News

UCA Physical Therapy is happy to announce Dr. Amanda Bennett and Dr. Cassady Rankin each received a score of 800 on the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE), the top score available.  Both received their Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees from UCA in August of 2024.  Dr. Bennett and Dr. Rankin are both working as physical therapists at Access Early Childhood Center in Little Rock.   During the DPT program, Bennett and Rankin completed the Advanced Pediatrics Elective with Dr. Charlotte Yates and Dr. Leah Lowe.   Cassady Rankin is an alumnus of UCA completing her undergraduate degree in Chemistry with a minor in Math.  Amanda Bennett completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Louisiana Monroe with major in Kinesiology.   Amanda Bennett received the DPT Academic Excellence Award, the Research Excellence Award, was a finalist for the Clinical Excellence Award, and served as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Melissa Allen in the Department of Physical Therapy.  Cassady Rankin also received the DPT Academic Excellence Award, was inducted into the Physical Therapy National Student Honors Society, and served as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Bill Bandy in the Department of Physical Therapy.

PTCAS is Open

Prospective DPT students, please know that Physical Therapist Central Application Service (PTCAS) is now open for DPT applications. UCA utilizes PTCAS for DPT admissions and our application deadline is October 1st.

Visit PTCAS to learn more and login here to begin.

Mike Hawkinson, Program Advisor 2016-2024

Mike Hawkinson has served as the Academic Advisor for Pre-Physical Therapy students as well as the mentor for the UCA Pre-PT Club for the past 8 years. Mike and his wife are moving to Minnesota this June; relocating for his wife’s new job opportunity. He joined the Department of Physical Therapy at UCA in May of 2016 from South Dakota brand new to Arkansas.  He immediately became a great friend and colleague and even became at home with the fabulous Arkansas weather.  We are so grateful for his years of service advising hundreds of students from UCA and all over the region as well as hosting many Bear Facts Days, open houses, tours and visits during his tenure as the advisor.  He has been a great asset to the Department of Physical Therapy contributing to the mission of educating leaders in physical therapy.

During the transition, please direct questions regarding DPT admission, application and/or advising to [email protected] or (501) 450-3611.

Dr. Nathan Musso, PT, DPT, OCS

We are pleased to announce Dr. Nathan Musso is joining the faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy as a Clinical Instructor. Dr. Musso is a Board Certified Orthopeadic Clinical Specialist by the American Board of PT Specialties and will officially join us in August with an active role in Musculoskeletal I, II and III. Dr. Musso is a 2019 graduate of the UCA Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree magna cum laude in 2016 at UCA with a major in Health Sciences, Physical Therapy concentration and a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. His clinical focus is in private practice orthopedics. In addition to his OCS, Dr. Musso is an APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor and he is currently pursuing a certification in manual therapy. We look forward to working with our newest faculty member at UCA Physical Therapy!

Dr. Ruth Ann Mathis, PhD, PT

We are pleased to announce Dr. Ruth Ann Mathis will join the UCA PT Faculty as an Associate Professor in August of 2024.  She is a 1998 graduate of the UCA Masters in Physical Therapy program and received her PhD in Physical Therapy from UCA in 2013.  For the past 12 years, Dr. Mathis as been teaching in the DPT program at Harding University serving as the Director of Clinical Education for the past 5 years.  In addition, she has served as manuscript reviewer, dissertation committee member (UCA PhD program) and nominating chair for APTA Arkansas.  Dr. Mathis has 25 years of clinical experience in a variety of settings in Arkansas and Mississippi including inpatient rehab, acute care, outpatient and pediatrics.  Her research interests include exercise and diabetes and increasing function and quality of life for amputees and community dwelling older adults.  She has published in the J of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, J of Clinical Exercise Physiology, J of Geriatric Physical Therapy, J of Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy, and Physical Therapy. We look forward to Dr. Mathis contributing her talents in several areas including professional development, administration and leadership!

Dr. Kim Dunleavy and Dr. Twala Maresh are the 2024 recipients of the UCA Joe Finnell Distinguished Alumni Award.  We are honored to recognize these UCA grads who have made exemplary contributions to the profession of physical therapy while positively impacting the lives of so many patients, clients, students and colleagues with their skills, dedication, and love for the profession.

The Joe Finnell Distinguished Alumni Award (JFDAA) recognizes and honors UCA Physical Therapy alumni for outstanding contributions and impact to the profession or community. This year’s recipients are the 13th and 14th UCA alumni to receive the JFDAA.  Dr. Dunleavy and Dr. Maresh will be recognized at the 2024 DPT Convocation Ceremony at UCA in the Reynolds Performance Hall on Friday, August 9, 2024 at 2:00PM. The public is invited to attend.

Dr. Kim Dunleavy
Kim earned a post-professional Masters degree in physical therapy from UCA in 1992. She went on to receive a PhD in instructional technology from Wayne State University in 2008. She has been ABPTS certified in Orthopedic Physical Therapy since 1993 and has numerous other clinical certifications and credentials. She is currently a clinical professor of physical therapy at the University of Florida and has held numerous clinical practice roles in both inpatient and outpatient facilities in the United States and South Africa since 1985.

Dr. Dunleavy co-authored a book in 2019 titled, Therapeutic Exercise Prescription, has co-authored chapters in six other books and monographs, is a contributing author on almost 40 peer-reviewed publications, received numerous grant awards, and given many national and international scientific, continuing education and professional presentations.

Above all of this, Dr. Dunleavy’s greatest contributions have been her leadership and volunteer roles internationally that demonstrate her commitment to a greater good and the welfare of the human race. Her efforts on behalf of global physical therapy have positively impacted people in the countries of Haiti, Myanmar, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Vietnam. In each of these countries, her work has focused on how to advance the profession of physical therapy and how physical therapy can improve societal welfare.

