an aim is to grow the scope of rehabilitation treatment as well as the team providing it.
“There’s an important role for rehabilitation during the continuum of care for patients with cancer,” König explains. “Wellrounded cancer care includes working with physicians who are focused on function and quality of life, anything from physical to emotional, social, or vocational care. Our goal is to support patients in getting back to the life they want to live after this life-changing diagnosis.”
The field of cancer rehabilitation has grown for decades and originated from clinical observations that “patients were experiencing significant functional aftereffects from their treatments,” König says. “They hear, ‘Yay, you’re cured, now go live your life,’ but what if life doesn’t look like it did before? What if their physical function is different, their employment situation is different, their outlook on life is different?”
While the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation is more well-known, the subspecialty focused specifically on cancer continues to grow. For König, training in this area included a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation, then a fellowship in cancer rehabilitation, of which there are just a handful around the country.
“One of the guiding principles of cancer rehabilitation is to begin working with patients from the moment they’re diagnosed and the moment treatment starts,” König says. “A goal is to get patients optimized to do well in treatments and into survivorship.”
Cancer rehabilitation treatment typically beings with a thorough physical exam that includes musculoskeletal, neurological, mental, and emotional assessment, König says. “By beginning with a good exam, we can begin to talk about limitations or challenges a patient might experience through chemotherapy, surgery, or other treatments. Then we’ll come up with a treatment plan that may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. I may refer a patient to pain management, I may refer them to psychiatry services, it’s really individualized to the person.”
As a field of practice, cancer rehabilitation is working toward the concept of “pre-hab,” König says, “so that we’re members of the multidisciplinary care team and can begin working with patients at the moment of diagnosis. It can be so overwhelming for patients, but I’ve had patients say, ‘Gosh, I wish I’d talked to you from the beginning, I didn’t realize I was going to be dealing with these side effects.” Because she is the first of a planned cancer rehabilitation care team, König says she is not only beginning to work with patients, but to connect with faculty and staff throughout the CU Cancer Center to begin integrating these services into the broader scope of cancer care offered.
“I’m just excited to be part of this growing field at the CU Cancer Center,” König says. “I’m looking forward to working with colleagues on multidisciplinary teams that are really advancing patient-centered care.”
“Well-rounded cancer care includes working with physicians who are focused on function and quality of life, anything from physical to emotional, social, or vocational care. Our goal is to support patients in getting back to the life they want to live after this lifechanging diagnosis.”
In 2022, the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation welcomed Dr. Jordan Wyrwa. Dr. Wyrwa joined the Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (PR&M) faculty as an Assistant Professor at Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO) and the CU Department of PM&R. Dr. Wyrwa is a graduating PM&R fellow at CHCO/CU PM&R and completed the CU PM&R residency in 2020. He is a former Epic Technical Services representative (2010-2012).
Through an ongoing fusion of his clinical expertise and informatics background, he will be advancing the departments’ research agenda as one of the few PM&R Clinician-Scientists in the country. His core research interest is improving point-of-care functional prognostication of common PRM diagnoses, such as acquired brain injury, through predictive modeling and dissemination and implementation science.
Thanks to Dr. Susan Apkon, Dr. Lisa Brenner, and Dr. Amy Kanallakan, Dr. Wyrwa was one of the first PM&R fellows at CHCO to have robust and dedicated research time and support which has proved productive and undoubtedly will help launch his career. While focusing purely on clinical work in residency and predominantly on clinical work in fellowship, his bibliography includes several competitive scientific abstracts, two journal articles, an electronic publication, a podcast episode, and approximately ten manuscripts in preparation for submission to well-known, academic journals. He is an avid member of the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). When not working, he loves spending time with his wife Annie and two daughters, Finley and Mae.
Dr. Wyrwa was one of the first PM&R fellows at CHCO to have robust and dedicated research time and support which has proved productive and undoubtedly will help launch his career.
Nurse practitioners (NP’s) play a pivotal role within CU PM&R. There are two Advanced Practice Providers (APP’s) within the Children’s Hospital Colorado rehabilitation unit: Alison Ballard, and Kim Sawyer (with recruitment for a third underway), and three NP’s that work in the Musculoskeletal/Spine Outpatient Department at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital: Taylor Bashore, Lindsay Goldstein-Smith, and Anne Lehan. We also have Debra Petersen at the UCHealth Broomfield Hospital.
“
Nurse practitioners help with so many things it’s hard to know where to start. First, they help us manage our inboxes and answer patient questions that float into us through the EPIC inbox. They also help with peer-to-peer conversations with insurance companies. Most importantly, they see new and return patients and help improve access across the system in all the clinics they work in,” says Dr. Rachel Brakke Holman, Associate Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
“The APP’s at Children’s Hospital Colorado provide direct patient care. We have 2 different models with one APP doing mostly direct patient care including specialty clinics, general rehab, and managing our intrathecal baclofen pump program. The 2nd APP is our coordinator for the neuromuscular program. She does have some direct patient care responsibilities; she is also the ’go to’ provider for our neuromuscular patients and their families. She manages a lot of in between clinic care,” added Dr. Susan Apkon, Professor of Pediatric Rehabilitation.
