PCOM Georgia Hosts Physical Therapy Conference 
APTA Georgia ImPacT FINposium

June 16, 2022

Members of the Georgia Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA Georgia) attended the organization’s annual meeting — the APTA Georgia ImPacT FINposium 2022 — held recently on the PCOM Georgia campus.

Hosted by the PCOM Georgia Department of Physical Therapy, the conference brought together members and prospective members, including physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, students and other healthcare providers, for a day of education and networking.

According to Ruth Maher, PT, PhD, DPT, the chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, the morning session kicked off with a business meeting, Leadership Academy sessions and a Delegate Town Hall. A poster session, which provided an opportunity for clinicians, researchers and students to present and discuss current research relevant to physical therapy, was also held.

The afternoon provided a wide variety of continuing education sessions including the following presentations: Minority Mentoring; Long COVID in the Pediatric Population; Physical Therapy Management of Acute COVID 19 Respiratory Failure in Pregnancy; Healthcare Deserts; Developing Strategies to Advance Diversity in Physical Therapy; and Physical Therapy Dead Zones.

According to Maher, attendees enjoyed the PCOM Georgia campus with tours hosted by physical therapy faculty members and students.

Maher said, “Our student volunteers, all second year Doctor of Physical Therapy Program students, were exceptional and assisted the APTA Georgia executive staff with all facets of the meeting, while having time to attend sessions.“

Cameron Ragland (DPT ’23) found that the event provided an opportunity to network and engage with professionals from a variety of backgrounds and specialties. He said, “As a student who is a year from graduation, it was exciting to see how there are so many possibilities and the ever-growing depth of this profession. I highly encourage students get involved and take advantage of the opportunities to attend these kinds of events to see things that are not in our textbooks!“

Jennifer Huh (DPT ’23) agreed. She said, “This event was a great opportunity to connect with physical therapists from various locations and settings. The variety of continuing education sessions were extremely beneficial and a great learning opportunity for me. I really enjoyed hosting and assisting the APTA Georgia executive staff during the different sessions.“

“It was a great opportunity to broaden my knowledge in specific fields of interest within PT, and see relevant research topics that are being discussed within our profession,” Tristan Shelnutt (DPT ’23) said. “Being a student can sometimes make you lose sight of the reason why you started this in the first place, so this experience was very refreshing and really reminded me of why I truly love and enjoy the field of physical therapy!”

Other students who volunteered for the event included Christian Cafici-Rivera (DPT ’23), Christopher Nguyen (DPT ’23), Jay Miller (DPT ’23), Jhamel Williams (DPT ’23), Marie Priest (DPT ’23), Viktor Jelici (DPT ’23) and Marco Silva (DPT ’23).

You May Also Like:

• Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Donald Dickert's Path to Global Medical Impact
• PCOM Georgia Rallies for Breast Cancer Awareness
• DiCecco Named Interim Chair of PCOM Georgia Physical Therapy Dept.