What is your hometown?
Pemberton, New Jersey
When did you join the UI faculty?
1994
How/when did you become interested in medicine/physical therapy?
At age 13 I had a friend sustain a broken neck from a diving injury. I was impressed and intrigued with how he was taught to go on with life despite such a significant disability.
What interested you to pursue a career in physical therapy?
The central scientific basis for physical therapy is that tissues (nerve, muscle, bone, cartilage) are all highly adaptable when stressed with therapeutic exercise. The capacity for human tissues to adapt after injury or adapt to increase human performance has always fascinated me.
Is there a teacher or mentor who helped shape your career?
Yes, there were two: 1) Frank Paris, a high school teacher, taught me the importance of having a passion for what you do in life, and 2) Tom Cook, a professor in the College of Public Health, taught me the importance of innovation in science. Thank you for asking this question because I believe that mentors are often overlooked or forgotten, yet critical in the development of everyone’s career.
How or why did you choose the UI?
UI has enjoyed a long history of excellence in physical therapy and rehabilitation science and Iowa City is a wonderful place to raise a family.
What kinds of professional opportunities or advantages does being a faculty member at Iowa provide? What about challenges?
Within our program as well as the college and university, we are blessed with outstanding people to work with. The major challenge for me is that there is no long-term state supported spinal cord injury rehabilitation center in Iowa. Therefore, my research requires that I draw clients from outside private facilities.
Please describe your professional interests?
My research interests focus on neuromuscular and skeletal plasticity after spinal cord injury. I enjoy discovering new knowledge and developing new interventions to improve the health quality of those with disability. I serve as a trustee to the Foundation for Physical Therapy, an organization committed to advancing research in rehabilitation.
What are some of your outside interests?
I enjoy all forms of exercise (bike, run, swim, golf), coaching girls softball, working in the garden, and a good novel.
Do you have an insight or philosophy that guides you in your professional work?
Yes, I believe that taking the path of least resistance today may, at times, be a very poor investment for the future.
If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?
That additional federal support (NIH) was available to fund research in order to improve the health quality of those afflicted with disease.
What is the biggest change you've experienced in your field since you were a student?
Today, scientists in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science are major recipients of federal grant money from the National Center for Rehabilitation Research (NIH). This has been a relatively recent development over the last 10 years.
What one piece of advice you would give to today's students?
Enjoy what you do and it will seem like a lot less work.
What do you see as "the future" of physical therapy?
The future is bright in physical therapy. We prescribe treatments (exercise) that can reduce body weight, increase the ability to do work, prevent disease (diabetes, heart disease, etc), increase life expectancy, prevent memory loss, prevent osteoporosis, reduce pain, and improve overall health quality. Our treatments will play a vital role in maintaining the health of the aging population (everyone) as well as those with disability.
In what ways are you engaged with the greater Iowa public
I have worked with Big Brothers/Sisters of Johnson County and, through shadowing opportunities, have served as a mentor to several high school students in Iowa.