KU Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science, & Athletic Training

KU Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science, & Athletic Training Our mission is to achieve excellence and leadership in education, research, & healthcare through collaborative, innovative, & evidence-based approach.

A unit of the School of Health Professions, the KU Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science, and Athletic Training is located on the University of Kansas Medical Center campus in Kansas City, Kansas. In collaboration with The University of Kansas Hospital adjacent to KUMC, students benefit from the opportunity to interact with a large number of health care professionals and leading r

esearchers in real-world environments. KU offers the following degree programs in the fields of physical therapy and rehabilitation:

Master's Degree in Athletic Training
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Post-professional DPT
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Rehabilitation Science

🧠 From knowledge to clinical reasoning in action!Our second-year Hybrid Pathway physical therapy students recently engag...
09/04/2026

🧠 From knowledge to clinical reasoning in action!

Our second-year Hybrid Pathway physical therapy students recently engaged in collaborative, problem-based learning as they worked through the comprehensive evaluation of a patient with a spinal cord injury (SCI).

Working in breakout rooms with faculty coaching, students applied their knowledge to make clinical decisions, interpret examination findings, and consider the many patient-related factors that influence function and care. They also looked beyond the initial evaluation to anticipate long-term outcomes and identify how their findings could guide the patient’s rehabilitation journey.

Experiences like this help students connect foundational knowledge with patient-centered practice while building the collaboration, adaptability, and clinical reasoning skills essential for future physical therapists.

09/03/2026

🧠💻 Building Skills Beyond the Traditional Lab

The PT Class of 2028 Hybrid Pathway recently came together for a synchronous Cranial Nerve Assessment Lab, putting their knowledge into action while learning to adapt examination techniques for a variety of clinical environments—including telerehabilitation.

Physical therapists don’t always practice under perfect conditions. Developing the ability to understand the why behind an assessment allows future clinicians to adapt their approach, problem-solve, and gather meaningful information regardless of the setting or circumstances.

That’s exactly what these synchronous labs are designed to foster. Through real-time practice, collaboration, feedback, and clinical reasoning, students move beyond memorizing the steps of a cranial nerve examination toward a deeper conceptual understanding of what they are assessing, why it matters, and how findings inform clinical decisions.

When the Class of 2028 arrives on campus for their next Lab Immersion, they’ll be ready to hit the ground running—applying these concepts to clinical case scenarios, refining hands-on techniques, and advancing their skills through deliberate practice and faculty feedback.

💙❤️ Learn it. Apply it. Adapt it. Refine it.

Preparing future physical therapists who are ready to think critically and adapt their skills wherever patient care takes them.

đź“š Learning Together. Thinking Deeper. Preparing for Practice.The PT Class of 2029 On-Campus Pathway took an active appro...
09/03/2026

đź“š Learning Together. Thinking Deeper. Preparing for Practice.

The PT Class of 2029 On-Campus Pathway took an active approach to exploring how Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) influence the health, well-being, and rehabilitation outcomes of patient populations commonly seen by physical therapists.

Through collaboration, discussion, and application, students moved beyond simply learning what social determinants of health are to considering how factors such as access to healthcare, transportation, housing, education, financial resources, and social support can shape a patient’s ability to participate in and benefit from physical therapy.

Active learning creates opportunities for students to ask questions, challenge assumptions, learn from one another, and apply classroom concepts to the complex situations they will encounter in clinical practice. These experiences help develop the critical thinking, collaboration, and clinical reasoning skills needed to provide thoughtful, patient-centered care.

đź‘Ź Great work, digging deeper, learning from one another, and connecting the classroom to future clinical practice!

Dr. Mildred Oligbo and Margo SalaczPlantz attended the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabiliti...
09/02/2026

Dr. Mildred Oligbo and Margo SalaczPlantz attended the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND), Kansas University Center on Disabilities (KUCD), and Community Advisory Panel (CAP) New Learner Orientation day on Friday, August 28.

Dr. Oligbo serves as the LEND Physical Therapy Discipline Supervisor and mentors physical therapy students, as well as learners from other disciplines.

As a long-term LEND trainee, Margo will participate in clinical, community-based, research, and didactic experiences designed to develop her skills as a leader, advocate, and clinician.

The LEND program provides future healthcare leaders and advocates with an interdisciplinary training experience that fosters learning from healthcare professionals, community members, self-advocates and families. Through long-term, medium-term or short-term training opportunities, trainees gain the knowledge and skills needed to improve outcomes for individuals with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities.

Additional information about the LEND program is available on the KUMC LEND Website: https://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/academics/departments/pediatrics/academics/leadership-education-in-neurodevelopment-and-related-disabilities.html

🎉 Welcome to KUMC, New PhD Students in Rehabilitation Science! 🎓We are thrilled to welcome our newest cohort of PhD in R...
09/01/2026

🎉 Welcome to KUMC, New PhD Students in Rehabilitation Science! 🎓

We are thrilled to welcome our newest cohort of PhD in Rehabilitation Science students to KUMC! đź’™

As you begin this exciting journey, we look forward to seeing your curiosity, dedication, and passion for advancing rehabilitation science shape the future of our field. Your ideas, perspectives, and commitment to improving the lives of individuals and communities will make a meaningful difference.