“The NP’s within the department typically work a half-day in clinic either alongside the physicians, or seeing their own patients, followed by management of the ‘in basket’ where they help address patient questions via phone or email. These messages usually include follow up to procedures, medication questions, and MRI or imaging review,” says Anne Lehan, MSN, AGNP, who works at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.
Taylor Bashore, MS, BSN, FNP-BC, RN, who works for UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital says her favorite part of the job is, “as a nurse practitioner with PM&R in the Spine Clinic, I enjoy working with patients to help them meet their goals of returning to activity with less pain and overall improving their quality of life.” She also adds, “As a nurse practitioner who has been in practice for almost 7 years, this team has been one of the most supportive teams I have worked with. Every provider’s willingness to teach and encouragement of academic and professional growth is endless.”
“I absolutely LOVE the rehab population; our patients are resilient and funny and resourceful. I love watching them grow up and change and progress. I love working with these families who are unique and adaptive and creative problem solvers. I love that we know our patients and their families as we see them throughout childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. It’s fun to be a part of all their milestones. I like that we can be creative in managing and treating our patients. Each patient is different, and we can’t use the same standards and treatments for all of them, so we get to talk to each patient and family to customize our plan for what works for that patient in different settings (school/home/community),” remarked Kim Sawyer, PNP, who works at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
CU PM&R thanks our nurse practitioners for all that they do. Their skills, dedication, and compassion are critical for the success of our department and the health and well-being of patients and their families. We are grateful that they are part of our team.
The CU Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the CU Physical Therapy Program are fortunate to count Dr. Andrew Smith as one of our own. A prolific researcher in Spinal Cord Injury, Dr. Smith has received numerous grants and awards in 2022 including the APTA Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Spinal Cord Injury SIG Research Award, a Boettcher Foundation Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Award, an NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development K01 award, and the 2022 American Spinal Injury Association Translational Research or Human Neuroscience Studies in Spinal Cord Injury (TRoHNS) Award. He was also named a 2022 Jayanthi Lectureship Recipient by the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals.
In layman’s terms, tell us about the specific research you are doing?
This is an exciting time for spinal cord injury (SCI) research. Spinal cord stimulation can restore voluntary movement to individuals even with severe cases of SCI. My research aims to understand why it works and who will best respond to it.
What are your ultimate goals as it relates to your various research projects?
My two major goals are to: 1) discover optimal ways of applying spinal cord imaging to guide and improve clinical management of individuals who sustained a SCI; 2) bring epidural spinal cord stimulation to people with severe SCI here in Denver.
Who are you working with for your various investigations?
Our lab at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, the SCI Imaging Research Lab (SCIRL) includes our PhD student, Dr. Wesley Thornton. We collaborate with multiple sites, including the Denver VA SCI Center and Craig Hospital, and more recently with CU Anschutz Neurosurgery. I also want to recognize my K01 mentors including Dr. Stevens-Lapsley (my primary mentor), along with Dr. Rejc (University of Louisville), Drs. Berliner and Tefertiller (Craig Hospital), and my colleague Dr. Weber (Stanford).
What does receiving these awards mean to you personally?
I am so grateful. It has been such a solid feeling of validation that our work is important, and the financial support for the development of Dr. Thornton and me is vital.
What is your favorite part about being a researcher within the CU Department of PM&R and the CU Physical Therapy Program?
The level of support and mentorship from the leadership has been remarkable thanks to folks like Drs. Akuthota, Brenner, Harris-Love, and Stevens-Lapsley. The pre-award and post-award teams certainly make life easier on me as well.
Has anything surprised you this year as you have embarked on your various research endeavors?
It was not a surprise, but more of an unwelcome reminder that there is a lot of rejection in research – I continue to work through numerous grant rejections and manuscript rejections despite some successes. We must develop a thick skin and keep moving forward.
What advice would you give to aspiring or new researchers in the field?
Allow yourself to be inspired. Draw inspiration from your patients. Savor those joyful interactions with them and stay curious as to how to improve their condition.
The level of support and mentorship from the leadership has been remarkable thanks to folks like Drs. Akuthota, Brenner, Harris-Love, and Stevens-Lapsley.
In June of 2022, Dr. Scott Laker, Associate Professor of PM&R, was named Senior Medical Director of CU Medicine and Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs for CU SOM. In this new role, Dr. Laker will oversee community practice in clinics off the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, including Highlands Ranch Hospital, Steadman Hawkins, Cherry Creek Medical Center, and other practices opening elsewhere in Colorado.
