Doctoral degree options for nurses

DNP vs. PhD in nursing

There is a significant shortage of nurse leaders in healthcare. Clinical fields need nursing leadership. All the while, nurses need more voices at the table, especially as the healthcare industry transitions to become more patient centered.

A doctorate degree is becoming more popular for nurses who want to teach, hold top administrative positions, and/or conduct large-scale research. When considering an advanced graduate degree in nursing, there are two doctorate paths to explore: a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD).

Both doctorates require in-depth knowledge in the field of nursing but differ significantly when it comes to desired career outcomes. Read on to learn more about the differences between a DNP and a PhD in nursing to determine which degree will help you accomplish your professional goals.

What’s the difference between a DNP and a PhD in nursing?

For a terminal degree in the nursing profession, two common types of doctoral programs to choose between are the DNP and the PhD in nursing, with the primary difference relating to professional outcomes and career aspirations.

At the rudimentary level, the DNP educates nurses to provide the highest level of clinical practice through quality patient care and leadership whereas those with PhDs in nursing tend to focus on improving patient care outcomes and the profession of nursing.

Simply put, the DNP is the nursing practice doctorate, and the PhD is the research doctorate.

Another difference between the two nursing doctoral degrees are program length and curriculum. * On average, PhDs take anywhere from three to six years to complete while ATSU's DNP takes around 18 months to three years. PhD curriculum has a theoretical foundation with curriculum typically encompassing data analysis and research methodologies and requires original research and a dissertation. The DNP has a quality improvement focus with curriculum including leadership and management topics, advanced nursing practice, addresses complex healthcare situations, and includes required clinical hours.

Doctor of Nursing Practice

CREDIT HOURS

31-33 (based on ATSU's program)

TIME TO COMPLETION

18 months to 3 years

SPECIAL PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

Practicum project and clinical hours
(some DNP programs include a capstone project)

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

CREDIT HOURS

45-82 (number of credits vary greatly by school)

TIME TO COMPLETION

3-6 years

RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS

Required research and dissertation

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing program

A nursing PhD prepares nurses to conduct research to enhance patient care and advance the nursing profession. This is the highest nursing doctorate offered for those who want to conduct research rather than advance into leadership roles in clinic settings. Nurses who are best suited for this degree see themselves working in a research lab or becoming faculty in higher education.

Nursing PhD curriculum teaches students to conduct new scientific research and disseminate those findings to create positive change in the quality of care and patient outcomes. Typically longer in length than a DNP degree, a PhD in nursing can be completed in four to six years and requires a dissertation. Credit hours vary greatly from school to school, anywhere from 45 to 82 credit hours, with the average for most programs around 64 credits.

Doctor of Nursing Practice program

The Doctor of Nursing Practice is currently one of the fastest growing degrees in nursing. As the terminal degree for the nursing profession, nurses who complete a DNP typically pursue advanced leadership roles in clinical settings.

A.T. Still University’s (ATSU) online DNP program prepares nurses to take an individual, global, and holistic approach to the provision of healthcare, serving diverse and underserved populations. Responsive to workforce needs, this program helps develop nurses with strategic leadership skills who are capable of assessing situations, providing guidance, and developing thoughtful solutions to address complex healthcare situations.

ATSU’s College of Graduate Studies (ATSU-CGHS) offers an interdisciplinary approach to education and patient care, seeing value in and understanding each unique role in the healthcare system. This 31-33 credit online program offers asynchronous courses that can be completed in 18 months (full-time), or on average in two to three years.

Learn from curriculum with "real world" application that will help you improve the outcomes of a chosen population, no matter the setting in which you practice. With a focus on serving the underserved, this program focuses on understanding the healthcare needs of various populations and the need to improve access/equity in care. The DNP curriculum encompasses seven online courses, plus four culminating practicum project courses focused on designing, implementing, and evaluating a quality improvement project, practice innovation, or policy change. There is no on-site residency required for the program, but clinical practice hours are required. The structure enables students to complete the clinical experience in their home city.

The online nature of the DNP enables nurses to complete the doctorate while working. The online curriculum and excellent faculty accommodate the busy life of a student and working healthcare professional. Curriculum is professionally relevant and tailored projects enable students to meet their personal and professional goals and objectives.

DNP or PhD

The time commitment is significant at the doctorate level, so prospective students need to understand the investment being made personally and professionally. Depending on your desired professional outcomes and career goals, one nursing doctorate will be a better fit for you than the other.

If you enjoy working in a clinical setting and desire to advance into clinical leadership, a Doctor of Nursing Practice program is the right degree for you. If you see yourself conducting research, a PhD in nursing is the path for you.

If you desire a doctorate, the DNP program offers schedule flexibility, enabling you to earn your degree while balancing a career. ATSU’s online DNP allows you to conduct your clinical hours where you are located, making this the nursing doctorate of choice for practicing nurses.

Resources:
https://www.registerednursing.org/phd/

*In general. Depending on the university/college of nursing and type of nursing doctorate, curriculum and time to completion varies. For example, a DNP in nurse anesthesia is usually longer than a PhD in nursing.

Not sure if the DNP is right for you?

ATSU-CGHS offers a variety of doctoral programs that meet your professionals needs and career goals.

