•
PORTLAND, Maine

UNE students collaborate to bring interprofessional presentation to campus

A group of self-motivated students from UNE’s Department of Physical Therapy recently collaborated to organize a unique, interprofessional opportunity for UNE students to learn about a topic of their choice in a venue large enough for multiple student groups to attend.

Ali Stanley, Maine APTA Core Ambassador, president of the DPT Class of 2017, spearheaded the effort, with help from graduate and undergraduate students representing several different majors including:

  • Matt Devine, PT
  • Matt D’Elia, PT
  • Alex Spelman, PT
  • Ray Loffredo, PT
  • Zac Verzillo, PT
  • Maggie Masiak, PT
  • Hani Mysassi, DO
  • Bethany Charron, DO
  • Time Luttik, AES

Under the guidance of Erin Hartigan, DPT, Ph.D., OCS, ATC, associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, students wrote a grant proposal and secured funding through the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA) Group Grant, as well as UNE’s Doctor of Physical Therapy, Athletic Training, Applied Exercise Science, and Doctor of Osteopathy programs.

After working together to choose a topic, time and place that was most convenient for all groups interested in attending, these students assigned seating to ensure that a variety of programs were represented at each table, and they created questions to poll the audience and facilitate communication.

Guest speaker Angela Smith, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, ATC, senior physical therapist at the University of Delaware, worked with the students to put together a presentation titled, “Functional Progression and Return to Sport: Utilizing Objective Measures to Guide Clinical Decision-Making.” This presentation discussed the clinical decisions associated with athletes who return to participating in sports after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture and surgical reconstruction.

The event was extremely successful due to the professional atmosphere created by the students, the camaraderie amongst each table and the discussions fostered by participants.

Hartigan stated, “This was not an event directed or led by our Interprofessional Center of Excellence in Education (CIPE); however, I believe it highlights the impact that this center has on our students as they truly realized the importance of coming together to discuss the expertise each profession brings to the table, how important it is to work together professionally and how to best model an interdisciplinary approach to the care of a mock athlete.”

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.