Dr. Laker was Medical Director at the Highlands Ranch Hospital when his predecessor, Dr. Tina Finlayson, stepped down from the role as Associate Dean. After an exhaustive multi-month interview process with leadership across the departments, UCHealth, and CU Medicine, he was selected. “The Department was supportive in helping me through the role, and Dr. Akuthota was a good advocate and mentor as I considered this position,” says Dr. Laker.
As Associate Dean, Dr. Laker regularly connects with departmental, divisional, and hospital leadership about how they can integrate into community practice, including to help them make their first moves into non-campus clinics. Often, these practices need to be built from the ground up, including billing, patient scheduling, flow, and follow up, as well as outreach to the communities served. Getting academic practice out into the community means engaging existing CU Anschutz patients, as well as new patients that would not normally come to see CU Medicine doctors in Aurora. He also chairs the Office of Advanced Practice, which represents over 1,100 APPs at Children’s Hospital Colorado and CU Medicine, including a revamp of their organizational structure. In addition, Dr. Laker also oversees charity care for underserved patients, ensuring that there is wise stewardship of that care.
Dr. Laker’s primary goal is to continue the level of quality that the community expects from CU Medicine into these community practices. He also wants to ensure that the departments that want to be involved in community practice have a good experience, and that providers are happy, and patients are getting their needs met. He is excited to utilize his skills to bring out the talents of CU Medicine providers, and that practices are well-
run so that providers can focus on patient care. “Physician leadership roles are critical to giving good care. It is good for patients and the organization and helps us to stay aligned with our mission to provide care for Coloradans,” he remarked. He is invigorated by the novel and complex environment, and the teamwork required to make them go well, as details are important when it comes to patient care.
Dr. Laker credits his mentors throughout his education and career for the impact they have had on him and aspires to give that back to other physicians by helping lay the infrastructure so they can focus on their clinical practice. He believes, “physiatrists are uniquely able to sit in physician leadership roles by nature, training, and temperament. We lead teams and we can see both the patient side and the provider side. I feel strongly that physiatrists are well suited for this, and if they are interested, they should pursue this, as it is very rewarding and necessary.”
Within CU PM&R, Dr. Laker’s role has shifted. He now spends 60% of his time as Associate Dean. Prior to accepting this role, Dr. Laker was Clinical Director of Outpatient Adult PM&R, and this role is now held by Dr. Rachel Brakke Holman. He has also consolidated his clinical practice to the Steadman Hawkins Clinic. Dr. Laker was serving at Lone Tree and Highlands Ranch Hospital before this consolidation. He continues his work with the Executive Committee of PM&R.
Adele Meron, Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, was named Course Director for the Musculoskeletal and Integumentary Systems Course for first year medical students at the CU School of Medicine. The course is part of the new SOM Trek curriculum, an ambitious and innovative curriculum redesign implemented in July 2021. The MSI course is one of ten courses within the Plains Pre-Clerkship Phase. Each course is designed around three curricular pillars – Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, and Health & Society. The foundational principles of these pillars are integrated throughout the plains curriculum and in the MSI course. The focus is on the foundations of embryology, anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the musculoskeletal and integumentary systems, while weaving in musculoskeletal physical exam skills, advanced communication skills, and disability education. The course is four weeks long and includes over 50 learning events.
Musculoskeletal and neurologic anatomy and physiology is the basis of the MSI course and is the foundation of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. The CU School of Medicine will also incorporate disability education into the Healthcare and Society sessions within the course. Dr. Cristina Sarmiento, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, is also part of the group that develops disability education for the Healthcare and Society curriculum and will be working with Dr. Meron on these sessions.
As Course Director, Dr. Meron will develop learning objectives for each learning event which drives the content, and will recruit learning event facilitators, review materials, develop assessments, create and lead case review sessions, and serve as a point of contact to the students throughout the course for questions, guidance, and feedback. She is teaching many of the learning events this year including the Course Orientation, chief concern and case review sessions each week, Brachial Plexus, Lumbosacral Plexus, Cervical and Lumbosacral Nerve Root Compressions, and Applied Arthrology. She recruited teaching faculty from various departments including PM&R, primary care sports medicine, orthopedic surgery, radiology, neurosurgery, anatomy, pathology, and pharmacology, engaging
with other faculty across campus who are passionate about medical education.
Dr. Meron will have the entire first-year class as students in the course, about 180 new students each year. She will be the first face they see as they start their medical school musculoskeletal education. “I hope this means they will forever associate the field of physiatry with musculoskeletal expertise and serve as a recruiting tool for our field, our program, and department. By serving as a mentor to first year students, I hope to increase not only the number of students that enter the field of PM&R but also the diversity of the students who pursue PM&R careers,” Dr. Meron remarked. “I am most excited about becoming a teacher and mentor to students just starting out their medical education. I am eager to share with them the best kept secret in medicine, the meaningful and fulfilling career as a PM&R physician.”
