Jefferson College of Rehabilitation Sciences - Thomas Jefferson University

Congratulations to Dr. Karla Bell and her collaborative research team on being recognized as the Runner-Up in the Health Equity category at the 2026 Thomas Jefferson University Health Equity & Quality Improvement Summit!

Their poster, "Assessing Provider Readiness in Using Inclusive Practices in LGBTQIA+ Care," was recognized among a strong field of projects focused on advancing equitable healthcare and improving outcomes for diverse patient populations.

Hosted by the Department of Medicine, the 2026 Health Equity & Quality Improvement Summit brought together healthcare professionals, educators, researchers, and learners committed to advancing quality, safety, and equity across healthcare systems. The poster session showcased innovative scholarship and quality improvement initiatives that have the potential to drive meaningful change in healthcare delivery.

This recognition highlights the team's ongoing efforts to develop and validate tools that assess healthcare providers' readiness to engage in inclusive practices when caring for LGBTQIA+ individuals. By advancing understanding in this important area, their work contributes to creating more welcoming, affirming, and equitable healthcare experiences for all patients.

We are proud to celebrate this achievement and the collaborative efforts of this outstanding interprofessional team.

Project Title: Readiness for Change in Provider Behavior for Inclusive Practices: A Measurement Development Study
Authors: Karla A. Bell, PhD (she/they); Amy Leader, DrPH, MPH; Richard Hass, PhD; Amy Cunningham, PhD, MPH; Lisa VanHoose, PT, PhD, MPH; Devon Werner, PT, DPT, NCS; Caitlyn M. Moore, DNP, MS, CRNP, ACHPN; Dimitrios Papanagnou, MD, EdD, MPH; Aiden Echols, SPT; Aniah Gibbons, SPT

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Bell and her colleagues on this well-deserved recognition!

Registration link is open: https://heartlandpaymentservices.net/WebPayments/JeffersonCollegeRS/bills

🌍✨ Interdisciplinary. Global. Impactful. ✨🌍🌍🧠 Where design meets rehabilitation.

In a dynamic, interdisciplinary collaboration, Jefferson DPT students partnered with peers from the architecture program and the interior design program, along with international architectural engineering students, to reimagine a courtyard space for a future Exposome Lab—an innovative research initiative focused on how environmental exposures impact health and neural recovery. 🌱

Based in Lecco at the Politecnico di Milano 🇮🇹, students explored how the built environment impacts mobility, accessibility, and participation—often logging 20,000+ steps per day while analyzing real-world design. 🚶‍♀️🏙️

💡 From a DPT lens, students:
• Applied principles of movement, function, and participation to design
• Presented on inclusive design and mobility
• Integrated concepts like biophilia to support health and healing 🌿
• Collaborated with experts from Moss Rehabilitation Research Center

The goal: translate complex science into spaces that actively promote healing, recovery, and human connection.

📸 The experience was recently featured at the CABE Design Students & Milan Physical Therapy Students “PoPuP” Photo Exhibit highlighting innovation, collaboration, and the impact of DPT perspectives beyond traditional clinical settings.

👏 Shoutout to faculty leaders David Kratzer, Ivano D’Angelo, Stephanie Muth, and Lou Hunter for guiding this experience!

⁉️Did you ever wonder how we learn to move?⁉️ 🧠💃

In the Movement Systems course, our first-year DPT students brought motor learning to life by applying theory to dance. 💡 Working in assigned groups, students were challenged to learn a completely new, randomized dance sequence, moving step-by-step from the cognitive stage (figuring out what to do), to the associative stage (refining timing and coordination), and finally toward the autonomous stage, where movements became smoother and more confident. 🔄✨

Throughout the process, students intentionally applied multiple motor learning theories, including Fitts and Posner’s stages of learning, schema theory, and dynamic systems theory, to guide how they practiced and improved. 📚 Groups experimented with a variety of practice schedules, such as blocked versus random practice, and adapted strategies to accommodate different learning styles, including visual, verbal, and kinesthetic approaches. 🎯👀🗣️

Students also reflected on how feedback influenced performance, comparing intrinsic feedback to extrinsic feedback, and distinguishing between knowledge of performance and knowledge of results as they progressed. 🔍📈 Videos documented their learning journey, clearly showing improvements in accuracy, coordination, and confidence over time. 🎥🙌