DISCOVER DOCTORATES

Academics

DNP featured faculty

Nicole 'Nic' Webb, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, is a relatively new addition to A.T. Still University's College of Graduate Health Studies' (ATSU-CGHS) administration, having joined in July 2023. She brings a passion for lifelong learning and enthusiasm for the nursing profession to her role as program chair for ATSU-CGHS's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.

Dr. Webb has been in nursing since 1996, starting out as a staff nurse and then realizing she wanted to further her education for expanded opportunities. After a brief sidetrack pursuing a bachelor's in criminal justice for a legal nurse consultant position, she ended up as an adjunct at Troy University, where she discovered a newfound passion in teaching.

While adjunct teaching, Dr. Webb earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track in 2006 from the University of South Alabama. She later received her DNP degree in 2010 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which launched her into various academic and administrative appointments, including serving as program chair and associate dean of the University of Central Missouri's School of Nursing and College of Health Science and Technology, respectively. While it was a storied journey of professional and educational opportunities that brought Dr. Webb to her current role with ATSU, her fervor for nursing and higher education hasn't wavered, and she has brought that energy to CGHS's DNP program.

“I think that pursuing the DNP is a huge commitment, but it is doable. If you're looking for both personal and professional growth, and a terminal degree, ATSU sets nurses up to be a candidate for just about any job. Their future looks incredibly bright by adding that terminal degree.” — Dr. Webb

Check out the courses taught by Dr. Webb:

DNPP 9901: Independent Research

Explore all DNP courses »

As an advocate for the commitment to lifelong learning for all healthcare professionals, Dr. Webb is ardently dedicated to joining in the educational journey of ATSU students by remaining current in her own nursing practice.

“As a healthcare provider and professional, it is imperative that we prioritize our continuing education, that we practice when we have opportunities to do so — because we want to make sure that we are delivering the latest and greatest evidence-based practice to our students. This is what's going to set them up for success in the workforce.” — Dr. Webb

Dr. Webb believes the most pressing concern for the current workforce of nurses is the staffing shortages in healthcare, as well as the stress and burnout that follows.

“Post-COVID, burnout created several problems for nurses because it further compounded the nursing shortage. A lot of times nurses are working units where they're short-staffed, so they have a higher patient load, and they may even have to work a longer shift. That's taking a toll physically and mentally. At ATSU, our courses are designed around current trends. We acknowledge this reality and remind students to seek help when they need it. We can't change the shortage, but we can prepare nurses by helping them with role transitions.” — Dr. Webb

Dr. Webb believes that higher education can help nurses prepare for the new reality of healthcare, while also giving them the skills, tools, and resources needed to expand their reach and influence as medical advocates.

“As a nurse at the bedside, your care extends to that group of patients. But if you have that terminal degree, and you obtain a higher position, you are creating change that affects an entire population. You're making a huge contribution to healthcare with that terminal degree, and you're able to touch more lives. By earning your DNP, you're arming yourself with the ability to shape healthcare.” — Dr. Webb

Dr. Webb is a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and the Missouri Nurses Organization (MONA), and is also a board member and public representative for the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). With any free time left over beyond her academic and board commitments, she likes to stay active and maintain her health and fitness through activities like kickboxing as well as read novels whenever she can. Dr. Webb especially enjoys when her personal interests and desire to help others can seamlessly combine, which is why she participates in the annual DC Wonder Woman 5K Run, the proceeds of which are contributed to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

DPT featured faculty

A love of exercise and desire to help people led Nilma Santiago, PT, DPT, to the physical therapy profession and to teaching in ATSU’s Postprofessional Doctor of Physical Therapy program since 2010.

“People really appreciate the education that PTs can provide them, because we spend so much time with them.” — Dr. Santiago

Dr. Santiago earned her Master of Science in physical therapy from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in 2005. At the time, Dean Ann Lee Burch was the director of that university’s PT program, and even worked with Dr. Santiago on a research study while in Puerto Rico. Later, in search of doctoral programs, she saw that ATSU had a transitional DPT program that would accept most of her previous master's level credits as well as her research experience. This made the program very straightforward to complete, and after graduating from ATSU's DPT program in 2010, she and Dr. Burch were reunited in Arizona – at which point, she offered her a chance to teach at the University.

Dr. Santiago takes pride in being able to make a difference in patients’ lives and strives to express this passion for the PT profession to her students.

“What differentiates PTs from other healthcare professions is that we truly get to know them. You not only help them physically with their ailments, but also really listen to them and they can tell that you care for them. There are no words to describe how satisfying it is to help somebody physically.” — Dr. Santiago

Reflecting on her time teaching as well as in the physical therapy profession, Dr. Santiago has some words of wisdom for future and current PTs. Primarily, she advises them to not forget why they joined the profession, as many students go directly from graduating to working in a large organization and lose sight of the patient focus in such roles.

“Regardless of what's happening in our healthcare system, we need to remember why we do what we do. We have a degree that is as valuable as any other doctoral degree. If you want a career that enables you to have close relationships with your patients, to make a difference in a lot of lives, to teach people, to spend time with people, to help people — physical therapy is the right professional path for you.” — Dr. Santiago

Courses taught by Dr. Nilma Santiago:

HP 815: Health and Wellness

See all courses in the DPT program »

In addition to her teaching commitments with ATSU, Dr. Santiago opened her private practice PT clinic in 2019. She is part of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) as well as the private practice session for the APTA’s Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology and Wound Management. She also served on the advisory board of Evergreen Certifications for wound care.