“I am most excited about becoming a teacher and mentor to students just starting out their medical education. I am eager to share with them the best kept secret in medicine, the meaningful and fulfilling career as a PM&R physician.”
The CU Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is excited to announce the opening of Pod 4, the CU Medicine Regenerative Medicine, Hand and Spine Center at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic Denver, on January 9, 2023. Located at 175 Inverness Drive West, Suite 200, Englewood, CO 80112, this will be the primary clinical setting for three of our faculty members, including Drs. Michelle Barlow, Kyle Stoffers, and Scott Laker.
At the CU Medicine Regenerative Medicine, Hand and Spine Center, our board certified specialists use the most advanced medical technology and minimally invasive procedures to help patients find relief from chronic joint and nerve pain and address their orthopedic injuries and ailments. Our state-of-the-art facility includes modern exam rooms, procedure areas and an onsite lab, ensuring that patients have access to the region’s top providers and medical services in one convenient location. The multidisciplinary CU Medicine team takes a comprehensive, personalized approach to care to help you get back to doing the things you love.
Regenerative medicine services will include: Cell Therapy (previously known as Stem Cell Therapy), Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections, Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMA-C), and Lipogems and other Adipose Tissue Technologies. Hand Surgery Services will include: Brachial Plexus Reconstruction, Carpal Tunnel Release, Ulnar Nerve Release, Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR), Thoracic Outlet Decompression, and Wide Awake Hand Surgery (WALANT).
The CU Medicine Regenerative Medicine, Hand and Spine Center is now accepting patients, and will be open Monday through Friday, 8 am-5 pm. The clinic can be reached by phone at (303) 694-3333.
Spine and Rehabilitation Medicine Services will include: Epidural Steroid Injections, Selective Nerve Root Blocks, Spinal Injections, Facet Joint Injections, Sacroiliac Joint Injections, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections, Ultrasound-guided Interventions, Radiofrequency Procedures, and Electromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Studies.
“I am excited about opening this new space to expand spine care for the South Denver Metro area. This new suite is well-equipped for procedures. Patients will love the new and expansive clinic and procedure space. I look forward to collaborating closely with the sports medicine doctors and their teams. The new space is a great addition for our department,” says Dr. Barlow.
Dr. Stoffers added, “I am very excited for the opening of Pod 4. It is a state-of-the-art facility with the ability to provide cutting edge treatments for spine and musculoskeletal injuries. There are other providers in the Denver Metro area who are performing procedures with orthobiologics such as PRP, but we will be able to provide them with the quality that patients have come to expect from UCHealth. There is also an opportunity for research in outcomes for these treatments which I am also excited about.”
The University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz) and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences have renewed their academic partnership within the University of Colorado system.
Utilizing resources and talent from both CU Anschutz and UCCS, the universities plan to provide a unified academic curriculum for students pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. Students in the DPT hybrid pathway at UCCS will spend the same amount of time in clinical rotations and have the same graduation requirements as the residential DPT pathway students at CU Anschutz.
UCCS is currently recruiting the Director for the DPT hybrid pathway, and both UCCS and CU Anschutz will be hiring program faculty with joint appointments throughout 2023.
The DPT program prepares graduates to be competent physical therapists capable of assuming roles as clinical practitioners, educators, scholars/researchers, administrators, consultants and advocates.
“We look forward to combining our world-class physical therapy education with innovative teaching practices and practical experiences,” said Jackie Berning, UCCS Health Sciences department chair.
Students in the UCCS hybrid DPT pathway will have the option to live in Colorado Springs throughout their DPT education and commute to the William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center for approximately 7-14 days of intensive lab immersion within each semester or learning block. The rest of the course content occurs online in synchronous or asynchronous format, allowing the students to reside in their local communities. The hybrid track blends the convenience of online learning with the excellence of in-person lab immersion experiences throughout the educational experience. Students will complete the 116 credit-hour hybrid DPT pathway at UCCS in 2.5 years.
Students with specific interest in rural healthcare and preparation for pursuing a physical therapy career in a rural community are considered ideal candidates for the hybrid program in Colorado Springs. Clinical experiences will be offered in the Colorado Springs area, rural Colorado and across the nation. Students will also be encouraged to complete clinical experiences in their local community.
“Our partnership with UCCS allows us to better meet the healthcare needs in Southern Colorado, strengthens our inter-campus collaborations, and positions us to lead as the delivery of clinical education continues to evolve,” said Michael Harris-Love, SOM Associate Dean of Physical Therapy Education.
Beginning with the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, there will be one application for both pathways. Applicants will be asked to answer whether they want to only be considered for one pathway, or whether they prefer one but would consider either, within the University of Colorado program-specific questions. Based on the applicant’s choice, they would then be directed to a slightly different essay question.
