2008
Class of 2008 DPT Commencement Awards
Awards for achievement and special recognition were awarded at the Graduation Ball and Commencement for the DPT Class of 2008. Congratulations to the following award recipients!
Peter Edgelow Award for Outstanding Clinical Performance: Amanda Streeton
Martha Jewell Award for Academic Excellence: Helen Huynh & Cary Smith
Distinguished Service Award: Jessica Garakian, Christina Ranum, & Mona Wong
Outstanding Case Report: Christina Ranum & Amanda Streeton
Outstanding PT Student: Amanda Streeton
2007
Community Outreach by DPT Class of 2008
DPT Students educate, screen, and consult at a variety of East Bay locations on bone health, senior wellness, and balance and falls.
1. Presentation on Balance and Fall Prevention based on the California Physical Therapy Association's "Move California" campaign at Salem Lutheran Home Balance and fall screenings and consultation sessions focused on fall prevention and home modifications at Salem Lutheran Home and Mercy Retirement Community in Oakland.
2. Presentation on Healthy Bones from "Move California" at Baywood Court Senior Community in Castro Valley
3. Presentation on Senior Wellness from "Move California" at Baywood Court Senior Community in Castro Valley
These sessions serve as opportunities for students to educate the public on the role of physical therapy and the important services that physical therapists can provide to optimize health and well-beings in their communities.
DPT Class of 2009 Community Service
No Barriers Festival: During the summer semester some student volunteered at the Tahoe-based No Barriers Festival. No Barriers is a non-profit organization that promotes innovative ideas and approaches for people with disabilities to live full and active lives. The annual fesitival is an event that brings together cutting edge techniques and technology with people who have physical disabilities in order to promote living as actively as possible. The following students volunteered for 2 of the 5 day festival during their busy summer semester: Christina Morgan, Jennifer Chafer, Daphne Bilge, Jennifer McDugal, and Murali Somanathan.
Movement Discoveries Aquatics Program: Over the fall semester 4 Class of 2009 DPT students found time to volunteer at Movement Discoveries in their aquatics class for children with special needs. Movement Discoveries is a pediatric center that provides intensive, innovative, and effective therapy for children with special needs to enhance quality of life. Students committed to 9 consecutive Saturdays during which they worked one-on-one with children in an aquatic therapy setting under the supervision of a physical therapist. The students volunteering at Movement Discoveries were Betty Au-Yeung, Sandra Bettencourt, Christabel Pun, and Leean Klobas.
DPT Students Discuss Backpacks at Tenderloin Health Fair
Students from the Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy gathered on September 29 in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco to volunteer their services at the Tenderloin Health Fair. The students provided information for children and their families on backpack safety and body mass index. The students provided hands on advice on the proper mounting and wear of backpacks, including information on the importance on daily activity and exercise. The highlight of the afternoon was a raffle of two backpacks.
Evans Scholarship Recipient Named for 2007/2008
Congratulations to Amanda Streeton, third year DPT student, on receiving the Evans Physical Therapy Scholarship for the 2007/2008 academic year. Ms. Streeton's accomplishment was honored at a luncheon attended by Oolah and Patricia Evans, along with Department of Physical Therapy Chair Terry Nordstrom, on October 4, 2007.
DPT Class of 2007 Commencement Awards
At the Doctoral Graduation Ball on Thursday, May 24 at the Claremont Resort and the Doctoral Commencement Ceremony Friday, May 25 at the Paramount Theater awards were given to recognize exceptional achievement in the following areas:
Martha Jewell Award for Academic Achievement -- Breck Schubb, DPT
Peter Edgelow Award for Outstanding Clinical Performance -- Tuan Mai, DPT
Outstanding Faculty Award -- Sharon Gorman, PT, MS, GCS
Outstanding DPT Student Award -- Christine Weber, DPT
Distinguished Service Award -- Phil Gomez, DPT
Case Report Award -- Angela Baldwin, DPT & Melissa Racouillat, DPT
Congratulations to all the award winners!
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer PT Tent Staffed by SMU Grads & Students
Samuel Merritt Doctor of Physical Therapy students and graduates spent part of a foggy weekend in San Francisco volunteering their expertise to staff the Physical Therapy tent at the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this July. New graduates Phil Gomez and Dawn Burke were joined by DPT II students Geraldine Lam, Mona Wong, and Christina Ranum to help walkers with such things as foot and blister care, stretching, and soft tissue mobilization during the 3 day walk.
Students from Samuel Merritt have been volunteering at this event, to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research and interventions, for the last three years and join local physical therapists to staff the all-volunteer booth open to all walkers. Next year's walk is scheduled for July 12 & 13, 2008 and we hope to have more students and alumni show their support through volunteering.
Racers and Volunteers Raise Money and Awareness
February 4, at Golden Gate Park, 11 students in their first year of the DPT Program participated in the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon & 5K. Murali Somanathan, Jayson Merrill, Ellen McCullough, Lauren Egbert and Daphne Bilge ran in the 5K race while Sandra Bettencourt, Jen Snell, Andrew Okamoto, Megan Tipping, Jen Chafer and Christina Stover volunteered to staff the water stations along the race route in support of their classmates and the Kaiser 5K.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Honored at DPT White Coat Ceremony
The Physical Therapy Department at Samuel Merritt University recognized the start of the clinical education component of the DPT Class of 2009 students at the annual White Coat Ceremony. Also at this recognition ceremony, the awarding of the Samuel Merritt University 'Excellence in Physical Therapy Clinical Education Award' was given to representatives of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) in San Jose, California.