When she’s not busy with teaching and her PT practice, Dr. Santiago enjoys staying active through fitness classes. She is particularly passionate about pilates, instructing others in its use and conducting research on the effect of pilates on patients receiving physical therapy. She also loves to cook and indulge in reading narratives about underdogs who succeed. Such stories inspire her to one day advocate for changes in healthcare policy which impact PT scope of care.

DMSc featured faculty

As an instructor with A.T. Still University (ATSU), Larry Fisher, DHSc, PA-C brings a wealth of knowledge to the University accumulated during his time as a hospital corpsman in the military, providing primary care in tribal organizations, and in years of private practice experience. After earning his Doctor of Health Sciences degree in 2017, he began teaching PAs in the Doctor of Medical Science program.

Dr. Fisher’s path to becoming a PA started when he joined the Navy at 20, training as a hospital corpsman and serving for five years, doing, “a little of everything,” as he describes it, from giving injections to starting IVs. Realizing he would need to have a lot of schooling after leaving the service just to be able to do what he already was trained to do as a hospital corpsman, Dr. Fisher then decided becoming a PA would be a way to fast track himself into a health profession as a civilian. He joined the MEDEX PA program, graduating as a part of Alaska’s inaugural class of twelve students in 1995. Dr. Fisher feels passionate about teaching PAs, who he feels are serving a crucial role in the current healthcare landscape.

“Handling the provider shortage and finding new ways of doing that, such as through telemedicine, is a big concern right now. We’ve made healthcare available to everyone. And we're admitting people to our country from all over the world, and they need healthcare, too. The needs are tremendous, and PAs are part of the answer.” — Dr. Fisher

Dr. Fisher takes his role in preparing PAs to handle today’s healthcare challenges seriously, looking back on his own educational experience. He credits ATSU faculty, particularly Angie Kiselyk, EdD, PA-C, who still currently teaches in the University’s residential physician assistant program, with encouraging him to continue on in the face of challenges.

“My problems might have caused me to crash and burn. And then there would be no master's degree, no doctoral degree, no teaching appointment — none of those things would have happened. And one person saying, ‘It looks like you need some advice on this. And I'm happy to provide it’ — just that little thing, changed everything in my life.” — Dr. Fisher

Dr. Fisher’s positive impact from Dr. Kiselyk motivates him to hopefully have an encouraging influence on his own students in the present and the future.

“I'm shooting for the same result. It probably won't happen that way with every student I have. But it is something that continues to make you feel good about what you've done with your life. People always remember their teachers; sometimes because they were a good teacher, and sometimes because they were a bad teacher. And I hope I'm mostly in that first column.” — Dr. Fisher

Check out the course taught by Dr. Larry Fisher:

DMSC 8220: Ethical Considerations in Health Administration

Explore all DMSc courses »

Dr. Fisher is a member of the American Academy of Physician Associates and the Arizona State Association of Physician Assistants. He is periodically asked to review articles for the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. When he’s not teaching, Dr. Fisher tries to spend as much time as possible out in the great outdoors through hiking, camping, and fishing. He is passionate about renewable energy and excited about returning to his home state of Alaska, where he and his family will soon settle their new home on Kodiak Island.

“Teaching is the gift that keeps on giving.” — Dr. Fisher

DMSc featured faculty

A naturalist at heart, Mary Kimmitt Laxton, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, took the scenic route to the physician assistant (PA) profession. Although now a key adjunct faculty member of the online Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program at A.T. Still University's Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS), Dr. Laxton proudly wore the trademark green of the National Park Service (NPS) as a park ranger for 18 years before pursuing a career in healthcare.

Dr. Laxton earned a BA in Botany from Duke University to prepare for her career with the NPS, but soon found herself drawn to an unexpected element of the job – search and rescue and emergency medicine work. Choosing to pursue this newfound passion, she soon gained an MPA from Indiana University Northwest as well as a PA certificate from Philadelphia University. Dr. Laxton then went on to earn her Doctor of Health Science from Nova Southeastern University in 2016, which is where she met Randy Danielsen, PhD, PA-C Emeritus, DFAAPA. Dr. Danielsen then encouraged Dr. Laxton to bring her wealth of experience to the students of ATSU-ASHS and help develop the DMSc program.

“Every faculty member in ATSU’s PA department is phenomenal. Under the leadership of Dr. Danielsen, the quality and caliber of our faculty is unmatched, and they are fully committed. And the fact that our program was developed by practicing physician assistants who've been there — it’s a program that I strongly endorse.” – Dr. Laxton

Check out the courses taught by Dr. Mary Laxton:

DMSC 8100: Adult Learning Theory
DMSC 8110: Curriculum Design & Delivery

Explore all DMSc courses »

Before coming to ATSU, Dr. Laxton held academic appointments in PA programs at Arcadia University and the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

In addition to her PA practice and teaching experience, Dr. Laxton has completed several medical mission trips. This work has taken her to the U.S.–Mexico border, Honduras, and Kenya, where she learned how to diagnose conditions that have been effectively eradicated for U.S. populations, but are still ongoing threats elsewhere.

