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SHRS Blog

December 14, 2023

Twenty-Six Catherine Worthingham Fellows from Pitt Physical Therapy: What an Accomplishment!

The Catherine Worthingham Fellow Award (FAPTA) is the highest award that one can achieve in the physical therapy profession. It is bestowed on a physical therapist whose leadership, influence and achievements demonstrate frequent and sustained efforts to advance the profession. Since 1985, 26 of the named Fellows have been graduates or faculty from Pitt PT!
December 12, 2023

Dietitian Nutritionist Program and Physician Assistant Studies Collaborate on Nasogastric Feeding Tube Placement Skills Lab Through Seed Funding

The Center for Interprofessional Studies (CIP) at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) supports students’ interprofessional education opportunities through collaborative and team-based care activities.
December 11, 2023

That’s a Wrap! Summarizing My Incredible DPT Clinical Education Experience at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Third-year University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Hybrid student Amanda Klein from Spokane, WA, completed her third of four clinical education experiences over the summer. Klein, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was awarded a special clinical education placement at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, MD, and has been sharing her insight with current and prospective students by writing this short blog series. In her final installment, Klein reflects on this invaluable experience and how it broadened her skillsets and influenced her career goals. 
December 4, 2023

Pitt OTD Alumna Receives Young Alumni Leadership Award

The Ivan and Mary Novick Award for Young Alumni Leadership recognizes leaders who are recent graduates. Pitt Doctor of Occupational Therapy alumna Julia Lam (A&S '20, SHRS '20, '23G) received this distinguished award by making her mark as a leader in the community through Street Medicine at Pitt, an organization that brings health care and social support to those in need. 
December 1, 2023

How Can I Make Myself a Competitive Applicant for the Dietitian Nutritionist Program?

You’re ready to apply to the Pitt Dietitian Nutritionist (DN) program – great! We’re here to help! Assistant Professor and Program Director Trisha Cousins is on the DN program admissions team and reviews each application. She has provided the tips here so you can submit a strong application.  
November 30, 2023

Why Our Sports Medicine Students Chose Pitt

Meet some of our current Master of Science in Sports Medicine (SM) students and discover what made them choose Pitt for their degree and how their decision has impacted their professional development.
November 16, 2023

The Box: From Steel Mill and Art Deco Cinema to the new Home of Pitt Hybrid DPT

The Pitt Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Hybrid program is now headquartered in the newly renovated Box Office building on Pittsburgh’s Southside, right across the river from the Department of Physical Therapy’s offices and classrooms at Bridgeside Point.
November 16, 2023

The New Pitt DPT Hybrid Immersion Space is a Box Office Smash

This fall, the DPT Hybrid program was excited to finally christen its permanent home at the Box Office building in the SouthSide Works complex on Pittsburgh’s South Side. With one orientation and its first full week of immersion completed, early reviews of “the Box,” as it’s known, are that it is a smashing success.
November 15, 2023

Health Informatics Students Present Paper at IEEE-EMBS International Conference

University of Pittsburgh Health Informatics (HI) students Zoe Menezes (BSHI ‘25) and Avani Chhabra (MSHI ‘23) presented their paper “Learning Unbiased Image Segmentation: A Case Study on Plain Knee Radiographs” at the IEEE-EMBS (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers- Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society) International Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics 2023 (BHI 2023) in Pittsburgh in October.
November 10, 2023

Get to Know Doctor of Occupational Therapy Student Dani Cake

My name is Dani Cake and I am a current Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS). I obtained my undergraduate degree in Rehabilitation Science at SHRS in December of 2021 with a certificate in Psycho-Social Issues in Rehabilitation and Personal Care.
November 3, 2023

Pitt Dietitian Nutritionist Program: Which Entry-Point is Right for Me?

Are you interested in becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)? Pitt’s Dietitian Nutrition Program will prepare you for the future of dietetics and set you up for success no matter the direction you take in your nutrition career.
October 24, 2023

Rory Cooper Awarded National Medal of Technology and Innovation at the White House

The School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) is proud to announce that distinguished professor and founder and director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), Rory Cooper, has been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by U.S. President Joe Biden during the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation ceremony at the White House. The medal is the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement.
October 20, 2023

Street Medicine Expands with the Help of the Center for Interprofessional Studies

The Center for Interprofessional Studies (CIP) at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Studies (SHRS) supports students’ interprofessional education opportunities through collaborative and team-based care activities.
October 20, 2023

Pitt Athletic Training Program Honors John Panos as Inaugural Preceptor of the Year