The degree requirements are the same for either pathway. A bachelor’s degree or higher in any field except physical therapy is needed to enroll. It is permissible to apply before the bachelor’s degree is completed, but enrollment in the program will not be allowed until the bachelor’s degree is awarded.
On November 23, 2022, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) approved the Application for Approval of Substantive Change. Prospective students interested in this pathway can plan to apply in the 2023-2024 Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) cycle.
Dr. Amit Sinha was a Pediatric Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Fellow at Children’s Hospital Colorado from 2011-2013. Prior to coming to CU PM&R, Dr. Sinha earned his medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, where he also completed residency after his internship year at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Today, Dr. Sinha is Associate Division Chief of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Clinically, my work includes acute inpatient peds rehab, inpatient peds rehab consults, outpatient peds rehab (primarily brain injury, cerebral palsy, spasticity management, peds long COVID, general peds rehab). Administratively, I am collaborating with the UPMC Health Plan (insurance division of UPMC) on several things including Utilization Management: approval and denial of acute care stays, requests for post-acute care, DME, orthotics, procedures, home modifications, etc., medical policy, and pediatric health coaching. I am the current Associate Division Chief of Pediatric Rehab Medicine and the Medical Director of CHRU (our peds inpatient rehab unit). In these roles, I have participated for more than a year on our CARF application; and we received 3-year CARF accreditation in the summer of 2022. I am helping to design our new pediatric rehab unit and participating in operationalizing our move. Our current rehab unit is not within the hospital and our new rehab unit will be inside our pediatric acute care hospital. Our tentative move date is February 20, 2023.
During my 3rd year of medical school, I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do. I enjoyed aspects of my internal medicine and surgery rotations but couldn’t decide. One of my IM attendings then mentioned PM&R which I knew nothing about. Luckily my medical school (VCU School of Medicine) had an amazing PM&R program. I was lucky enough to complete a rotation with Dr. William McKinley on the inpatient SCI unit and fell in love with the specialty. I loved the team based and holistic approach to optimize patient health and function. I’ve never looked back since.
I enjoyed broad pediatric rehabilitation clinical experiences including running inpatient rehabilitation and inpatient consult services with attending oversight. I had close multidisciplinary collaboration with PT, OT, speech, neuropsychology, nursing, and care coordination. My outpatient experiences included the Cerebral Palsy Clinic with Drs. Dennis Matthews, Joyce Oleszek, and Frank Chang; the MDA clinic with Drs. Matthews and Anne Stratton; spasticity management with Drs. Matthews and Oleszek; concussion management with Drs. Scott Laker and Stratton; spina bifida with Dr. Pam Wilson; Gait Lab with Drs. Jim Carollo and Matthews; Baclofen pump management with Drs. Kim Sawyer and Annie Purcell; and Outreach clinics in Cheyenne with Dr. Matthews, Pueblo with Dr. Susan Biffl, and southwestern Colorado with Dr. Oleszek. I observed Dr. Matthews do it all: clinical practice, research, education, and administrative work, while making it seem effortless.
What is your specialty within PM&R?
Pediatric rehabilitation medicine with a recent certification in Brain Injury Medicine.
What part of your job do you find most rewarding?
Hearing success stories from patients and families and feeling that I had some small role in improving someone’s life.
How does your current position correspond to where you envisioned yourself as you finished fellowship?
I think it corresponds well. I think I already knew coming out of fellowship that I would never primarily be a researcher. I knew I enjoyed clinical care and was interested in the administrative side of medicine (especially based on my observations/interactions with Dr. Dennis Matthews). This prompted me to pursue my MBA here in Pittsburgh, primarily as I saw that I had a deficit in speaking the financial language that hospital administrators use.
What career accomplishments are you most proud of?
Helping to make our current peds rehab unit (organizationally part of UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh) but down the street from the acute care hospital successful for the past 9+ years. We remain the only acute inpatient rehab unit in the UPMC system (over 40 hospitals) that take ventilators on our rehab unit, and we have been successful in weaning several patients off the ventilator and having their tracheostomies removed. Being down the street has presented several challenges and our team has been tremendously innovative and dedicated in how to solve these challenges to optimize patient care. I am most proud of what we have accomplished on our inpatient peds rehab unit these past 9+ years and being part of this amazing team. I am also proud of the “Prescription for Wellness” which is a project I have been working on with UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and UPMC Health Plan. In short, it is a physician/provider prescribed health coach who can help with several patient-led health goals. This program is only for members/patients with UPMC Health Plan. This program has been in use on the adult side for years, primarily because this functionality (ability to prescribe) was built into the adult EMR. This program was not utilized in kids because this functionality was
not built into the EMR we use here at Children’s. I have been working on this since 2018 to increase utilization of this program in our pediatric population, especially since the rates of pediatric obesity continue to climb. In 2022, we were finally able to build this functionality into the EMR here at Children’s. Once this came to fruition, I have been leading the charge here at Children’s educating docs and other providers about this program and how to prescribe it. Since July 2022, we have had over 100 referrals and we are looking to continue to increase its use to improve the health of children in Western Pennsylvania.
