Message From The Chair

Past, Present, and Future

On July 1, I stepped into some big shoes to fill. Scott Ward (and Carolee Moncur before him) built an incredible foundation for the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training. The opportunity to partner with students, staff, and faculty to honor Scott and Carolee ’ s legacy is both daunting and exciting.

Looking to the future, the Department can solidify its place as a national leader in the quality and value of health care education through attention to important details. First, our experience with COVID has provided valuable lessons that we must learn from. Working together, faculty and students have the opportunity to leverage technology to improve on the existing strengths of our classroom and clinical education. Second, the disparate effect of the pandemic on individuals without consistent access to health care has emphasized the presence of health care disparities and the influence of social determinants of health on outcomes. These factors must be threaded throughout courses and the service-learning benefits of programs like our pro bono clinics will be embedded into the curricula. Lastly, we must continue to invest and support the valuable research performed within the department. The spectrum of cellular and mechanistic research to health services research provides value to our students, the University, our professions, and our patients in a way that few departments in the country can match.

The challenges of the past 18 months have reinforced something I already knew – the resiliency, intelligence, and work ethic of our students, staff, faculty, and alumni are the department’ s greatest assets. Over the next year, I hope to have the opportunity to engage with you and discuss opportunities to move the department forward.

Lee Dibble, PT, PhD, ATC, FAPTA Professor and Chair