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PORTLAND, Maine

Physical Therapy students earn high praise for work at Beach to Beacon

The medical director for the Beach to Beacon 10K and the Boston Marathon is applauding the hard work of 15 physical therapy students from the Westbrook College of Health Professions who volunteered at this year’s Beach to Beacon race.

The students, with the guidance of UNE faculty members Kirsten Buchanan, Ph.D., PT, ATC, and Jim Cavanaugh, Ph.D., PT, NCS, tackled a variety of roles.  They worked with physicians and medical professionals from a variety of disciplines in the medical tent, cleared paths for medical volunteers to access runners in distress along the route, and assessed runners at the finish line to determine which ones required medical attention.

Chris Troyanos, medical director for the Boston Marathon and Beach to Beacon, applauded the students’ contributions. “This crew did their professor, Kirsten Buchanan, and their school proud,” said Troyanos. “So glad they played a significant role in our medical coverage that day. Many thanks to all that played a part in this event.”

One student, David Knoll, DPT ’17, assisted a runner who was overheating with a body temperature of 108.6.  “It felt like someone's life was in my hands running down to get her to the true lifesavers in the medical tent,” said Knoll. “It was such an awesome experience being surrounded by people whose main goal was to help these great athletes. It was a true interprofessional experience with the varying amount of medical professionals there. I'd do it again in a heart beat."

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.