WELCOME!

Dear Students, Alumni, Colleagues, and Friends,

Over the year, the Department of Physical Therapy at Florida International University (FIU) has gone through some positive changes with exciting times on the horizon. In this newsletter, you will read some of the accomplishments achieved by our faculty and students and their impact in the South Florida community.

Together we are moving forward into the future and preparing for the years to come. Beginning in 2024 we will be entering our Self-Study period for accreditation and in 2025, we will be celebrating 50 years of providing quality PT education in South Florida!

I hope you enjoy reading our newsletter and personally thank you for your support of the FIU Physical Therapy program.

From our family to yours, we hope the New Year "2024" brings good health and happiness for all.



Sincerely,

Mark D. Rossi, PT, PhD, CSCS

Associate Professor and Chair

Dr. Edgar Vieira was appointed Interim Associate Dean of Research at FIU's Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences effective December 26, 2023.

Dr. Vieira is an affiliate investigator at the VA Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, and a grant reviewer for CDC. His research program in Healthy Aging aims to help older adults stay functionally independent by optimizing mobility, and preventing frailty, falls and related injuries.

His projects have been funded by the Florida Department of Health, the Administration for Community Living (ACL-HHS), the Department of Veteran Affairs, and NIH (co-I).

He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and a Master of Science (MSc) in Physical Therapy, a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science, and post-docs in mixed-methods health research, and in mobility impairments and falls in older adults.

Dr. Lauren Butler is a board-certified clinical specialist in Sports Physical Therapy and a Clinical Assistant Professor at Florida International University. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Florida International University in 2010.

She worked for 12 years at Nicklaus Children's Hospital, overseeing the Sports Physical Therapy Program and continues to provide physical therapy care to the young athletes at Nicklaus.

Dr. Butler is a founding member of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society and was the 2021 Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine National Achievement award winner for Physical Therapy.

Dr. Butler has also served as the chair of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Injury Prevention Research Interest group in 2019 and 2020 and the chair of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Scientific Programming committee in 2022. Dr. Butler's research interests include pediatric sports injury prevention, clinical movement analysis and physical literacy.

Dr. Butler has published an article titled Validity of The Expanded Cutting Alignment Scoring Tool (E-CAST) in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.

Dr. David Capote

Dr. Erasmo Alvarez

Dr. Lisa Roberts

Dr. Capote presented Lumbar Exercise Prescription: We Can Do Better at the FPTA Annual Fall Conference.

Dr. Alvarez presented Effectively Engaging Your Physical Therapy Students in the Classroom with Evidence-Based Multimedia at the FPTA Annual Fall Conference.

Dr. Roberts presented Medical Errors Prevention at the FPTA Annual Fall Conference.

Dr. Muñecas and Dr. Thomas presented their poster on Third-Year Physical Therapy Student’s Perception of Reflection Practice in an Advanced Pediatric Course at the FPTA Annual Fall Conference.

Dr. Inae Gadotti had 3 recent papers published/accepted in peer-reviewed scientific journals. One of them was a DPT project including 2 DPT students, titled "The Impact of Working and Learning from Home During Covid-19 Pandemic on Head and Neck and Orofacial Health".

The other 2 were based on collaborations with colleagues from Spain and Brazil, "Reliability and Responsiveness of a Novel Device to Evaluate Tongue Force" and "Effectiveness of Physical Therapy Interventions for Temporomandibular Disorders associated with Tinnitus: A Systematic Review".

Dr. Annabel Núñez-Gaunaurd, PT, MSPT, PhD, is a Co-Investigator on a newly funded 2023.

Foundation for Physical Therapy Research Grant in the amount of $40,000 to investigate:

“Access and Utilization of Rehabilitation Health Services Among Emerging Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders."

This multi-site collaborative effort with Dr. Melissa Tovin (PI), PT, PhD from Nova Southeastern University and Dr. Melissa Hale, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Co-I) from the University of Miami.

This is a competitive grant was selected by the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research Board of Trustees. The Foundation Research Grant is generously funded by the APTA Supporting the Profession Fund and named for the student led VCU-Marquette Challenge.

Gabriel Ortiz was named an FIU Outstanding Graduate for the Summer 2023 graduation ceremony.

While working on his DPT project alongside professor Dr. Amanda Thomas, he met a young child with a below-the-elbow (BTE) limb difference who was a gamer at heart. Having an avid appreciation for gaming himself and knowing 1.77 million people worldwide have a below-elbow amputation, Gabriel was inspired to make a difference.

With help from freelance engineers, accessibility experts, architects and project managers, encouragement from his professors, and access to a 3D printing machine, Gabriel dedicated his weekends to develop the BTE Mouse. It is a hybrid mouse/gaming joystick for use by people with BTE limb differences and other musculoskeletal conditions to practice control and hand coordination. 

Gabriel has presented the BTE Mouse to other nonprofits and physical therapy groups and is using his creativity to keep designing more 3D products. After graduation, he

hopes to make a larger impact through product development and management.

Class of 2024

Class of 2025

September 9th, we hosted our annual alumni tailgate. We had over 200 attendees show up and display their Panther Pride. This was a great event to interact current students with past students.

Special Thanks to our sponsors!

• Action Physical Therapy
• All Inclusive Therapeutic Services
• ApexNetwork Physical Therapy
• Broward Health
• B&V Thera-Pro Associates, Corp.
• CORA Physical Therapy
• Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital
• FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers
• HCA Florida Healthcare
• Integrated Physical Therapy
• Miami Physical Therapy Associates
• Nicklaus Children's Health System
• Partners In Motion Physical Therapy
• PATCHES PPEC
• Uhealth Physical Therapy

Our Physical Therapy labs have recently been upgraded with new treatment tables and AV equipment.

Special thanks to our donor, Diane Ramy Faulconer, for her generous contributions to the Care Center.

At the FPTA Annual Conference, we had over 20 of our students attend. Our students represented FIU very well, as they met students from other Universities, and were engaged during the conference.

Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society Meeting January 2024

Dr. Butler's presentation for the pre-course and instructional course at the Pediatric research in sports medicine society 2024 annual meeting.

• Pre-course- Developing a complete research team: Findings from the voices heard from PRiSM members.
• Instructional Course- Sex? Gender? Do these words influence ACL Injury Management?

APTA Combined Section Meeting February 2024

Dr. Gadotti's presentation titled Parallel reliability of two devices to measure tongue force-Implications for patients with craniocervical-mandibular disorders.

Dr. Muñecas and Dr. Thomas's educational session titled an at-home rehabilitation program using a 3D printed prosthetic hand in pediatrics.

Dr. Nuñez-Gaunaurd acceptance to CSM 2024 in Boston:

• Determinants of the 2MWT Among Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Poster, Pediatric Section).
• The Influence of Balance and Functional Mobility on Employment Status Among Adults with Autism (Poster, Neurology Section).

Dr. Butler’s poster presentation titled: Involved Limb Knee Valgus During A Cutting Maneuver Is The Strongest Predictor Of Second Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury After Primary ACL Reconstruction In Youth Athletes. And her platform presentation titled: Platform: Relationship of Knee Abduction Moment to Lower Extremity Segment Acceleration During Sport-Specific Movements.

Florida Occupational Therapy Association Conference

Dr. Lisa Roberts, Dr. Teresa Muñecas, and Dr. Ana Rodriguez’s poster presentation:

Graduate students' perception of a faculty facilitated coping strategy program.