Class of ’23 Physical Therapy students present research at annual scholarship symposium

Dozens of third-year students from the University of New England’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) program presented their research at the department’s annual Scholarship Symposium on Friday, Dec. 2.

The event, held in Innovation Hall on the University’s Portland Campus, brought together student researchers in the Class of 2023, as well as their first-year counterparts, who attended to learn from their peers and score the presentations.

Visitors to the symposium heard from 17 student groups describing their research involving community partner organizations, including Rock Steady Boxing, the Travis Mills Foundation, Planned Parenthood, the Mountain View Correctional Facility, and more.

“Here at UNE, scholarly inquiry, innovative problem solving, and the generation of new knowledge is core to our educational experience across the University,” Karen Houseknecht, Ph.D., associate provost for Research and Scholarship at UNE, said in remarks to the crowd. “Scholarly experiences help to further the scientific literacy of our community in an age of scientific misinformation and disinformation, which is impacting how patients, and their families, and caregivers make health care decisions every single day.”

Celia Larson (D.P.T., ’23) was just one of dozens of student researchers to present at the symposium. Her group — which included peers Emily Howe, Sarah Andrews, Maddison Johns, and Bridget Lynch — specifically evaluated student participation in community programs in partnership with Rock Steady Boxing, an organization that gives people with Parkinson’s disease hope by improving their quality of life through a non-contact, boxing-based fitness curriculum.

The group attended boxing classes at the organization’s chapter in Brunswick and performed outcome measures that could then be given to the instructor and participants to track their progress over time.

“I found this project to be impactful, as it shows the importance that community engagement has, not only on the community program itself but also on the students participating in it,” Larson reflected. “We, as students, were able to work with individuals with Parkinson's disease and create a strong professional relationship with the instructors of the program. Individuals with Parkinson's have a wide range of presentations, so it was invaluable for us to be able to get the experience of working with each class member.”

"This has been a great event, bringing together students, faculty, and local clinicians to showcase the great work our students have done over the past two years," remarked Jennifer Audette, PT, Ph.D., director of the D.P.T. program at UNE. "Their projects represent the breadth of what our program has to offer, the collegial work with faculty, and our connections to the community."