Do what you love as this will make going to work not seem like work and be prepared that at multiple points during your career, your personal and professional priorities/goals will change and that is okay. Accept it, and do the best you can to accommodate these changes. Change is constant and if you try to fight it, it will only make you more frustrated.
Spending time with my family, which includes my wife and 3 daughters. We enjoy traveling.
Susan Apkon, MD was appointed as a board member of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPM&R). She, along with Dr. Anne Stratton, presented at the AAPM&R Annual Assembly on “Decision making in the use of FDA approved treatments for spinal muscular atrophy.” She was also awarded the Cure SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) grant, encompassing a 5-year multicenter clinical data registry.
Michael Bade, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS was appointed to the Editorial Board of the Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal. He also received a competitive VA Merit Award entitled “Improving Rehabilitation for Veterans After Total Knee Arthroplasty Using Individualized Recovery Trajectories,” along with Drs. Jen Stevens-Lapsley, Dan Matlok, and Jeri Forster
Alison Ballard, NP, was awarded the Margi Morse CARE (Clinical Award Recognizing Excellence) Award.
Rachel Brakke Holman, MD was named Clinical Director of Outpatient PM&R. She also served as Vice-Chair, and will be eventual Chair of, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) Medical Education Committee. She also introduced the program at the AAPM&R Annual Assembly.
Lisa Brenner, PhD, ABPP, testified at the US House of Representatives Veterans’ Affairs Committee on veteran suicide prevention. She and Dr. Nazanin Bahraini are co-champions in leading the workgroup writing the new VA-DOD Clinical Practice Guidelines on Suicide. She was also the first speaker at the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute briefing, presenting on Women Veterans’ Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.
Lara Canham, PT, DPT, OCS won the Bob Doctor Service Award.
Alison Colbert, PhD, along with Dr. Amy Connery, presented at the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) annual conference on “Early Childhood Assessment of Typical and Atypical Neurodevelopment: Current Practice, Challenges, and Implication for Future Directions.”
Bryann Debeer, PhD, was promoted to Associate Professor. She also accepted the Research Team Award at the Military Health System Research Symposium for her team’s work to advance PTSD science.
Hilary Diefenbach, MA as well as Drs. William Niehaus, Katherine Payne, Catharine Johnston-Brooks, Adam Kinney, and Christina Draganich all presented at the American College of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM).
Jeri Forster, PhD, was promoted to Associate Professor.
Jason Friedrich, MD was named as Medical Director of the UCHealth Spine Center at UCH. He was also featured on a medical podcast discussing cervical stenosis and myelopathy.
Michael Harris-Love, PT, MPT, DSc, FGSA, FAPTA was named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association.
Dana Judd, PT, DPT, PhD was appointed to Director of Student Affairs and Director of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Faculty Residency. She was also accepted into the 2022-2023 cohort of the Colorado-Wyoming Network of Women Leaders’ Academic Management Institute.
Michael Kirkwood, PhD, ABPP-CN (PI) and Aaron Powell, MD received project funding from the Tai Foundation to study Cervical Spine Dysfunction Following Adolescent Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Pediatric Functional Neurological Disorder: Understanding the Incidence and Evaluating a Novel Intervention.
Scott Laker, MD was named Senior Medical Director and Associate Dean of Community Practice at CU Medicine.
Dawn Magnusson, PT, PhD was appointed to the Editorial Board of the Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal.
Mark Mañago, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS was invited to be a clinical hub team member for ECHO MS, a new NMSS-sponsored initiative sponsored by the NMSS to improve community health outcomes for people affected by MS by increasing the knowledge and capacity of MS healthcare providers. He also received a VA career development award for running RCT using BFR in patients with MS and a Davis Phinney Foundation award to study BFR In people with PD.
Kilby Mann, MD led the Complex Care SIG at the AACPDM 76th Annual Meeting and presented on “Partnering with Patients: Engaging Patients with Childhood-Onset Disabilities and Their Families in Research, Education and Systems-Level Clinical Decisions,” and, “Recent Practice Changing Publications for the Pediatric Complex Care Provider 2022”. She was also named Provider of the Month at CHCO in November.
Amy McDevitt, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT was appointed as Section Director of Curriculum and Musculoskeletal Track Coordinator. She was elected to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) Board as Member at Large. She also received a $100,000 grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research (Paris Patla Manual Therapy Research Grant) for a study titled “Specific and Shared Mechanisms Associated With Treatment for Chronic Neck Pain.”