These eye-opening medical missions helped her develop unanticipated skillsets, such as how to differentiate diagnoses indicators between malaria and typhoid, and distinguishing conditions without the benefit of X-rays or lab resources. Instead, she had to rely on clinical judgment, physical exams, and medical decision-making skills. These experiences helped Dr. Laxton gain a stronger appreciation for modern medicine.

“We worked in very remote villages where some people had never seen a medical provider in their lives. Seeing medical conditions that we learned about in school, but have never seen in the US, like elephantiasis — it was a great learning opportunity and a great blessing in some ways in that we just realized how great we have it in the western world with our access to medical care.” – Dr. Laxton

Coming from the more sheltered and polished world of academia, these were life-changing experiences that Dr. Laxton said required her to rely on available resources other than studies, as is often the case in U.S. medical practice.

“We often teach in PA school: 90% of your diagnosis is going to come from your history and physical, and the remaining small portion of the diagnosis you reach comes from the studies.” – Dr. Laxton

For those entering the PA profession, Dr. Laxton encourages students think carefully about what it would mean to become authorized as an independent practitioner, an ongoing discussion in the medical community.

“What are the pluses and minuses to our work, and more importantly, to our relationship with physicians? I don't ever want as a PA to be competing with doctors. I want to be a strong partner, and if we could have some of our state regulations relaxed, that would be ideal. But I don't want to become an independent practitioner if it sours the relationship we have with the medical community.” – Dr. Laxton

As much as Dr. Laxton loves the PA profession and teaching, she admits she is sometimes nostalgic for being “paid in sunsets” from her time as a park ranger. She therefore tries to get out into nature and hike as much as possible — and more recently, out into the world as often as she can through travel.

Inspired by her past medical missions, Dr. Laxton is planning a trip to India, where she hopes to gain insight into a set of conditions she’s been previously unexposed to in her work. Through helping these populations, Dr. Laxton not only gets to reconnect with the outside world and return to her naturalist roots, but also exemplifies ATSU’s commitment to community health and serving the underserved.

DPT featured faculty

For Karen Bustillo, PT, DPT, pursuing a career in physical therapy was the culmination of a dream that began for her in high school. As a key adjunct faculty member of the online Postprofessional Doctor of Physical Therapy program at A.T. Still University's Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS), Dr. Bustillo now gets to share her passion for the field with her students—as well as decades of insight gained from 44 years of practicing PT, more than 30 years of being board certified in orthopedics, and 20 years of private practice ownership.

Dr. Bustillo described herself as “pretty athletic” in high school, and knew she wanted to go into the medical field. Her P.E. teacher suggested she consider physical therapy, and from there, her desired career path seemed a natural progression.

“I read one paragraph about PT in a college catalog and said, 'That's exactly what I want to do.'" — Dr. Bustillo

Confident in her future goals, Dr. Bustillo didn't waver from this path. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy with SUNY at Buffalo and then went on to work in a sports medicine clinic in California for a decade before eventually settling down in Arizona. With the change in scenery also came a change in focus for her career, as Dr. Bustillo not only opened her own practice, but also started working in 2004 as an in-person lab assistant for ATSU's Kinesiology department, and later for orthopedics courses. She also shifted her focus toward oncology and lymphedema work, before further cementing her relationship with the University by obtaining her Doctor of Physical Therapy from ATSU in 2007. Just two weeks after graduation, Dr. Bustillo began teaching her first online course for the program and has been teaching with the University ever since.

There are, of course, a great number of issues faced by today's PTs, but Dr. Bustillo feels one of the most pressing is the concern of reimbursement. She surmises that despite the younger generation of PTs not being as driven by money, they are forced to concentrate on it due to the challenges of loan repayment, as well as the many demands on PTs time to provide quality care, adequate documentation, and the pressures of maintaining a balanced patient load. Whatever challenges arise, Dr. Bustillo advises today's PTs to remain flexible.

“Try different things. Try all different areas of practice. Try things you may not have thought you would have been interested in, because sometimes those are the places you find the greatest satisfaction.” — Dr. Bustillo

As an adjunct professor, her favorite class to teach within the program is the Professional Practice course, which takes a deep dive into the profession of physical therapy itself. Dr. Bustillo muses that her long-term involvement with both the American Physical Therapy Association and the Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy contribute to her fervor for passing on professional practice knowledge to students. Having taught with ATSU for nearly two decades, Dr. Bustillo has taught a plethora of courses, from radiology to differential diagnosis.

Courses taught by Dr. Karen Bustillo:

See all courses in the DPT program »

Reflecting on a career built upon her own PT practice and fortified through passing on her knowledge and expertise to a new generation of PTs, Dr. Bustillo has no regrets.

“I can honestly say this has been the best profession I ever could have dreamed of for myself. It has been fulfilling every day that I've done it. There are always challenges, but I feel like it gives you the opportunity to rise above them and create something wonderful. I have no complaints.” — Dr. Bustillo

Much of Dr. Bustillo's time is accounted for between her teaching with ATSU, her private practice, and sitting on the Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy. But she still finds time (when outside the classroom, boardroom, and clinic) for seeing her grandchildren, golfing, crafting, and traveling.

