Dr. Pat Sells, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy, lent his expertise to a recent story posted in Nashville Medical News about a new Tennessee law designed to reduce youth sports concussions.   The story, Identifying & Preventing Concussions Now a Statewide Effort, written by Melanie Kilgore-Hill is linked here.  Dr. Sells’ comments from the story are included below.

Dr. Patrick Sells

While the law is a step in the right direction, Belmont University professor and exercise physiologist Patrick Sells, DA, said getting athletes to actually fess up to possible injury is the toughest part.

“Kids are hesitant to tell you if they took a blow to head because they know what the ramifications are and how long they could be out of the game,” Sells said. “I’ve seen kids go head-to-head or head-to-ground with no headache reported and find out later on they were afraid of the repercussions. That’s the competitive spirit of an athlete – they don’t want to quit because of injury … so as a parent, coach or doctor, you have to take measures to get kids to buy into this.”

Sells said it’s essential to educate athletes on the importance of telling an adult when something isn’t right. He stresses to students, parents and coaches the importance of being able to identify key symptoms including headache, confusion, difficulty remembering or paying attention, balance problems or dizziness, loss of consciousness, feeling sluggish, nausea or vomiting, or blurry vision. He also encourages parents to understand the qualification of the league and the system children are playing under and to take the time to verify the coaches understand risks and Tennessee’s newest sports concussion law.

Identifying and preventing concussions is of special interest to Sells, who has performed baseline tests on local youth football leagues pre- and post-season to determine changes in memory recall. He said several area schools are wising up and offering similar testing to athletes as a standard practice. Another tool used to gauge players’ health is a specially designed football helmet that measures the G-force behind each hit.

“It’s ultimately the responsibility of the school, athletic league and state organization to ensure coaches are knowledgeable about designing safer practices, hydration, and concussion signs and symptoms,” Sells said. “Coaches especially need to be well versed in a multitude of assessments in order to make that decision as there’s not one certain way to tell if a player might be in trouble.”

Ashley Barrett is the 2014-15 recipient of the David G. Greathouse Physical Therapy Scholarship. The award is designated for a rising third-year PT student who demonstrates leadership, scholarship and exemplary clinical performance within the program and who has a minimum grade point average of 3.7.

From 1996-2005, Dr. Greathouse served as the founding chair and associate dean of the Belmont University School of Physical Therapy. Currently, he serves as Director of Clinical Electrophysiology Services at Texas Physical Therapy Specialists in New Braunfels, TX.

Barrett joins four previous recipients of the Greathouse Scholarship: Ashley Campbell in 2010-11, Megan Tisdale in 2011-12, Stacey Lindsley in 2012-13 and Jordan Floyd in 2013-14. She was featured earlier this year in a story (linked here) about building a ramp for a PT patient

Suzanne Greenwalt, an instructor in the School of Physical Therapy, recently received certification as a Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Specialist from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS).  ABPTS is the national governing body for certification of clinical specialists in physical therapy.  Less than 200 physical therapists are certified in this particular specialty and Professor Greenwalt is the first PT in the state of Tennessee to gain this credential.

“It’s quite an accomplishment,” said Dr. Renee Brown, the Chair of Belmont’s School of Physical Therapy, “and it’s great for our program.  The knowledge and experience she has gained will enhance her teaching and benefit our students.  We congratulate her.”

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Dr. Cathy Hinton (right) receives Carol Likens Award

Dr. Cathy Hinton, professor of physical therapy, recently received the 2014 Carol Likens Award (CLA) presented by the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA). The award is given annually to a TPTA member who has provided exceptional service to the profession of physical therapy.  Dr. Hinton served two terms as president of TPTA and currently serves the state chapter as State License Board Liaison. The Likens award is named for its first recipient who served the chapter as president from 1985 to 1995 and whose vision, leadership and commitment to the profession brought the TPTA through one of its greatest periods of growth and service to members.

Belmont University School of Physical Therapy has received a 2014 nomination for the Mary Catherine Strobel Civic Volunteer Group Award presented by HCA/TriStar Health.  Final awards were presented at an event hosted earlier this week by Hands On Nashville, Middle Tennessee’s largest volunteer resource center.  “We’re honored to acknowledge your tireless commitment to enhancing our community’s quality of life,” stated Brian Williams, President & CEO of Hands On Nashville.

Receiving the nomination was Dr. Mike Voight, Professor of Physical Therapy, who helps lead PT student participation in community service throughout the year, which includes providing logistical coordination for annual events such as Dierks Bentley’s Miles & Music for Kids to benefit Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure in Nashville.

Dr. Pat Sells, associate professor of physical therapy, and a group of doctoral PT students from Belmont University are in the midst of conducting research on how multiple sub-concussive hits affect children ages 5 to 12.  The research team has enlisted The Brentwood Blaze, a youth football organization, for study participants, and those efforts were recently featured in an article on the Brentwood Home Page.  The article, written by Jonathan Romeo, is linked here with an excerpt below.