Danielle Melton, MD represented CU and UCHealth in developing a Limb Loss Preservation Registry (LLPR), funded by an NIH/DOD grant.
Adele Meron, MD was named Musculoskeletal and Integumentary Systems Course Director for the “Plains curriculum” at the CU School of Medicine. She was also inducted into the North American Spine Society’s SpineLine 5th Annual 20 Under 40 Class.
William Niehaus, MD was featured in this article by Steamboat Pilot & Today regarding patients experiencing symptoms of long COVID. He has been an integral member of the UCH Long COVID clinic.
Amy Nordon-Craft, PT, DSc was recognized by the CU Anschutz Center for Advancing Professional Excellence (CAPE) as aligned with their core value of Justice.
Nathan Odom, MD was named Clinical Director of Inpatient PM&R.
Joyce Oleszek, MD and Dr. Matt Mayer were recognized as top-rated providers by patients and families through Children’s Hospital Colorado Patient-Family Experience survey. Drs. Oleszek, Jason Friedrich, and Jenny Rodriguez also received the Department of PM&R Professionalism Award. Dr. Oleszek was also inducted into the Red, White and Blue Club – the group of team members who have worked at Children’s Hospital Colorado for 20 or more years.
Robin Peterson, PhD, was promoted to Associate Professor. She also published, as co-editor, Pediatric Neuropsychology Third Edition: Research, Theory, and Practice.
Cristina Sarmiento, MD presented at the Pediatric Academic Society (PAS), the AACPDM 76th Annual Meeting, the AAPM&R Annual Assembly, and the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Annual Meeting. She was awarded the Foundation for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s Gabriella E. Molnar-Swafford Pediatric PM&R Research Grant for her project entitled, “Growing Pains: A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding the Transition of Care Needs of Adolescents and Young Adults with Cerebral Palsy in a Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic.”
Andrew Smith, PT, DPT, PhD was named a Boettcher Foundation Webb-Waring Early Career Investigator Awardee. He also received the APTA Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Spinal Cord Injury SIG Research Award, a NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development K01 Award, a 2022 Jayanthi Lectureship Recipient from the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, and a 2022 American Spinal Injury Association Translational Research or Human Neuroscience Studies in Spinal Cord Injury (TRoHNS) award.
Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley, PT, PhD, FAPTA was appointed as Section Director of Research & Development. She was selected to be the Glen E. Gresham Visiting Professor in Rehabilitation Science at University of Buffalo. She also gave a presentation on TKA rehabilitation and clinical practice guidelines at the Osteoarthritis Research Society International meeting in Berlin.
Anne Stratton, MD, was promoted to Associate Professor.
Kristin Uhler, CCC-A, CCCA, PhD, received a $1,068,005 grant, over three years, from the Daniels fund for the Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing.
Pam Wilson, MD, competed for the U.S. Wheelchair Curling Team at the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, which ranked 5th place, tied for its second-best ever finish. She also won the Mixed Doubles National Championship for USA Wheelchair Curling. She competed in the World Championship in Lohja, Finland. She also placed second in the WCT Tallinn Wheelchair International Tournament 2022, and successfully defended her USA Curling Wheelchair Mixed Doubles National title at the Kettle Moraine Curling Club.
Rauzi, M., Foran, J., Bade, M. Multimodal conservative management of arthrofibrosis after total knee arthroplasty compared to manipulation under anesthesia: a feasibility study with retrospective cohort comparison. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2022; 8(1):71.
Brostow, D.P., Smith, A.A., Bahraini, N.H., Besterman-Dahan, K., Forster, J.E., Brenner, L.A Food Insecurity and Food Worries During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Point-In-Time Study of Injured United States Veterans J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2022 Sep 4;17:10.1080/19320248.2022. 2118564. doi: 10.1080/19320248.2022.2118564. PMID: 36407058; PMCID: PMC9670250.
Kline, P.W., Davis-Wilson, H.C., So, N.F., Fields, T.T., Christiansen, C.L. Feasibility of repeated session error-augmentation gait training for people with nontraumatic transtibial amputation Prosthet Orthot Int. 2022 Dec 1;46(6):553-559. doi: 10.1097/PXR.0000000000000181. Epub 2022 Aug 25. PMID: 36037273; PMCID: PMC9771874.