DMSc featured faculty

Sondra M. DePalma, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA brings over 20 years of PA insight and practice as well as a passion for cardiology research and advocacy to her role as an adjunct assistant professor in the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program at ATSU's Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS).

Dr. DePalma's early career was artistically driven, majoring in Dance for her undergraduate degree, and even completing an apprenticeship with a ballet company before deciding she wanted to pursue medicine. She completed her PA program at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Dr. DePalma then earned a Doctorate in Health Sciences (DHSc) at ATSU's College of Graduate Health Studies (CGHS) with a concentration in Leadership and Organizational Behavior in 2018, which prepared her to lead in healthcare and academia. Once she started teaching with ATSU-ASHS' DMSc program, she chose to also obtain a doctoral certificate in Fundamentals of Education.

Some of Dr. DePalma's past research publications relate to her focus on humanizing the patient experience and improving patient outcomes. Her findings reveal that providers who put in more effort due to being satisfied with their work spend more time with their patients as well, leading to a positive effect overall.

“There's evidence that when a PA is practicing autonomously to the greatest extent of their experience and licensure, and they're able to make a positive impact—it has some buffering effect for burnout. Providing PAs with the skills to address social determinants of health, assess the healthcare system and its processes, and make changes that benefit the patient is rewarding and dually beneficial to PAs and their practice.” – Dr. DePalma

Check out the courses taught by Dr. Sondra DePalma:

DMSC 7020: Social & Behavioral Determinants of Health
DMSC 7040: Quality Improvement in Healthcare

See more DMSc courses >>

Dr. DePalma loves to see her students apply what they've learned to improving their practice and patient outcomes outside of the classroom.

“It's rewarding to hear when a student applies their learning or hypothetical project/innovation to the real world and receives positive responses. They improved patient satisfaction, the quality of care, or had [higher participation in] recommended screenings. They're able to make a difference—a real impact within their practice, whether small or large.” – Dr. DePalma

Dr. DePalma's latest research deals with PAs scope of practice and the impact of certain restrictive barriers and regulations intended to prevent malpractice on patient outcomes—research that can improve patient satisfaction as well as the PA practice for providers by identifying which factors correlate to increased malpractice.

For PAs considering a doctorate to reach the next stage of their careers, Dr. DePalma's number one piece of advice is to simply get started.

“Most PAs will find—even if it's daunting to consider a doctoral program—that once they're in the program, it's very doable. They're able to work around their existing schedules, and the benefits they receive exceed the effort required.” – Dr. DePalma

As for Dr. DePalma's time outside of ATSU, she continues to dedicate a portion of her time to advocacy and volunteer work in cardiology and hypertension as a member of the Target BP Advisory Group of the American Heart Association and American Medical Association, a part of the Certified Hypertension Clinician Examination Committee of the American Hypertension Specialist Certification Program, and is in the PA Administrators Task Force of the American Academy of Physician Associates. Dr. DePalma is also making more time to travel and loves to dedicate any available time to creative pursuits like photography as well as maintaining fitness through exercise.

MHSc featured faculty

A proud part of the A.T. Still University faculty since 2009, Dr. Kathleen Mathieson, PhD, CIP is an Associate Professor for both the Master of Science in Health Sciences (MHSc) program and the Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) program.

As a research methodologist and biostatistician, Dr. Mathieson has been involved in research projects in a variety of ATSU programs, and has also conducted her own research in the scholarship of teaching and learning and telemedicine. Further, Dr. Mathieson serves as a Vice Chair of the ATSU-Arizona Institutional Review Board and serves on the Interdisciplinary Research Committee, demonstrating her dedication to ethics and integrity in research.

Dr. Mathieson uses these guiding principles to inform her approach to educating students in research methodology, statistics, and in the critical appraisal of research literature, empowering them to make evidence-based decisions throughout their careers. Research starts with questions, not answers, and so Dr. Mathieson encourages this curiosity in students.

“Students are sometimes reluctant to ask questions, but every question is a good question.” - Dr. Mathieson

A researcher and analyst at heart, Dr. Mathieson finds the most appealing part of her work is that regardless of whether compiling quantitative or qualitative research, one should apply a systematic approach to the study to get the most accurate and reliable results. This analytical approach aligns with her personality, and she finds joy in helping students have “light bulb moments” when they gain confidence in their research abilities.

“It's fulfilling to hear students express that their confidence has increased, their research skills have improved, they are better able to understand and appraise research, or they can now apply the results of research.” - Dr. Mathieson

Putting theory to practice, Dr. Mathieson has even applied her well-honed research skills to helping ATSU better understand the needs of online students. While residential students have several resources available to help them navigate their educational experience, such as in-person counseling, Dr. Mathieson and fellow CGHS faculty Dr. Lynda Konecny wanted to examine the perceived stress level as well as the coping strategies of students completing their education online. The results from this research were then shared with Dean Dr. Marisa Hastie and other university officials to see what wellness and psychosocial resources could be of benefit to them.

