From presenting research to winning awards to connecting with colleagues, faculty, students and alumni from Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions showcased their contributions to the field of physical therapy at the American Physical Therapy Association Massachusetts Annual Conference in Needham this past Saturday. 

The spotlight shined brightest on two third-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students who were recognized at the conference’s awards ceremony. Kate Rowland earned the Ruth P. Hall Clinical Fellowship Award, which recognizes outstanding physical therapy students for their dedication, caring, and professional qualities that reflect the legacy of Ruth P. Hall. 

Rowland is a graduate assistant at the front desk of the IMPACT Practice Center, and as one of the first people clients encounter, she finds ways to welcome them and make them feel at ease. In her clinical experiences, those she worked with praised her ability to not only go beyond what is expected but to connect with people quickly and genuinely.

“As physical therapists, we often meet our patients when they are going through incredibly challenging moments,” wrote Department of Physical Therapy Chair Keshrie Naidoo, and Physical Therapy Instructor and Clinical Education and Health Promotion Coordinator Gwen Larsen in their nomination of Rowland. “The warmth and care that Kate exudes (along with her outstanding clinical knowledge), would make any patient grateful to have Kate as their therapist.”

Kairon Shao was selected as the recipient for the Haley Cremer Memorial Scholarship. Named after a Simmons College physical therapy student who passed before her third year in the Simmons DPT program, the scholarship is given to final-year physical therapy students who embody compassion, perseverance, insight, and renewal while meeting specific academic and professional criteria. 

Shao was unanimously nominated by the department for his ability to recognize others’ needs and respond to them and demonstrated a strong commitment to providing ethical and compassionate care for patients. He has been a student-led review session leader for junior students, taking the time to provide review materials and meet with students outside of the review sessions. Clinically, he is willing to thoughtfully reimage care within the individual context of each patient. 

“I still remember a discussion he initiated with another course faculty member and me after class regarding patient consent and autonomy, especially for those with coexisting conditions, such as cognitive challenges, while also accomplishing mobility goals that the patient did not wish to pursue,” wrote Associate Professor Maninder Kaur in the nomination. “His willingness to thoughtfully engage with these complex ethical questions reflects his patient-centered approach and his commitment to respecting patient autonomy, preferences, and dignity.”

Mass General Brigham University students and faculty were involved in three platform presentations:

Assistant Professor Benjamin Adams, alumnus Meredith Young, and two sports residents, Zachary Jacobs and Madeline Stach, presented their work on “Mental and Physical Consideration in High Performance Settings.”

Dr. Kaur presented on “Motor Learning Strategies Used in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review” with three third-year DPT students, Aya Mansour, Pranav Hegde, and Andrea Sofia Hernandez. 

The presentation on “Looking Beyond Total TUG Time: Movement Time Allocation During Dual-Task Mobility After Stroke” featured Physical Therapy Professor Prue Plummer, Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Professor Megan Schliep, Research Assistant for the Cognitive-Motor Behavior Lab Jami Snow, second-year DPT student Kaitlyn Twadell, and two PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences students, Ehsan Sinaei and Meaghan Costello.