Community Engagement is a core aspect of The George Washington University (GW) Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. This Fall, second year DPT students participated in four major initiatives aimed at providing meaningful opportunities for students to apply their skills, engage with the community, and grow as future clinicians: Physical Therapy (PT) Day of Service, an adaptive 5K run, a wheelchair rugby tournament, and a Falls Prevention Day.
Founded in 2015 by Josh D’Angelo, a graduate of GW DPT, PT Day of Service is an international event that brings PT professionals together for a day dedicated to community service. For second-year GW DPT student Willa Brown, planning this year's PT Day of Service was both a leadership challenge, and a chance to sharpen her communication skills. “Putting together PT Day of Service was a meaningful experience…it brought everyone together in order to give back and remind us of the service roots of our profession,” Brown shared.
Alongside fellow classmate Joyce Chen and faculty mentor Dr. Birkmeier, PT, DPT, DHSC, Brown coordinated a weekend of volunteer opportunities for students and faculty alike. Events included assembling 100 hygiene kits for a homeless shelter, preparing over 100 PB&J sandwiches for Path Forward (a homeless services organization), and creating 50 get-well cards for hospitalized children. Additionally, students had the option to volunteer at other community events, which contributed hours that counted toward the global PT Day of Service initiative.
Brown noted how the day strengthened connections within the program. “We all bonded. It was nice to have both first and second year DPT students working together, as we often feel separated during our normal instruction schedules. ”
As part of their curriculum for the Management of Individuals with Neuromotor Dysfunction course, second year GW DPT students volunteered with MedStar Adaptive Sports and Fitness programs throughout the fall semester. At the Super H 5K Run, Walk, and Wheel, second-year student Lily Dvorchik witnessed the importance of community and autonomy in rehabilitation. Positioned at a challenging hill, she saw runners support one another and demonstrate remarkable determination. “My favorite part was seeing runners stop their own race to help others,” Dvorchik states. “It was inspiring.”
The event reinforced patient-centered care principles, especially the importance of asking before assisting. “Many participants wanted to overcome the challenge independently. Respecting autonomy is essential,” Dvorchik noted.
Dvorchik also shares how she put clinical knowledge into action when observing gait deviations in a runner using a transfemoral prosthesis—an experience that reaffirmed her interest in working with individuals with neuromotor dysfunction.
For second-year student Ella Parr, volunteering at the MedStar Wheelchair Rugby Tournament expanded her understanding of adaptive sports and the communities they create. Parr was awed by the size and intensity of the event, as well as the athletes’ skill, explaining, “I didn’t expect wheelchair rugby to be so physical. It’s as exciting to watch as any other sport. Seeing the wheelchair maneuvers we learned in class be used in fast-paced, real-life scenarios was incredibly rewarding”
The experience also challenged her perspective on the role of a physical therapist. “Individuals who use wheelchairs often learn more from their peers than from a therapist.” Parr emphasized the importance of listening and learning from lived experiences—a skill she plans to carry into her future practice.
Incorporating their knowledge and clinical reasoning gained in their Management of Musculoskeletal Dysfunction course, as well as interprofessional skills, second year DPT students volunteered alongside GW Occupational Therapy (OT) students, GW Nursing students, GW Physician Assistant (PA) students, and GW Medical students in an event for Falls Prevention Awareness Week.
Whilst performing the Timed Up and Go Test–an indicator of whether an individual is at an increased risk for falls, second-year GW DPT student Megan DeGrouchy reflects on how she, “was able to perform exercises with community members that promote movement and function to decrease the risk of falls, while increasing my clinical skills and having the opportunity to provide resources for preventing falls, allowing further decrease in health complications and healthcare costs in the community.”
Across each of these events, second year GW DPT students demonstrated how service extends beyond the clinic and into the heart of a community. Each event reinforced core values of the physical therapy profession: empathy, autonomy, advocacy, and lifelong learning. These experiences show that GW DPT students are not only preparing to be clinicians—they are becoming compassionate leaders who recognize the power of service in strengthening both communities and the future of physical therapy.