08 September, 2017
News
School News
Sports Residency
Sports Physical Therapy Clinical Residency Program
Mission
The mission of the Massachusetts General Hospital / Northeastern University Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program is to advance the knowledge and clinical competency of sports physical therapists as well as to foster a culture of continued learning and scientific inquiry while demonstrating a commitment to patients, students and athletes at all levels.
The mission is achieved through academic, research and clinical collaboration promoting robust learning experiences and a unique opportunity to be an integral part of an interprofessional health care system working with recreational, high school, collegiate and professional athletes.
Accreditation
Year Accredited: 2015
Number of graduates: 11
Graduation Rate: 100%
SCS Exam Pass Rate: 100%
Clinical Experiences
MGH Sports Physical Therapy clinic responsibilities begin in July and continue throughout the entire sports clinical residency program (13 months). Athletic venue coverage typically begins in August. The resident will participate in 30 hours of patient care combined in-clinic and at athletic venue/athletic training room. The resident’s caseload will consist of a wide variety of orthopedic and sports related conditions throughout all body regions.
In addition to the clinic schedule, there will be ongoing athletic venue coverage and athletic training room opportunities. These opportunities occur throughout the thirteen-month residency and are specific to athletic season rather than direct correlation with curricular content. The athletic venue exposure will include but not be limited to the following:
- Northeastern University Athletics: Venue and Athletic Training Room
- BAA 5K, 10K, Half Marathon medical coverage
- BAA Boston Marathon medical coverage
- Special Olympics Summer Games medical coverage
- MGH Sports Physical Therapy Clinic (web link)
Clinical Mentoring
The mentoring will occur throughout the entire thirteen month experience. There will be two 120 minutes unopposed mentoring sessions scheduled with the Residency Director each week. During these sessions the resident provides care and the Residency Director observes the resident’s patient care and provides mentoring to the resident. There will be thirty minutes pre and post patient encounter along with the thirty to sixty minutes for the patient encounter itself. In addition to the time that is scheduled each week with the Residency Director there will be ongoing opportunities for mentoring and discussion during athletic venue experiences with other program faculty.
Experiential Education
Residents utilize a variety of experiential learning opportunities to further develop clinical reasoning skills within sports physical therapy including simulation learning and learning assessment activities. Through simulation learning students are able to actively engage in patient management of acute sports related injuries and examine and refine their expertise.
Teaching Experience
The resident will have the opportunity to instruct in the DPT program at Northeastern University. The resident will be a lab teaching assistant in PT5506 Lab for Musculoskeletal Management I in the Fall semester, PT6224 Lab for Musculoskeletal Management II in the Spring semester, and PT6216 Lab for Assistive Technology in the Summer semester. In each of these courses the resident will be in teaching labs with the Residency Director who will provide ongoing mentoring to promote professional development as an educator. The resident will be expected to review and prepare for the material being covered in each lab session which will coordinate much of the didactic curriculum embedded in the residency. The resident will be involved with presenting information to the students, assisting with providing feedback to students on technique, promoting high level clinical decision making during case discussions as well as providing feedback specific to performance on written and practical examinations.
Kaitlyn Colgan
PT, DPT
Dr. Kaitlyn “Katie” Colgan grew up in New Hyde Park, NY, where she was an avid soccer, lacrosse and track athlete. Through rehabilitation from these sports, she developed a passion for physical therapy and pursued a Rehabilitation Science degree with a certificate in Pathokinesiology from the University of Pittsburgh. She continued her graduate schooling at Pitt as well, completing her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2020.
During her graduate study, Katie maintained close contact with athletic rehabilitation by serving as a member of an interprofessional team treating the varsity athletes at St. Vincent College, in addition to working with athletes of all levels at multiple sports medicine clinics within the Pittsburgh area. Her clinical passions lie mainly with biomechanical and running analysis, lower extremity injury management and sports-related concussion. Katie’s commitment to her patients and the profession are illustrated by her development of an Athlete Screening Program which served to provide musculoskeletal screening to local community athletes to reduce injury and enhance performance. She also serves as a member of the Communications Committee of the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy, organizing networking events for members at national conferences. Outside of her scholastic pursuits, she is an avid fan of New York sports teams.
Christen Chiesa
PT, DPT
Dr. Christen Chiesa of Pittsburgh, PA attended Central Michigan University in Mt Pleasant, MI for her undergraduate degree. While at CMU, she played on the varsity women’s soccer team as she pursued a major in Kinesiology and minors in Psychology and Leadership. Following her graduation from CMU in 2016, Christen returned to Pittsburgh to earn her degree as a Doctor of Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh in 2020. During her time in the graduate program she was able to partake in multiple opportunities outside of the classroom, including the formation of a student-run adaptive training program for those with physical disabilities in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Christen gained invaluable experience during her clinical rotations, many of which were based in multidisciplinary sports medicine clinics.
As a multi-sport athlete growing up and eventual collegiate soccer player, Christen has always had a passion for sports at the local, collegiate, and professional level. She believes that her past sport participation, especially at high levels of competition, has given her unique insight into the physical, psychological, and situational stressors that must be addressed while rehabilitating an athlete. She quickly realized that physical therapy would provide her with the opportunity to pursue her passion while providing a vital service to others. Currently, Christen has interests in concussion management, adaptive sports, and ACL rehabilitation as subspecialties of sports physical therapy.
Sarah Katz
PT, DPT, M.Ed, CSCS
Dr. Sarah Katz grew up in Richmond, VA where she was a multi-sport athlete but eventually focused her athletic career on running. She attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA for her undergraduate degree, competing as a Division I Track and Field sprinter and majoring in Kinesiology with a Psychology minor. Her passion for sports and wellness developed throughout her athletic career while dealing with multiple injuries of her own. After undergrad, she went on to the University of Virginia to earn a Master’s in Exercise Physiology in 2018. She furthered her graduate education at Virginia Commonwealth University, earning her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2021.
During her graduate studies, Sarah gained experience working with athletes in the athletic training room at UVA as a graduate intern, working as a personal trainer and track coach, and through several sports medicine clinical experiences in Physical Therapy school. Throughout her graduate education, she developed a passion for treating athletes, particularly at the collegiate and professional level. Currently, Sarah has interests in running related injuries, lower extremity injuries, and manual therapy techniques.
Rachel Divas
PT, DPT
Dr. Rachel Divas grew up in Exton, Pennsylvania where she was a competitive year-round swimmer. Through participation in swimming and a variety of other recreational sports, she sparked a strong interest in pursuing a career in sports medicine. From here, Rachel attended the University of Pittsburgh for her undergraduate degree, earning a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science and a certificate in Pathokinesiology in Rehabilitation. She then went on to receive her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh.
During her final year of study at Pitt, she completed an internship with the University of Pittsburgh’s men’s football team. Working in a collegiate level athletic training room gave her the opportunity to become a part of a multidisciplinary sports medicine team, providing care for high level athletes both on and off the field. When she wasn’t spending time in the clinic, Rachel enjoyed volunteering for a student run adaptive training program for athletes with disabilities. She also worked for the Physical Therapy department as a teaching assistant for both undergraduate and graduate level courses. Through Rachel’s clinical, volunteer, and work experience she has developed a passion for teaching as well as treating a wide variety of high-level and recreational athletes. Her specific clinical interests are in return to sport following upper extremity injury and overuse injuries as well as integrating rehabilitation with sports performance and strength and conditioning.