Before coming to ATSU, Dr. Mathieson obtained her PhD in Sociology at Arizona State University, with a focus in statistics and sociology of health. She then went on to work for Maricopa Medical Center, a teaching hospital in Phoenix, as a biostatistician and research analyst. There she taught research and statistics courses to medical residents and co-authored research articles with residents and attending faculty in an array of fields including obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and public health.

As a mentor and educator at ATSU, Dr. Mathieson has been a key part of curriculum development, and an instrumental part of creating the Special Topics on Health Science Research course.

Courses taught by Dr. Mathieson:

Special Topics in Health Science Research (MHSc)
Research Methods, Design and Analysis (DHSc)
Evidence-Based Practice (DHSc)
Literature Review for the Applied Research Project (DHSc)
Proposal Development for the Applied Research Project (DHSc)
Data Collection for the Applied Research Project (DHSc)
Data Analysis for the Applied Research Project (DHSc)
Dissemination for the Applied Research Project (DHSc)

See all courses in the MHSc program »

Beyond research and pedagogy, Dr. Mathieson enjoys playing guitar (both acoustic and electric!) as well as giving back to the community through her involvement with Corbin’s Legacy, a charity founded by fellow ATSU faculty member Dr. Joan Leafman. Dr. Mathieson is also on the Advisory Board for the nonprofit, which provides food and medical assistance to vulnerable children in Mesa.

MEd featured faculty

Dr. Erin Breitenbach joined A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Health Studies (ATSU-CGHS) in 2008 as an adjunct faculty member and has since become the Program Chair for both the Master of Education in Health Professions (MEd) program and the Doctor of Education in Health Professions (EdD) program.

Dr. Erin Breitenbach is a highly experienced educator and researcher in the field of health professions education. She holds a BA in kinesiology (1991), an MA in health education (1996), and a PhD in health education (1998) from The University of Texas at Austin. In addition, she earned her MEd in health sciences education (2021) at The University of Houston.

As the Chair, Dr. Breitenbach is involved in many aspects of the program, from course development to ensuring faculty and student engagement. Dr. Breitenbach also spearheaded the development of both the Master of Education in Health Professions program and the Doctor of Education in Health Professions program as a new programs at ATSU.

She leads the development of curricular changes and ensures that all courses align with programmatic competencies. Dr. Breitenbach is always looking for ways to make the program stand out from others in the field, such as introducing the Teaching with Simulation course.

She is also involved in the culminating research courses in the EdD program, which she feels are the most challenging and rewarding part of the program.

“Our courses are very well organized when it comes to the learning materials and assessments aligning with the objectives of the program. Students have an opportunity to engage in discussions, read the learning materials, listen to the videos, etc.” – Dr. Breitenbach

Dr. Breitenbach teaches various courses in the Master of Education in Health Professions program. See all courses in the MEd program »

Dr. Breitenbach’s research interests are centered around Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and studying ways to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning in higher education, including online education, factors influencing doctoral program completion, innovative teaching strategies in health professions education, and instructional design strategies for interprofessional education.

“A significant portion of students in doctorate programs do not finish their doctorate. I'm interested in why that is. If it's a matter of how the teaching is structured, what can we do to help students complete their degrees?” – Dr. Breitenbach

With her vast knowledge and experience in health professions education and health education, Dr. Breitenbach is a valuable team member to ATSU-CGHS. She is dedicated to helping students develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in their careers as health professions educators.

AuD featured faculty

For Michael Vekasi, AuD, entrance to the audiology profession stemmed from a personal vestibular experience. After experiencing balance difficulties in 2010, Dr. Vekasi became interested in vestibular rehabilitation while undergoing evaluations. Already a healthcare professional, he was looking for a change that would allow independent practice in a specialized area. This led him to his career as an audiologist and to a teaching appointment in A.T. Still University's (ATSU) Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology (AuD) online program.

Dr. Vekasi completed his undergraduate studies in biological sciences at the University of Alberta in 2007 before continuing on to his master’s program at Western University. He completed a Master of Clinical Science in Audiology in 2014 and then earned an Advanced Studies Certificate in Vestibular Sciences and Disorders from Salus University the following year. Dr. Vekasi then joined the first graduating class of the Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology Program in ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS), completing his doctorate in 2020. During his exit interview from the program, Dr. Andrea Ruotolo asked if he would be interested in teaching with ATSU-ASHS, and he soon started his adjunct teaching position.

One of the things that drew Dr. Vekasi to ATSU as a student, and kept him engaged at the University as an instructor, is the diversity of the audiology curriculum.

“ATSU has courses that other institutions offering distance learning just don't have. Course content like neuroimaging, intraoperative monitoring, pharmacology — you just don't have access to these in many Canadian or U.S. programs. And then my experience as a student — the supportiveness of the faculty, the international perspective that the cohort brings in — these piqued my interest in teaching at ATSU as well.” — Dr. Vekasi

Dr. Vekasi feels that ATSU is uniquely positioned to offer audiology students the most relevant evidence informed by the expertise of practicing faculty.

