Tonight, we have our final Billikens Impacting the Future Speaker, Dr. Olu Owoeye. He will be talking about "Keeping Athletes in the Game: Injury Risk Mitigation and Health Promotion Across the Spectrum of Prevention" at 5:30 PM CST. Be sure to sign-up if you have not yet, and continue to support us by sharing our page! We hope to see you all there!!

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We are just one week away from our last speaker, assistant professor, Dr. Olu Owoeye! He will be speaking on "Keeping Athletes in the Game: Injury Risk Mitigation and Health Promotion Across the Spectrum of Prevention" on February 22nd at 5:30 PM CST. Dr. Olu Owoeye comments on clinical practice implications of his research in Sports Injury Prevention, as well as his future goals:

"My research is focused on the generation and translation of knowledge relating to the prevention of sports-related injuries and associated consequences in youth and young adults. In physical therapy, the practice of prevention and health promotion is still emerging with so much work to be done. My research continues to contribute to the knowledge base for evidence-based injury prevention interventions for sports medicine clinicians, including sports physical therapists, to advocate/prescribe to their athletes. In addition, my work relating to the secondary prevention of (youth sport-related) post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the ankle aims at determining risk profiles in young adults. The goal is to develop strategies for early detection of post-traumatic OA (PTOA) and proffer solutions for the early management of PTOA, as opposed to the current paradigm of physical therapy management of OA, which targets the management of impairments rather than the prevention of impairments in high-risk individuals."

In regards to his future goals, he aims "to become a distinguished professor and establish [his] lab as one of the top injury prevention and health promotion centers globally." Additionally, he plans "to substantially contribute to the advancement of the field of prevention and health promotion in (sports) physical therapy and sports medicine."

We hope to see you all there!

Thank you all once again for coming out to our second speaker, Dr. Tamra Keeney, on January 25th. It was interesting to hear about her journey in research. After graduating and began treating patients, she began to question patient treatment and practice that were not easily identifiable in literature. This led her to where she is now researching "Rehabilitation for Older Adults with Serious Illnesses" while still having the opportunity to treat patients. The opportunity to research and treat at the same time has allowed Dr. Tamra Keeney to take what she has learned and apply it to how she treats. Her talk was a good reminder that we should always be questioning how can we become better physical therapists and improve patient care, so thank you, Dr. Tamra Keeney! We are excited to see where her research takes her next!

We look forward to seeing you all at our next event on February 22nd at 5:30 PM CST with Dr. Olu Owoeye, Assistant SLU Professor. During his talk, he will be talking about "Keeping Athletes in the Game: Injury Risk Mitigation and Health Promotion Across the Spectrum of Prevention!"

Quick reminder, tonight Dr. Tamra Keeney will be speaking about "Optimizing Rehabilitation for Older Adults with Serious Illnesses: Current State and Future Directions!" Be sure to sign-up for the Speaker Series if you have not already, and continue to show your support by sharing our page. We hope to see all of you this evening, January 25th at 5:30 PM CST!

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Dr. Tamra Keeney, SLU PT Alumna, shares her experience in physical therapy research and the impact of The Foundation for Physical Therapy Research: 

"I think my journey to research was anything but straightforward or linear.  Pursuing a career in research was not even on my radar when I finished PT school.  However, over time, I started to identify issues in patient care and PT practice that I realized didn't have an answer in the literature.  I discussed these ideas with colleagues who helped me to get involved in small research projects and encouraged me to pursue further training.  As an early career investigator, my journey is still just beginning, but I wouldn't be where I am today or pursuing this line of work without the support and generosity of mentors and colleagues along the way.   

I was fortunate to have a portion of my doctoral training supported by a PODS I scholarship and my postdoctoral fellowship was funded, in part, by the Center on Health Services Training and Research (CoHSTAR).  This funding was integral to my development as a researcher, and I am grateful for the many connections that I have made as a result of CoHSTAR.

The overarching goal of my research is to change how we deliver rehabilitation to older adults with serious illness across the continuum of care.  My hope is that, in the next 100 years, it will be common for physical therapists to be embedded within learning health systems across the country, working collaboratively with interprofessional colleagues to ensure the provision of value-based, patient-centered care."

Thank you to everyone who attended our first night of the Speaker Series with Dr. Gretchen Salsich and numerous other researchers and faculty! Dr. Gretchen Salsich's presentation was very insightful in explaining the great impact that The Foundation for Physical Therapy Research has on researchers and different communities along with her personal experiences in research.  We hope to see you all and more at our next event on January 25th at 5:30 PM CST with Dr. Tamra Keeney to talk about "Optimizing Rehabilitation for Older Adults with Serious Illnesses: Current State and Future Directions!"

Thank you to everyone who has helped us reach $500 of our $3000 goal towards the VCU-Marquette Challenge for The Foundation for Physical Therapy Research! We greatly appreciate everyone's generosity so far. Be sure to sign-up for the Speaker Series if you have not already, and continue to show your support by sharing our page. We hope to see all of you tomorrow evening, January 19th at 5:30 PM CST, for Dr. Gretchen Salsich's talk!

Sign-Up for the Speaker Series Here!

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Dr. Salsich recently spoke to PTSA on how The Foundation for Physical Therapy Research assisted her with her research goals.

The Foundation for Physical Therapy Research (FPTR) funds physical therapy research and promising researchers to expand the broad evidence base that supports our profession. It does this by providing grants, scholarships, and fellowships to fund research projects and support PhD education and post-doctoral research training. 

After completing my PhD, I received a NIFTI (New Investigator Fellowship Training Initiative) award, that supported 1 year of my post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California. The $30,000 award helped cover living expenses, while the university and my mentor (Dr. Chris Powers) covered the cost of the research itself. Without the support of the FPTR, I would not have been able to conduct the early biomechanics research in patellofemoral pain that launched my 20-year career. Pilot data from the NIFTI was essential for securing additional grant-funding for projects investigating movement-based mechanisms of and interventions for lower extremity musculoskeletal pain. As in my case, the FPTR has been an essential catalyst for many researchers. Over its 40 year history, the FPTR has invested ~20 million dollars in 600+ researchers, who have gone on to receive additional funding of 800+ million dollars. That’s quite a return on investment to advance the science and practice of physical therapy!

Thank you Dr. Salsich! We look forward to hearing your remarks on January 19th!