The experience culminated in a live performance during “Jefferson’s Got Talent,” where each group explained how motor learning principles shaped their practice and performance. 🎤🎉 While student voting resulted in a tie for best presentation, every participant walked away a winner, demonstrating that with thoughtful practice, feedback, and theory-driven decision making, complex movement skills can be learned successfully. 🏆👏

A perfect blend of science, creativity, and movement in action! 🧠🎨💥

We extend our congratulations to our PPOTD Faculty, students and Alumni in their accomplishments during the AOTA Inspire Presentations. Congratulations: Dr. Clements, Jenna Nguyen, Dr. Emily Korte-Stroff, Dr. Pamela Talero-Cabrejo, Nandita Singh, and Alan Cook! Your hard work does not go unnoticed

Highlights from the Association for Athletic Training Education (AATE) Conference, where Ricker Adkins, DAT, LAT, ATC presented “Flipping the Script on AI: Reverse Engineering AI’s Assistance with the CLEAR Framework for Rubric Production on Complex Assignments.”

Redefine What’s Possible Lead in Rehab Care

Dr. Karla A. Bell, PT, DPT, PhD, FNAP was an invited panel member for the 2026 Annual Marilyn R. Gossman Lecture at University of Alabama Physical Therapy's program. This lecture honors the legacy of Marilyn R. Gossman, PT, PhD, FAPTA, a transformative educator and leader whose commitment to excellence continues to shape the profession. This year’s Gossman Lecture featured Terrance Nordstrom, PT, EdD, FAPTA, who delivered “Movement: What’s Love Got to Do with It?” — a powerful exploration of how AI is shaping the future of physical therapy while reminding us that human connection, empathy, and authentic care remain irreplaceable in healing.

The event also included a dynamic panel discussion with leaders in the field, including TJU's own Karla A. Bell, PT, DPT, PhD, FNAP and Ashley Cassel, PT, DPT, OCS, who expanded on integrating technology with patient-centered practice. Dr. Bell contributed perspective grounded in her experience across educational and clinical settings, helping frame how contemporary physical therapy must account for structural forces shaping health. Building on themes of justice and professional responsibility, she highlighted how structural competency, political determinants of health, and systems thinking can guide PTs toward more equitable, community‑responsive care.

https://youtu.be/y9j6RVimc3A?si=BEhHOp7Iiqvo3xw6

✨ Faculty Friday Spotlight ✨
“When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”

We’re proud to highlight Dr. Melissa Smith, a 2004 Jefferson DPT alum and our Jefferson–Duke Faculty Development Resident within the Physical Therapy Department.

As part of the Thomas Jefferson collaboration with Duke University’s highly selective Faculty Development Residency, one of only four nationwide, Dr. Smith is advancing her development as a DPT educator and academic leader while contributing directly to student education at Jefferson.

With a passion for holistic care and the aging adult population, Dr. Smith brings movement and mindfulness into the classroom. Recently, our DPT students engaged in Tai Chi during the PT Interventions Balance Lab, integrating balance, fall prevention, and patient-centered care in real time.

Grateful for the mentorship she’s received, Dr. Smith is committed to paying it forward and investing in students, education, and the future of the PT profession.
💙 We’re honored to have her as part of our Jefferson community.

Check out this insightful podcast conversation highlighting innovative spinal cord injury neurorehabilitation research from the Nair Lab within the Department of Physical Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University, led by Dr. Jayakrishnan Nair, PT, PhD.

The Nair Lab focuses on neurorehabilitation research with a particular emphasis on spinal cord injury (SCI). In this episode, one participant, who recently completed the study, shares his personal experience participating in the trial and the changes he observed in his abilities by the end of it. Dr. Nair provides both the scientific perspective and explains the clinical relevance of this research work for the SCI community.

The episode highlights Dr. Nair’s research team’s efforts to restore respiratory function, advance neuromodulation therapies, and improve the precision of care for individuals living with SCI. The conversation offers valuable perspectives for future clinical trial participants, clinicians, students, researchers, and anyone interested in the cutting‑edge future of SCI neurorehabilitation.

🎧 https://youtu.be/jVTy_6oOX2o