“In ATSU’s Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program, the instructors are typically leading experts or very active in the field — and they're often practicing clinicians as well. Bringing in that current kind of lived experience and expertise from faculty that are keeping up to date with the current topics and trends in the field is beneficial to our students. Being able to pull people together from around the world gives ATSU a nice advantage as well, as students are learning how audiology operates in countries all around the world.” — Dr. Vekasi

Check out the courses taught/facilitated by Dr. Vekasi:

AUDP 8100: Vestibular Evaluation and Management
AUDP 9422: Culminating Case Experience I for 2-Year Program (CCE-I-2)

Explore all post-professional AuD courses »

Dr. Vekasi is an active changemaker in the profession of audiology outside of the University, serving on several committees within the Canadian Academy of Audiology, where he is also the current president of the board of directors. He is a vice chair of the audiology Canadian Entry-to-Practice examination committee with Speech-Language & Audiology Canada and a member of the Alberta Association of Audiologists. He is also a member of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology and of the American Academy of Audiology. A frequent volunteer as well, Dr. Vekasi was nominated as a recipient of the Platinum Jubilee of the late Elizabeth II in 2022 for his activism.

“Don't be afraid to take risks. The profession is evolving — not just every year, but almost every day. Embrace change: Openness to change will help students entering the field keep up with the evolution of audiology.” — Dr. Vekasi

AuD featured faculty

Erica Bodie, AuD, is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). She joined the adjunct faculty of ATSU-ASHS in spring 2017 and teaches in both the online Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program and the Residential Doctor of Audiology program. Dr. Bodie received a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing science and a doctor of audiology degree from Arizona State University.

From a friend who had hearing aids to studying sign language and being involved with the Deaf Community through working with children at the California School for the Deaf - Fremont, Dr. Bodie has known since high school that she wanted to pursue communicative disorders.

“Compared to other clinical outpatient therapies, I like the scientific and immediate results of the profession of audiology. There is less redundancy in our profession, we are rewarded with seeing drastic improvements in our patients within the first few appointments. Even if a patient does not choose amplification to improve their hearing, we can recommend communication strategies that work best for the them and their family; we have their best interests at heart.” – Dr. Bodie

Her professional experience includes working in outpatient clinics, hospitals, and schools. Dr. Bodie has spent a majority of her career working as a federal government audiologist. She spent five years traveling to the Native American reservations with Phoenix Indian Medical Center, and more recently, served our nation’s veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Audiologists have the flexibility to work in a variety of clinical settings. What Dr. Bodie specifically liked about working with government healthcare was the ability to be supported in a hospital setting, refer out to other specialists, and offer the best services and hearing aids to patients at no charge or a very minimal cost.

“Working in the government sector was a very rewarding part of my career. I was able to prescribe and issue hearing aids without charging patients for services; it was patient-centered care at its best. Hearing aids can be cost prohibitive for many people, it’s a great feeling as a provider to not have to charge your patients. You feel like you accomplished what you set out to, at least that was my goal in graduate school: to help people.” – Dr. Bodie

Dr. Bodie has worked with all age groups to diagnose and treat hearing loss with the use of hearing instruments, assistive technologies, and communication strategies. Her areas of interest include hearing aids, amplification, diagnostics, pediatrics, and helping families find a mode of communication.

Throughout her career, Dr. Bodie has enjoyed serving as an off-campus preceptor to residential audiology students from all over the country. Dr. Bodie appreciates the teaching aspect of audiology because she gets to share with students not only the book knowledge, but the clinical experience as well, offering perspective and balance to both sides of learning.

“Learning is a journey and comes in many forms: research, instruction, collaboration, investigation, trial and error, and correction. As an instructor, I feel that it is more important for a student to master the material than to receive high marks on their assignments. All you can do is your best and some learning comes in the form of correction or constructive criticism. My favorite part about being an instructor is watching students be successful in their studies, find their liking in the profession, and following their own journey.” – Dr. Bodie

Over her years at ATSU, Dr. Bodie has taught a variety of classes for both the Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program and the Residential Doctor of Audiology program. She also provides support as a teaching assistant when other providers need assistance.

Check out the course taught by Dr. Bodie:

AUDP 8420: Otoacoustic Emissions: Scientific Foundations and Clinical Applications

Explore all post-professional AuD courses >>

“Communication is the one thing that ties us to one another. Audiology is the perfect blend of science, technology, and people.” – Dr. Bodie

AT featured faculty

Nicolette “Nikki” Harris, DAT, LAT, ATC, CSCS serves as an Assistant Professor and the Director of Student Recruitment for the Department of Athletic Training at A.T. Still University (ATSU). She also works closely with the Diversity and Inclusion department as the co-chair of the Diversity Enrichment in Education Committee, which is dedicated to creating a more inclusive academic community by encouraging opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to embrace and celebrate diversity.

As part of her role, Dr. Harris is the point of contact for those who are interested in attending any of the programs offered through the Department of Athletic Training.

“Having preestablished relationships with students before they come into the program really allows for me to ensure they’re successful throughout the program. They always have someone as an adviser outside the course instructor to rely on if they need extra assistance or connections to resources that will help them be more successful throughout the program.” – Dr. Harris

Dr. Harris was introduced to athletic training while working at a physical therapy clinic after earning her undergraduate degree. After earning her master’s in athletic training, she served for three years as the Head Athletic Trainer at Miami Booker T. Washington Senior High School providing care to secondary school athletes during their pursuit of four State Championship Titles. The high school was in a low socioeconomic area, which ignited her passion to pursue research in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“I’ve seen some really powerful things that can happen when there’s social determinants of health in that neighborhood. So that's always inspired me to pursue those underserved populations for the rest of my career.” – Dr. Harris

Dr. Harris spent six years as the Coordinator for Athletic Training Services for Florida International University (FIU) where she worked to enhance the healthcare services provided to both FIU students and campus recreation participants. In addition to her clinical practice, she has served as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Clinical Preceptor to athletic training students. Dr. Harris is also an alumnus of ATSU’s Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program and graduated from the program in 2017.

