The Spotlight: 2024 Annual Report
Illuminating the physical therapy profession, our students, the lives of others, and the world.
A Message from the Interim Chair
Hello, Physical Therapy Colleagues and Partners!
I am pleased to state that Baylor University’s Department of Physical Therapy had a very successful 2023. This success is only possible due to the continued efforts of so many people, including our amazing students, our dedicated 17 faculty and 11 staff members, the 71 talented adjunct faculty who support our online and lab courses, our many Clinical Instructors who provide the clinical education experiences for our students, the incredible support from both Baylor and the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, and our nationwide supporters. Thank you all for your many investments of time and energy into the Department and the future of Physical Therapy!
In 2023, the Department welcomed several new faculty: Dr. Germaine Ferreira, Dr. Laurel Proulx, Dr. Regine Rossi, and Dr. Tiffany King. We also welcomed the College’s very first Research Faculty, Dr. Cole Galloway, and his extensive line of research within developmental pediatrics. You can read more about each of these amazing individuals and how they will serve the Department and the Baylor community within The Spotlight.
In our President’s Inaugural Address in 2018, Dr. Linda A. Livingstone said, “We must be bold in our aspirations. Because the world needs a place like Baylor.” I am proud to state that the Department is fulfilling our directive in this as we live out our values and meet our strategic plan. In 2023, we graduated 93 incredible Doctors of Physical Therapy, two Orthopedic Residents, and two military-affiliated PhD students in collaboration with Baylor's Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation. Ninety-eight more DPT students successfully completed their end-of-year-one comprehensive exams, we matriculated 106 students into our Class of 2025, and started our third PhD student! We also awarded our first Light the Way Scholarships for the Classes of 2023 and 2024. Within our cohorts, more than 50% of our students come from outside of Texas, with 25% representing rural communities. Many of these rural communities are medically underserved. We are thankful that we can train physical therapists who choose to go back to their communities and provide needed services.
This issue of The Spotlight shines a light on these and many other impacts made by the Department in 2023. I hope you enjoy reading these heartwarming stories. Please reach out to me at Brian_A_Young@baylor.edu if you have any questions or further interest in Baylor's Department of Physical Therapy. May the blessings of Romans 15:13 fulfill you in 2024!
Brian Young, PT, DSc
Clinical Associate Professor and Interim Chair
Department of Physical Therapy
Baylor University's Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences
Faith — Connection — Growth — Inclusion — Adaptability — Courage
Light the Way Scholarship recipients will receive the scholarship funding during each of their two years in the DPT program. Recipients, Humberto Perez and La-Dayijah Cook, intend to impact access and representation within the physical therapy profession after graduation.
The interdepartmental collaboration, within Baylor University's Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, allows those holding a DPT degree to earn a PhD degree in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. The Department of Physical Therapy hopes these PhD graduates will return as faculty.
The Department of Physical Therapy will have extensive representation at the upcoming 2024 Combined Section Meeting (CSM). If you are attending the conference, please attend the below presentations to support the Department.
The Autism Consortium of Texas (ACT) Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) is a collaboration between Baylor University, Texas State University, and the University of Texas at Austin. The program brings together graduate students from diverse health disciplines who seek to improve care for children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities.
In 2023, the Department of Physical Therapy was pleased to announce the appointment of five faculty members.
Get to know four adjuncts for the Department of Physical Therapy, as they each share their love for physical therapy in a quick Q&A session.
While in Waco for lab immersion, students volunteered in two meaningful projects, Moving for Parkinson’s Disease Fitness Challenge and Bags of Grace. The Physical Therapy Day of Service® event, held on Oct. 21, 2023, is annually promoted by the American Physical Therapy Association.
Stephanie Crownover, PT, MSPT, was presented with the Department's Doctor of Physical Therapy Outstanding Clinical Instructor Award. Crownover was nominated by Emily Lapes, DPT, Class of 2023.
In December 2023, the Department of Physical Therapy celebrated the graduation of its fifth cohort of practitioners, with 93 students earning their Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