Gustavson, A.M., Falvey, J.R., LeDoux, C.V., & Stevens-Lapsley, J.E. (2022). Stakeholder and DataDriven Fall Screen in a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly: Quality Improvement Initiative. J Geriatr Phys Ther, 45(3), 154-159. doi:10.1519/jpt.0000000000000307
Hoffmire, C.A., Brenner, L.A., Katon, J., Gaeddert, L.A., Miller, C.N., Schneider, A.L., & Monteith, L.L. (2022). Women Veterans’ Perspectives on Suicide Prevention in Reproductive Health Care Settings: An Acceptable, Desired, Unmet Opportunity. Women’s Health Issues. doi:10.1016/j. whi.2022.01.003
Kinney, A.R., Graham, J.E., Middleton, A., Edelstein, J., Wyrwa, J., & Malcolm, M. P. (2022). Mobility status and acute care physical therapy utilization: The Moderating roles of age, significant others, and insurance type. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2021.12.013
Kinney, A.R., Yan, X.D., Schneider, A.L., King, S., Forster, J.E., Bahraini, N., Brenner, L.A Postconcussive symptoms mediate the relationship between sleep problems and participation restrictions among veterans with mild traumatic brain injury. Front Rehabil Sci. 2022 Oct 12;3:964420. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2022.964420. PMID: 36311204; PMCID: PMC9597091.
Howell, D.R., Wingerson, M.J., Kirkwood, M.W., Grubenhoff, J.A., & Wilson, J.C. (2022). Early aerobic exercise among adolescents at moderate/high risk for persistent post-concussion symptoms: A pilot randomized clinical trial Phys Ther Sport, 55, 196-204. doi: 10.1016/j. ptsp.2022.04.010
Anderson, C.B., Fatone, S., Mañago, M.M., Swink, L.A., Hager, E.R., Kittelson, A. J., . . . Magnusson, D. M. (2022). Improving shared decision-making for prosthetic care: a qualitative needs assessment of prosthetists and new lower-limb prosthesis users Prosthet Orthot Int doi:10.1097/pxr.0000000000000142
Mañago, M.M., Kimbrell, K., Hager, E.R., Dwight, H., Owens, J., & Bade, M. (2022). Clinical use of blood flow restriction in people with neurologic conditions: a cross-sectional survey J Phys Ther Sci, 34(4), 275283. doi:10.1589/jpts.34.275
Capin, J.J., Jolley, S.E., Morrow, M., Connors, M., Hare, K., MaWhinney, S., Nordon-Craft, A., Rauzi, M., Flynn, S., Stevens-Lapsley, J.E., Erlandson, K.M. Safety, feasibility and initial efficacy of an app-facilitated telerehabilitation (AFTER) programme for COVID-19 survivors: a pilot randomised study BMJ Open 2022 Jul 26;12(7):e061285. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061285. PMID: 35882451; PMCID: PMC9329728.
Wynarczuk, K.D., Gagnon, K., Fiss, A.L., Kendall, E., Schreiber, J., Rapport, M.J. The How and the Why of Including Children: Experiential Learning in Teaching Physical Therapist Students Pediatr Phys Ther 2022 Jul 1;34(3):400-409. doi: 10.1097/PEP.0000000000000920. Epub 2022 May 30. PMID: 35639559.
Sarmiento, C., Wyrwa, J., Stearns-Yoder, K.A., Hoffberg, A.S., Brenner, B., Chambliss, A., Appel, A., & Brenner, L. (2022). Developmental Outcomes Following Abusive Head Trauma in Infancy: A Systematic Review Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. doi:10.1097/HTR.0000000000000808
Smith, A.C., Angeli, C.A., Ugiliweneza, B., Weber, K.A., 2nd, Bert, R.J., Negahdar, M., . . . Rejc, E. (2022). Spinal cord imaging markers and recovery of standing with epidural stimulation in individuals with clinically motor complete spinal cord injury Exp Brain Res, 240(1), 279-288. doi:10.1007/s00221-021-06272-9
Bodkin, S.G., Smith, A.C., Bergman, B.C., Huo, D., Weber, K.A., Zarini, S., . . . Harris-Love, M.O. (2022). Utilization of Mid-Thigh Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Predict Lean Body Mass and Knee Extensor Strength in Obese Adults Front Rehabilit Sci, 3. doi:10.3389/fresc.2022.808538
Cheuy, V.A., Dayton, M.R., Hogan, C.A., Graber, J., Anair, B.M., Voigt, T.B., . . . Stevens-Lapsley, J.E., Toth, M.J. (2022). Neuromuscular electrical stimulation preserves muscle strength early after total knee arthroplasty: Effects on muscle fiber size. J Orthop Res. doi:10.1002/jor.25418
Uhler, K.M., Anderson, S.R., Yoshinaga-Itano, C., Walker, K.A., Hunter, S. Speech Discrimination in Infancy Predicts Language Outcomes at 30 Months for Both Children with Normal Hearing and Those with Hearing Differences. J Clin Med. 2022 Sep 30;11(19):5821. doi: 10.3390/jcm11195821. PMID: 36233686; PMCID: PMC9572664.
For a full list of our PM&R publications, please use the QR code to visit our website: https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/physical-medicine-and-rehabilitation/news-and-media/ publications#ac-2022-0