In 2019, Kim was honored with the Societal Impact Award from the American Physical Therapy Association recognizing leaders who demonstrate commitment and dedication to addressing issues related to societal welfare.

Dr. Twala Maresh
Twala earned a Bachelors, post-professional Masters, & Doctor of physical therapy degrees all from UCA in 1983, 1998, and 2002. She became ABPTS certified in Neurologic Physical Therapy in 2011 and currently holds emeritus status as a neurologic specialist. She retired as a senior clinical instructor in the UCA PT Department in 2023 after serving on the faculty for 27 years, where she was also a two-time finalist for the UCA Teaching Excellence Award. Twala also held numerous clinical practice roles in Texas and Arkansas. Dr. Maresh’s long and successful career included both peer-reviewed and invited scholarly publications as well as numerous scholarly and professional presentations at the state and national level in area of her expertise, which is rehabilitation for patients with spinal cord injury.

For much of her career here at UCA, Dr. Maresh coordinated and operated an on-campus pro bono physical therapy clinic where she, along with hundreds of PT students over the years, treated patients from the community. Twala also served in leadership and volunteer roles in the American Physical Therapy Association and the Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission.

Twala’s reputation is an engaging and confident communicator & educator, an approachable and gifted mentor, and a dedicated servant to things bigger than herself that benefit the community. She was honored by the Arkansas chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association with the Distinguished Service Award in 2019.

Those who nominated Twala for our distinguished alumni award said this about her…
“One of Dr. Maresh’s greatest accomplishments was her impact on clinical practice for countless PT graduates. She provided foundational elements as they came into the program and continued to foster excellence in clinical practice as they continued through more advanced coursework. She has been the go-to physical therapist in Arkansas over the years for clinicians with questions related to spinal cord injury and rehabilitation, and she has elevated the level of practice through promoting excellence and a high standard of care.”

Another person commented that “…a unique thing that makes Dr. Maresh an outstanding and inspirational person is her tremendous school pride for UCA and the UCA Physical Therapy Department in particular. Her many years of mentoring the UCA Physical Therapy Club, and proudly advocating for the UCA Physical Therapy Program as the best in the state, exemplifies the program’s and Dr. Maresh’s commitment to excellence.”

The JFDAA Committee at UCA includes faculty, alumni and previous recipients of the JFDAA.  The selection is based on nominations, and it is planned to continue as an annual award with a call for nominations taking place early each Spring semester.  Past recipients of the JFDAA include:  Susan Appling, Nat Grubbs, Mary Anne Hart, James A. Hoyme, Cecile W. Kimmer, Barbara J. Lovett, William S. Quillen, Nancy Reese, Chris Throneberry, Lisa VanHoose, Mala H. Waller, and Glenda Winborn.

U.S. News & World Report released the 2024 Best Graduate Schools rankings on April 10, revealing the excellent performance of University of Central Arkansas programs including Physical Therapy #58, Occupational Therapy #92 and Speech Language Pathology #136.

The UCA DPT Program continues to rank best among DPT Schools nationally.   UCA is ranked among the top 25% of DPT Programs according to U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best Grad Schools review.

Best Physical Therapy Programs (usnews.com)

“The APTA Arkansas SSIG hosted its first Student Expo this past Saturday at UCA. Students across 5 DPT programs in Arkansas gathered to network, engage with local businesses, and hear from practicing clinicians on various topics. Discussion topics included managing finances and student debt, manual therapy techniques, travel physical therapy, and opening a private practice. This was an incredible opportunity to collaborate with various students across the state and learn more about our profession. We hope to continue this event annually to serve PT and PTA students across Arkansas.” -Mary Grace Dupuy, Executive Chair.

The APTA Arkansas SSIG Student Expo, held at UCA, Saturday, April 6th, was a student led, one day Expo attended by over 90 students from the five DPT Programs in Arkansas including UCA, Arkansas State University (Jonesboro), Harding University (Searcy), UAMS (Fayetteville) and AR Colleges of Health Education (Ft. Smith).  Guest speakers included UCA alumni Dr. Chris Carroll (DPT2019) presenting on manual therapy, Dr. Jenny Freyman (DPT2006) presenting on private practice, Dr.   Travis McGill (DPT2018) presenting on travel PT and Dr. Eric Seaman (DPT2013) presenting on finances. Students also got to meet and visit with vendors during the Expo.

The 2023-2024 Student Special Interest Group for Arkansas APTA is led by Executive Chair Mary Grace Dupuy (UCA), Executive Vice Chair Bryson Woods (Arkansas State), Secretary Anna Beth Raley (UCA) and Social Media Coordinator Emily Blanchard (UCA). UCA Student Representatives are Madelyn Tankersley and Kaylie Lane. Dr. Brian Odom, Vice President of ARPTA, serves as UCA’s faculty advisor.

The 2024 AR SSIG Student Expo was sponsored by: Harris and Renshaw PT, River Valley Therapy and Sports Medicine, McMaster PT Clinic, Gross Therapy Services, Proactive PT, Kidsource Therapy, South Arkansas Rehab, Rehab Net of Arkansas, APTA Arkansas, and hosted by UCA Physical Therapy. It was a great success!

The Department of Physical Therapy is hosting an OPEN HOUSE on Saturday, April 13th in the PT Center on campus.  This will be a come and go, drop-in event for prospective students from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm (noon).  Guests can tour the PT Center, meet DPT students and visit with PT Faculty members.  Our Program Advisor will also be available to discuss application requirements.