On August 20th and 21st we celebrated our Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Class of 2021 during our Graduation Celebration and the USF Commencement. The class of 2021 welcomed 47 new alumni to our School and DPT program, but also continued our efforts to increase diversity in the profession with the class being one of the most diverse in the country. With these new graduates our alumni network of physical therapists has grown to over 930+ between our DPT, Masters of Physical Therapy, and Transitional DPT program. This class came in during the Fall of 2018, and throughout the past year had to adjust much of their experience due to the ongoing pandemic, which included virtual learning, on campus labs, and clinical education.
During the evening we also awarded our annual Graduation Celebration awards. All awards are voted on by faculty and staff, and final approvals/decisions are made by the SPT&RS Scholarship and Awards Committee. Our Graduation Celebration held on August 20th virtually included recognizing each graduate, awarding our graduation awards, and also inducting our second class of American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) National Student Honor Roll student.
Catherine Page Clinical Excellence Award
Thania Liberato pictured above is the 2021 recipient of the Catherine Page Clinical Excellence Award. This award is named after Catherine Page who was the first Director of Clinical Education. This award recognizes a graduate who has demonstrated exceptional clinical skills and is awarded based on feedback from clinical instructors and the Director of Clinical Education.
Laura Lee “Dolly” Swisher Ethical and Professional Leadership Award
Hana Abdallah pictured above is the 2021 recipient of the Laura Lee “Dolly” Swisher Ethical and Professional Leadership Award. This award is named after Dr. Dolly Swisher, a founding faculty member, our third School Director, and now Professor Emerita. This award recognizes a graduate who illustrates strong professional and ethical behavior, displays effective confidence, engenders trust with patients and colleagues, high academic achievement, actively participated throughout the program, and demonstrates clinical acumen.
Capstone Research Award
Our last award given out was the SPT&RS Capstone Research Award, which recognizes an outstanding capstone research project. The recipients of this award are nominated by the Capstone Faculty and final decision made by our Assistant School Director of Research. The 2021 recipients of this award were Jearlon “Jay” Butler, Michelle Delacruz, Michelle Fitzhenry, Stephen Tran, and Rachel Verscharen along with their faculty mentor Dr. Ditwiler. Their capstone project was titled “Ethical Issues Faced by Physical Therapists in the United States from 2008 to present.”
American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) National Student Honor
This society was created in 2018 to recognize Doctor of Physical Therapy students who:
Demonstrate excellence, integrity, and professionalism in areas of:
academic achievement (top 25%)
leadership,
service or research, and
demonstrate strong moral character, ethics and the core values of the PT profession
Our first Inductee this year is Justin Tyler. Justin has been an active member within our School and USF Health, helping to serve as one of the Bridge Directors, a Student Diplomat, and member of our Special Interest Group FREE, which stands for Fighting Resistance to Empower Everyone. His Group Capstone Research Project focused on Clinical Reasoning in Healthcare as it relates to DPT Education: A Scoping Review and was completed with fellow classmates and their faculty mentor. Justin has also continually given back to our SPT&RS community, the Tampa Bay community, and our Profession through various activities such as, Florida Special Olympics, Bridge Clinic, and local food drives. Without any hesitation, Justin exemplifies all the characteristics or someone who should be a member of the ACAPT National Physical Therapy Honor Society.
Our next inductee was Rachel Verscharen. Rachel has excelled academically in our program and has provided numerous volunteer hours giving back to our local community and the profession. Her Group Capstone Research Project focused on Ethical Issues Faced by Physical Therapists in the US from 2008 to Present and was completed with fellow classmates and their mentor Dr. Ditwiler. Rachel has volunteered with USF Health Bridge Clinic, FPTA Orthopedics and Sports SIG student liaison, student diplomat, Special Olympics, Tampa Bay Downs, and Ataxia Walk and Roll. Again, without any hesitation, Rachel exemplifies all the characteristics or someone who should be a member of the ACAPT National Physical Therapy Honor Society.
To watch the USF Commencement visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wtEL1IQJ28
To watch the Graduation Celebration visit: https://bit.ly/3BpM1d9
View the Graduation Celebration Program visit: https://bit.ly/usfpt21program