Here’s to new beginnings, meaningful discoveries, inspiring mentorship, and a successful journey ahead! 🌟

Welcome to the KUMC Rehabilitation Science family! 🧑‍🔬👩‍🔬

08/29/2026

OTs— Want to Put Your Expertise to Work? 👀

KUMC PT is looking for OT consultants to join a fun interdisciplinary learning experience with our hybrid DPT students!
And the best part? It’s completely virtual!
We’re looking for OTs who can bring their clinical perspective to a PT case discussion. No prep-heavy commitment—we provide the case and talking points, and you bring your OT expertise!

Here’s what it looks like:
🧠 Case #1: Acute Care
Review an acute care case with the PT students and discuss it from the OT perspective.
• What did the PT students miss?
• What questions would OT ask?
• What information could the family provide to help fill in the gaps?

🏠 Case #2: Discharge Planning
Two weeks later, the students follow the same patient into inpatient rehab and begin planning for discharge. We provide the case and a link to the patient’s home environment.

From an OT perspective:
• What concerns do you have?
• What should PT be thinking about?
• What might impact the patient’s safety and independence at home?
🎙️ And it’s PODCAST STYLE!

Everything is virtual, conversational, and recorded. No formal presentation required! Each meeting should take about 20 minutes!

If you’re a KUMC OT alum who would enjoy sharing your perspective and helping future PTs think more collaboratively, we’d love to have you!

👉 Interested or know other OTs who might be interested? Send Crystal a message to learn more at [email protected]!

Your clinical expertise is all you need! You do not have to be a KUMC alum or be licensed in the state of Kansas for this!đź’™

Last week KU Teaching Summit showcased the incredible work of educators committed to advancing teaching and learning ac...
08/24/2026

Last week KU Teaching Summit showcased the incredible work of educators committed to advancing teaching and learning across the university.

Highlights included our very own Dr. Mary Crouch Young's "The Other AI," and Dr. Stephen Jernigan's engaging session, "Teach at Your Best: Harness Your Strengths in the Classroom."

Thank you to the Center for Teaching Excellence for bringing together faculty from across KU to share innovative, evidence-informed approaches that strengthen teaching and student success.

📢 Publication Alert!For far too long, standard EEG systems have struggled to capture reliable brain activity from indivi...
08/19/2026

📢 Publication Alert!

For far too long, standard EEG systems have struggled to capture reliable brain activity from individuals with textured hair, contributing to the underrepresentation of many communities in neuroscience research.

This newly published study demonstrates that inclusive EEG technology, combined with culturally sensitive research protocols, produces statistically equivalent EEG data quality across racial groups—even during active standing and movement tasks.

The findings reinforce an important message: the historical lack of diversity in EEG research is not an unavoidable limitation—it is a solvable problem. By designing research methods that are inclusive from the start, the field can improve both the quality of science and its impact.

Congratulations to an outstanding interdisciplinary team:
đź‘Ź Hannes Devos
đź‘Ź Sodiq Fakorede
đź‘Ź Kai (Tony) Cheng
đź‘Ź Lydia Pemberton
đź‘Ź KathleenMae Rogers
đź‘Ź Ke Liao
đź‘Ź Dr. Laura Martin

This work represents another important step toward building neuroscience research that better reflects and serves diverse populations.

Join us for our KU Physical Therapy Virtual Info Session to learn about admissions, our PT curriculum, and the differenc...
08/10/2026

Join us for our KU Physical Therapy Virtual Info Session to learn about admissions, our PT curriculum, and the differences between our On-Campus and Hybrid pathways. You'll have the opportunity to hear about the program and get your questions answered by faculty.

đź“… Tuesday, August 11
⏰ 5:00–6:00 PM CST

✨ Applications are now open!

Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/266753728158431?p=gmrIHvm5ZZTrVOMlfC

Congratulations to former PhD student Dr. Maryam Sadeghi on being first author of our newly accepted paper in Gait and P...
08/05/2026

Congratulations to former PhD student Dr. Maryam Sadeghi on being first author of our newly accepted paper in Gait and Posture!

📄 Wearable Gait Analysis for Differentiating Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Parkinson’s Disease: Clinically Interpretable Digital Biomarkers Using Machine Learning

This study leveraged wearable gait sensors and machine learning to distinguish between Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) PSP and Parkinson’s disease. The best-performing model, Gradient Boosting, demonstrated excellent classification performance while identifying clinically meaningful gait biomarkers.

Key findings showed that individuals with PSP exhibited:
âś… Greater double-support time
âś… Increased mediolateral sway
âś… Reduced stride length
âś… Slower gait speed
âś… Reduced trunk range of motion

These results support the use of wearable sensor technology and interpretable machine learning as practical tools to enhance diagnostic decision-making in movement disorder clinics.

Address

3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City, KS
66160

Telephone

(913) 588-6799

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