Debra Utterback, the program administrator for the Doctor of Chiropractic program at SHRS.
Debra Utterback is the program administrator for the new University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Chiropractic program at SHRS. Utterback brings with her a robust background in administration and programming.
Read on to learn more about Utterback and her excitement to work directly with incoming students.
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Tell us about your role in the Doctor of Chiropractic program and what led you to this position.
Utterback with her daughter after a hot air balloon ride in New Mexico.
My role involves administrative support for the program director, faculty and staff. I also provide assistance to students during the application review cycle and once they are admitted to the program. I plan to use the extensive administrative and programming background I have developed over the years to do my part to help build this groundbreaking program.
I most recently served as department administrator for the Pre-Health Resource Center at the University of Pittsburgh, where we supported and advised undergraduates, including many first-generation and underrepresented students, on their path to medical school and other health careers. I also worked more than seven years as an administrator for compliance, continuing education and professional development for the Department of Physical Therapy.
I’m happy to once again be supporting Michael Schneider, Doctor of Chiropractic program director, and Joel Stevans, visiting associate professor and associate director of clinical education, with whom I worked with previously in the Department of Physical Therapy.
I have gained additional experience while serving as a program coordinator at the University of New Mexico’s Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), which uses video conferencing to train and support primary care providers and others in rural and underserved areas.
As a University of Pittsburgh alumna with a Bachelor of Arts, I’m happy to be joining a talented staff of Pitt professionals who have shaped the Doctor of Chiropractic program into the first chiropractic program in the nation to be offered in a research-intensive public university offering students a rigorous, evidence-based education and clinical experience.
What else would you like students to know?
Utterback and her dog, Poppie Caroline Magnolia, at Ohiopyle State Park.
I’m excited to be the program administrator for the new Doctor of Chiropractic program!
It is an honor to be part of such a positive, dynamic team of Pitt professionals eager to help the new cohort of students to succeed as the new generation of chiropractors. Our program will enable them to be on the leading edge of science for spine and musculoskeletal disorders!
We welcome our students and want to share the wonderful Pitt campus and the diverse city of Pittsburgh with them.
As a native Pittsburgher, I’m happy to share my love of the region’s beautiful outdoor offerings with students. I’m eager to point out the many outside activities the area has to offer, including state and local parks for dog walking, hiking, bicycling and skiing, and Pittsburgh’s three rivers for kayaking, boating and fishing.
I look forward to welcoming the inaugural class of students in the Doctor of Chiropractic program!
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For more information about the Doctor of Chiropractic program, visit our website, or speak with an enrollment specialist at enroll@shrs.pitt.edu today!