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Belmont University physical therapy students recently assisted High Hopes, a non-profit preschool and therapy clinic serving children with and without disabilities, in moving to a new location in Franklin, Tennessee. The students sorted and packed High Hopes’ kitchen, classrooms and therapy clinic supplies. The evening packing sessions enabled High Hopes to move to their new location with minimal disruption in preschool or therapy services to children.   The mission of High Hopes Inclusive Preschool and Pediatric Therapy Clinic is to equip children and youth with the skills necessary to achieve success thorugh education, rehabilitation and loving support. High Hope services as a clinical affiliation site for Belmont PT students.

Dr. Mike Voight, Professor of Physical Therapy, has been recognized as a Pink Tie Guy by the Greater Nashville affiliate of Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest organization fighting breast cancer.   The recognition was made at a Komen celebration dinner this week that honored a group of ten individuals from middle Tennessee this year.

The Pink Tie Program features influential leaders who help mobilize, energize and engage audiences in the breast cancer movement through their role within the community, within their organizations, and through their personal involvement.  Pink Tie Guys bring a male voice to the urgency of finding a cure for breast cancer.

“Mike is the perfect Pink Tie Guy,” said Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of the College of Health Sciences.  She added, “His positive energy is contagious, and he has worked tirelessly to mobilize others to race for the cure.  We are so proud of his accomplishments and appreciate our Komen partners for rewarding his work in this way.”

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On Tuesday, February 18,  70 physical therapy students along with 4 PT faculty participated in the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association Day on the Hill.  They attended a session that covered an introduction to the legislative process, how to visit with a legislator, and how to become an advocate for the physical therapy profession. State Senator Doug Overbey spoke with them on the importance of getting to know their legislators.  The students were then given a guided tour of the Legislative Plaza and the Tennessee State Capitol.

Second year Physical Therapy student Ashley Barrett recently was completing one of her clinical affiliations by working with a home health therapist, Dr. Maritza Garcia Williams, a Belmont DPT alumnus (’02).  The two of them were working with an individual with multiple sclerosis who was confined to a wheelchair. In addition to exercises and mobility training, they worked to determine an emergency exit plan from his home, as he was alone most of the day and unable to get his wheelchair out of the house.

Since Ashley’s grandfather was in construction, she both recruited his help to build a ramp and ensured that the cost of the supplies was covered.  After receiving permission from the patient and measurements needed for the ramps, Ashley and her grandparents went to the patient’s home and installed the ramp.

When Dr. Williams arrived at the patient’s home for the next therapy session, the patient actually met her outside.  Dr. Williams shared that “This is the first time in five years that he has been able to exit his home, easily and quickly, without assistance.  For him, this is major!”

Dr. Anson Rosenfeldt, a 2009 graduate of Belmont University School of Physical Therapy, has been named as one of 25 emerging leaders in physical therapy by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).   Dr. Rosenfeldt is a staff physical therapist with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, OH.

Each year, APTA recognizes therapists from across the country who have demonstrated extraordinary service early in their careers.  The organization’s professional journal, PT in Motion, announced this year’s honorees in last month’s issue.   In the announcement article, Pamela Dixon, an occupational therapist who nominated Rosenfeldt, comments about her involvement in elevating the use of evidence-based practice and increasing quality and education of all therapists.

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Belmont PT student volunteers help direct runners at the finish line of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

Students and faculty from Belmont University School of Physical Therapy were again instrumental in coordinating two major charitable events that occur annually in Nashville and surrounding communities each fall.    Over 100 student volunteers provided the main logistical support for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Nashville on October 26, and again for Dierks Bentley’s Miles and Music for Kids motorcycle ride and concert in middle Tennessee on November 3.

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
The Komen race attracted 26,000 people to the Maryland Farms YMCA to support the fight against breast cancer.   The PT students assisted with course setup and takedown, served as course marshals at the start and finish lines, and were available throughout the race to hand out water and help with crowd control.  The student participation in race is facilitated annually by Belmont professor Michael Voight who co-chairs the event.  Voight says that he support Komen because 75 percent of every dollar raised in the region stays here in middle

Tennessee and is granted to other local non‐profits. “These non‐profits are working on the front lines to battle breast cancer, educating both women and men on the value of early detection and promoting awareness to low‐income and non‐insured individuals,” said Voight.  To date Komen Greater Nashville has provided more than $3 million in screening, treatment and educational services to the women of Middle Tennessee.

“The manner in which our students conducted themselves overwhelms me,” said Dr. Pat Sells, associate professor of Physical Therapy, who leads the race volunteer program for the School.  “They were kind, energetic, dedicated and willing to do whatever was asked of them,” he added.  “I received so many positive comments on them, I was truly proud to be considered as part of their team.  Managing a race course with 26,000 people and doing so flawlessly was an impressive feat!”