This award, recognizing an affiliating clinical education partner’s commitment to PT clinical education, quality clinical instruction, and positive student feedback, was presented to PTs from SCVMC. The SCVMC PTs participated in the White Coat Ceremony, which acknowledges the start of the clinical education component of the DPT program and where students recite the Oath of Commitment. Martha Jewell, PT, PhD, Professor Emeritus and former Chairperson of the SMU DPT Program presented the keynote address.
Rolando Lazaro Featured in PT Magazine of Physical Therapy
Rolando Lazaro PT, DPT, GCS, faculty in the DPT program, was interviewed by PT Magazine of Physical Therapy, the professional issues magazine of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
The article, “Coloring the Future: Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Physical Therapy,” focused on the increasing need and focus to educate ethnically diverse physical therapists, both from the therapist perspective to increase underrepresented minorities as therapists, and the patient perspective, to ensure physical therapists of any background can effectively manage diverse patient populations.
Dr. Lazaro, this year’s recipient of APTA’s Minority Faculty Development Award, discussed his multicultural clinical practice as well as educating students at Samuel Merritt to manage clients from all types of diverse backgrounds.
2006
Student Community Service Project Helps Oakland St. Vincent de Paul
First year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students from Samuel Merritt University volunteered at Oakland’s St. Vincent de Paul house as a holiday community service project. Nineteen DPT students painted, repaired furniture, cleaned, and helped prepare holiday gift packages of clothing for the center. Samuel Merritt University’s DPT Class of 2009 selected St. Vincent de Paul as a community service project during the rush of finals to give back to the local community during their first semester at Samuel Merritt. DPT students helped to spruce up the Oakland center before the busy holiday season.
Students & Faculty Educate Underserved Community on Backpack Safety and Body Mass Index
Third year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students and faculty from Samuel Merritt University volunteered at San Francisco’s Tenderlion Community Health Fair providing backpack assessment and education and body mass index measurements for children and their families. Eight DPT students and two faculty members staffed the PT booth during the six hour health fair providing exercise and backpack education, healthy snacks, and bouncy balls to the children present. Three backpacks were raffled off during the health fair, purchased with funds donated by the DPT Program.
Samuel Merritt University’s DPT Program was one of over 50 organizations that participated in this year’s event. Over 200 children and family members stopped by the Samuel Merritt University PT booth during the course of the health fair.
2005
Inaugural DPT Class Graduates 2005
Twenty-three Doctor's of Physical Therapy in Samuel Merritt University's inaugural class of the DPT program participated in commencement on May 27, 2005 and have completed their six-month internships. These graduates are now preparing to take their licensure examination and enter physical therapy practice. The College wishes all of these graduates the best as they enter their professional careers. Christine Duffy's DPT student commencement address captured the spirit of the class as they completed their PT education.
Valorie McDonald received the "Distinguished Service Award in Physical Therapy" and the "Outstanding Case Report Award", for her case report, "Negative Pressure Wound therapy in the Management of a Complex Abdominal Wound". Cynthia Walton received the " Peter Edgelow Award for Outstanding Clinical Performance by a Physical Therapy Student," Abigail Barcan received the Martha Jewell Award for Outstanding Academic Performance in Physical Therapy." This latter award newly named in honor of Dr. Jewell upon her retirement from Samuel Merritt University.
Jill Pelletier received the "Outstanding Physical Therapy Student Award" at Commencement. Ms. Pelletier was recognized for excellence in academics, clinical practice and service. Her grade point average was in the top 5% of graduates since the inception of the PT program and her case report was recognized as one of the best of those presented. She volunteered at adult day health programs, served as a volunteer lab instructor at a continuing education course for our alumni, and was a student interviewer for admission to the program. She went to Sacramento and met legislators to discuss health care legislation on Physical Therapy Legislative Day. A clinical instructor said of her, "She will make a compassionate and thoughtful physical therapist.
Class of 2005 Case Report Day
The inaugural class of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program participated in the Case Report Presentation Day on May 26, 2005. These students prepared a case report suitable for publication and presented their findings to their fellow classmates, the students in the classes of 2006 and 2007, and the faculty. Several of the students' family members and some of their clinical instructors also attended the event. The case reports represented the breadth of physical therapy practice, as evidenced by the titles listed below, and the overall caliber of presentations exceeded the faculty's expectations. Several of the students are being encouraged to present their case reports at upcoming physical therapy conferences. Click here to view the case report listing
Gail Widener, PT, PhD Receives Grant from National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Dr. Widener's received a $40,000 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to support her research investigating interventions aimed at improving balance, function and mobility in persons with neurological dysfunction, particularly individuals with Multiple Sclerosis. Her research is aimed at demonstrating that improvements in postural control and functional ability can help make people able to move more efficiently.
Linnette Clark, PT, PhD Cand. Receives Grant from APTA Section on Women's Health
Ms. Clark received a grant for $4,550 from the American Physical Therapy Association's Section on Women's Health to support work on her dissertation research, "Effects of Transverse Abdominus and Kegel's Exercise Program on Pelvic Floor Muscle Strength, Endurance, and Stress Urinary Incontinence". It will be a clinical study conducted at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Herrick Campus in their physical therapy department. This study will look at the effects of two exercise programs in the treatment of females with stress urinary incontinence to determine the most effective treatment
PT Facutly Participates in Breast Cancer Walk
Liz Slusarz, one of the PT faculty, participated in the annual Avon Breast Cancer Walk on July 9, 2005, in San Francisco. Several 1st year students volunteered in the physical therapy tent assisting the physical therapist volunteer with the management of injured walkers.