Saying
Dr. Mary Dockter
D
r. Mary Dockter, ’00, ’04, believes in saying “yes” to new opportunities. Although she is only in her third year as dean of the Saint Gianna School of Health Sciences, she is no stranger to the University of Mary. She’s been making the drive up the hill to work each day since 1998 when she started as a faculty member in the physical therapy department. “I always say that if you get bored here, it’s your fault — there are so many opportunities to do things that are unique and innovative, like international service trips, pro bono clinic volunteering, and research,” she said. A native of Jamestown, ND, Dockter got her undergraduate degree in physical therapy after being influenced by her brother, who was a PT, and a local athletic trainer. After graduating, she briefly moved home to Jamestown and then relocated to Bismarck with her, at the time, soon-to-be husband, Claude. 12
Momentum
She got a job at St. Alexius doing a variety of work — acute care, home health, human performance, sports medicine, and women’s health. “I loved all of it,” she said. “I have since discovered that I’m very much a ‘say yes to new opportunities’ kind of person. “I remember I was sitting in the back office at the hospital, and there was a flyer coming around about a new PT program that was starting at the University of Mary, and I had just gotten into women’s health, which was, at that point, a very new area of practice,” she continued. “They were looking for someone