Patty Harman, Executive Director of the local Komen affiliate, had nothing but praise for the Belmont PT students, saying, “they made a huge difference in this year’s race; it would not have been as successful without them.  If there were any glitches, the participants surely did not know.”  “Belmont jumped in to do whatever was needed,” said Lynn Edwards, chairman of the board for the local Komen Affiliate.  “We can’t thank them enough for all they did – through planning efforts, logistical team packing and mailing, and even clean-up of the race village.”

This year’s efforts follow the recognition that Belmont PT students received this past summer when they were honored as volunteer group of the year by the international organization of Susan G. Komen.

Dierks Bentley’s Miles & Music for Kids

Dierks Bentley poses with PT student volunteers as he finishes his motorcycle ride prior to his concert at Riverfront Park in Nashville.  Click picture to enlarge.

Just eight days after the Komen race, the PT students were out again, this time helping orchestrate the eighth annual Dierks Bentley Miles and Music for Kids motorcycle ride and concert to benefit Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital.   The School of Physical Therapy has helped coordinate this event since its inception in 2006.   Bentley led more than 1,000 motorcyclists on a 40-mile afternoon ride from Harley-Davidson of Columbia, TN to Riverfront Park in Nashville where he and other music artists treated thousands of fans to a benefit concert.   Artists joining Bentley this year included Easton Corbin, Jake Owen, and Luke Bryan.  “No one has had the year Luke Bryan has had,” exclaimed Bentley, “and for him to come out and do this, especially after playing two sold out shows at the arena, says a lot about what kind of guy he is.”

“Each year this gets a little bit bigger and a little better,” said Bentley, “ and we could not have taken this event to the level it now is without the help of my friend Mike Voight and his students at Belmont University.”  He added, “the Belmont students have been integral to the success of this event from the inaugural ride seven years ago to its current size.  I always look forward to working with them.”

Belmont PT graduate and current adjunct faculty member, Ashley Campbell, has volunteered for the past 6 years, overseeing the Belmont volunteer staff for the last 3 years.  “I am so proud to be associated with such a great group of hard working and dedicated young adults,” she said.   And as they are with the Komen race, Dr. Voight and Dr. Sells are also intricately involved with Miles and Music.  “This is a great learning experience and fun event for our students,” said Voight.  “Not only did they get to meet and work with the stars of country music, but in doing so they also helped the community in a large way.”  Dr. Sells added, “it is a real pleasure to watch our students give and serve unselfishly. This is what service is all about.”

Jami Graham, a third year PT doctoral student class leader, responded, “the Dierks fundraiser is an event we look forward to each year.  It’s fun to see my fellow classmates come together to make it happen and contribute to the overall success of this event.  It is a real privilege to have this opportunity to give back to the community.”

This year’s Miles & Music event raised a record $307,000 for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.

Twenty six babies, toddlers and preschoolers came to Belmont University on Tuesday, September 17 to participate in a pediatric physical therapy class.    The students performed developmental assessments on the infants and young  children, which fostered student learning about typical development and challenges of testing young children.  “Our young guests were excellent instructors, and everyone had a great time playing together,” said Dr. Nancy Darr.

Belmont PT alumnus, Keith Cronin, is part of a team of health professionals featured in a new PBS documentary about reducing concussions in high school football.  The documentary, entitled “The Smartest Team”, shows how football programs and athletes can reduce concussions and their effects by playing smarter.   The program premiered on Oklahoma Public Television last month and will roll out to all other PBS stations this fall.  Cronin was recently interviewed about his participation in the documentary by Fox 2 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Cronin earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from Belmont University in 2008 and is currently a physical therapist in St. Louis, working on sports injury prevention and coaching education community outreach programs.  He is a member of the Team of Experts at MomsTEAM.com, the premier online information gateway for parents of children who play youth sports.  MomsTeam.com was founded by parenting expert Brooke de Lench, the author of Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports (HarperCollins 2006).

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Dr. Terry Grindstaff

Belmont University School of Physical Therapy honored Dr. Terry Grindstaff (04) with its Distinguished Alumni Award at August graduation ceremonies for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Class of 2013.  Dr. Grindstaff addressed the graduates at the School’s annual hooding ceremony prior to commencement.

In his address, Dr. Grindstaff reminded the graduates that their accomplishments were not achieved alone, but through contributions of many others including family, friends, faculty and fellow students.  He encouraged them to continue to surround themselves with people that will provide guidance, boundaries, motivation and support in future endeavors.  He challenged the graduates to pursue their passion and approach each task with an optimism that reflects that passion, and to embrace the opportunity to make an impact on the world through the patients they treat.

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