Curriculum Plan

Dr. Schumacher has experience in the orthopedic clinical setting working with individuals following post-operative procedures, sports medicine rehabilitation, and orthopedic injuries/ailments of the spine and extremities. Dr. Schumacher’s primary research interest is focused on orthopedics, orthopedic manual therapy, and higher-level orthopedic training (residency and fellowships). He is a current member of the American Physical Th erapy Association and the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Th erapists. Dr. Schumacher is married to his wife, Tasha, who is a University of Mary graduate in occupational therapy. Th ey have one child together, Noah. In his free time, Matt enjoys staying active and spending time with family and friends.

Clinical Educator of the Year

As we refl ect on life’s greatest blessings, we are thankful to our “extended” family who work hard to serve our students in the clinical education setting. Each year, we recognize a winsome clinical educator who has been nominated by our students or alumni and selected by the directors of clinical education. Th is year’s recipient of the Clinical Educator of the Year award is LaRyn Martin.

LaRyn was recently nominated for the Clinical Educator of the Year award by our current thirdyear student, Kiersten Sabolik, who wrote:

“LaRyn is an amazing teacher and mentor. She always has a positive attitude and is attentive to students’ needs and concerns. She is willing to adapt her teaching style based on what her students need and is creative in developing solutions to foster learning and growth within the clinical setting. She has mentored several University of Mary students over the past years. She demonstrates high levels of knowledge and expertise in her setting and continues to pursue further knowledge through continuing education courses and seeking current information and research. LaRyn is personable, professional, and kind in her interactions with students and patients. She went above and beyond in her role as my clinical instructor to support me as a person and as a student. She is very deserving of the outstanding clinical instructor award!”

We asked LaRyn a few questions, as well.

What is your educational background?

I graduated from University of Montana in 2007 with my DPT. I became a certifi ed manual therapist through the NAIOMT Institute. I taught at a PTA program in Virginia, teaching musculoskeletal, palpation, transfers, gait training, biomechanics, and modalities. Next up was becoming certifi ed in the ASTYM method for soft tissue manipulation. I completed my certifi cation for clinical instruction in 2011. I am currently working