The University of Pittsburgh Athletic Training program is proud to announce that the recipient of the inaugural Preceptor of the Year award is Clinical Instructor John “JP” Panos. This award has been established to recognize clinical preceptors who serve as exceptional mentors and instructors, and exemplify an unwavering commitment to excellence in the clinical education of athletic training (AT) students.
October 19, 2023

New Weeklong Physician Assistant Scholarship Aims to Raise Awareness of Profession to Underrepresented Students

The Department of Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) is excited to announce the first Physician Assistants Advancing Diversity (PAAD) scholarship—an opportunity for students at any Pitt campus to better understand the PA profession. In May 2024, we will host a weeklong, all-expense paid experience. The program will include PA classroom opportunities at the Murdoch Building on Pitt’s Oakland campus, faculty teaching and discussions, cadaver lab learning, coaching for the PA program application process and hours of PA clinical shadowing in the field.
October 17, 2023

Bridging the Gap Internship Provides Harmony with Martial Arts

“The Bridging the Gaps (BTG) program has been a cornerstone for change and learning, offering me an immersive experience in community service while directly impacting underserved communities,” said Mengjun (Kate) Wang, a second-year Sports Medicine student.

Wang referred to her involvement with the BTG Internship this summer as a “transformational journey” after the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) had its first-ever involvement with the program, organized by Pitt’s School of Public Health.
October 10, 2023

A Day in the Life of a Working Mom and PA Doctoral Student

I chose Pitt's DPAS online program because being a mom of two young boys, wife and full-time professional, I needed a program that was flexible. Pitt's program, being 100% online and completed in one year, affords me the flexibility I need to still achieve my long-term career goals. I also wanted a degree that would have meaning in both the clinical world and academia--this program checks those boxes! I am going to take you through a day in the life of a DPAS student. Learn more about Breanne's day in the life as a DPAS student
October 9, 2023

My Journey as a Pitt PA Assistant Professor and DPAS Student

If you would have asked me when I graduated from physician assistant (PA) school in 2006 if I'd ever go back to school, I would have resoundingly said, “No way!”  If you would have asked me the same question just a year and a half ago when I continued to be a clinically practicing PA, I again would have said, “No way!”

However, you never quite know where life is going to take you.
October 9, 2023

Get to Know Our OTD Students – Lily Hoffman

After obtaining her Bachelor of Science in public health from Slippery Rock University, Lily Hoffman (OTD ’25) decided to pursue a Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) from the University of Pittsburgh. Now in her second year of the program, she has already taken advantage of many experiences. 
October 5, 2023

David C. Beck Awarded with PSPA 2023 Physician Assistant of the Year

The University of Pittsburgh Department of Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) continues to forge its reputation as one of the leading academic departments impacting the physician assistant (PA) profession. School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) Vice Dean and PAS Associate Professor David C. Beck has been named the Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants (PSPA) Physician Assistant of the Year, which honors a PA who has demonstrated exemplary service to the profession and the community, and has furthered the image of PAs.
October 3, 2023

Thoughts on Letters of Recommendation – From Communication Science and Disorders Professor Mark DeRuiter

Let’s look at some common questions with clear answers about applications for Pitt’s Audiology (AuD) and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) programs.
October 2, 2023

Familiar Faces in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program

Thinking about applying to the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’ Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program this fall?

We want you to know that you have a support system to help you through the application process and to answer all your questions about Occupational Therapy at Pitt. Start chatting with the enrollment specialist, and then you may meet the other familiar faces on the admissions team!
October 2, 2023

Putting the finishing (or beginning!) touches on your Occupational Therapy Central Application Service (OTCAS) Application

If you are considering Pitt’s Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program, you will need to complete your online application through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service, or OTCAS. After reviewing applications for more than a decade, I am happy to offer some expert tips to creating a stellar application!
September 27, 2023

Checking in Midway Through a DPT Clinical Education Experience at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy Hybrid student Amanda Klein is completing a 15-week clinical education experience in Bethesda, Maryland, and is providing updates on her experience and what she’s been learning!
September 27, 2023

Nutrition Science Was My Best Prep for PA School

I applied for the University of Pittsburgh Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science program on the last day that applications were open! It was a lazy summer day, and I’d been lingering around the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) website, rather clueless about what major I’d pursue, but knew that I was “pre-Physician Assistant (PA)” and working to fulfill those prerequisites. The Nutrition Science program was rather a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it wasn’t arbitrary and also happened to be a very correct one.