“Being an alumnus gives you a good perspective on the program. Having sat in the program as a student and now to be teaching offers a wealth of experience from a different perspective.” – Dr. Harris

Check out the courses taught by Dr. Harris:

ATRN 7440: Orthopaedic Surgical Considerations
ATRN 7420: Orthopaedic Management
ATRN 9001-9004: Applied Research Project

See all our post-graduate courses >>

“Everybody at ATSU is truly a leader within our profession. It feels good to be surrounded by people who are that dedicated to our profession and are putting out the best research. There’s a lot of lateral motivation. Being in such an innovative and forward-thinking setting continuously pushes me and pushes our students to elevate the profession.” – Dr. Harris

Dr. Harris is currently working on a variety of research initiatives, including a study on BOC exam pass rates by race and a study on the impact of COVID on personal, professional, and financial wellbeing. She also has a manuscript about primary care for low socioeconomic students and has participated in research with ATSU on concussion and recovery time between populations related to socioeconomic status.

Dr. Harris actively engages in professional service at all levels, currently sitting as the NATA Career Advancement Committee (CAC) Chair Elect, the BOC Liaison to the Athletic Training Research Agenda Committee (ATRAC), as well as a member of the CAATE Education Committee.

AuD featured faculty

Amanda Zappler, AuD, is an adjunct assistant professor for the Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Zappler has been teaching in ATSU’s online Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program since 2018. Her 24-year career includes experience as a clinical professor teaching graduate and undergraduate communication sciences and disorders courses to audiology students.

Dr. Zappler began her working life as an elementary school teacher. She decided to pursue the profession of audiology when one of her children was diagnosed with hearing loss as a baby. Through the process of helping her child access hearing healthcare services, she fell in love with the profession and changed career paths, earning her master’s degree in audiology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1998.

After working as a clinician and technical troubleshooter for a major hearing aid manufacturer and later managing a private practice, Dr. Zappler decided to return to school to earn her Doctor of Audiology degree from ATSU in 2006. As a lifelong learner, Dr. Zappler was driven by an interest to expand her knowledge and skillset as a professional.

Dr. Zappler hopes to continue to learn and grow as a practicing audiologist every year, continuously pursuing new challenges and continuing education opportunities.

“The ability to take classes remotely was life-changing for me. Distance learning made it possible to get my doctorate. After having several years in the field under my belt, coming back to school and expanding my knowledge about audiological subjects and deep diving into new areas of study really helped me to grow as a practitioner.“

Once she earned her AuD, Dr. Zappler had the opportunity to supervise student clinicians at the UT Speech and Hearing Center and teach core graduate courses in their Doctor of Audiology program.

Check out courses taught by Dr. Zappler:

AUDP 8450: Infection Control in Audiology Practice
AUDP 8700: Hearing Loss and Healthy Aging

Explore our post-professional AuD courses >>

“I love student interaction. At ATSU, the students are both peers and colleagues. To have input from students who are working in the field, and have their own lengthy and robust careers in some cases, offering their insight into topics covered in the Au.D courses makes for truly rich dialog. It’s really stimulating for me as a teacher and challenges me to find research and topics that will be of interest to our students and be new for them.“

A practicing audiologist for over 24 years, Dr. Zappler has worked as an educator, in private practice and hospital settings, and as a technical troubleshooter and trainer for a manufacturer. She enjoys working with older patients and tends to focus her diagnostic and rehabilitative practice on the 65 and older patient population.

“I am very drawn to the geriatric population. There’s so much to know about the changes that happen physically and mentally with aging and how becoming older affects our ability to interact with sound and speech. It’s a fascinating topic for me.“

Dr. Zappler has written several articles relating to tele-audiology, cochlear implantation in the geriatric population, and a curriculum guide for training tele-practice facilitators in the nursing profession. She specializes in diagnostic audiology, amplifying systems, aural rehabilitation, aging auditory systems, tele-audiology, specialty products for hearing conservation, and hearing loss related to noise exposure.

“My recommendation to students who are earning their doctorate is to take advantage of what’s offered in this awesome program and really invest in the topics that they have passion for. It’s a sure way to continue to provide excellent care in your practice of audiology.“

Outside of audiology, Dr. Zappler is a passionate artist. Painting since she was a child, she regularly participates in gallery shows and art markets. She enjoys the balance that art brings to her academic side and has illustrated children’s books. Dr. Zappler likes painting abstract, colorful, and bright artwork.

DPT featured faculty

Colin Rigney, PT, DPT, a Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist and Registered Musculoskeletal Sonographer, is an adjunct professor who teaches Radiology and Imaging for both the Postprofessional Doctor of Physical Therapy program and second-year PT students in A.T. Still University’s (ATSU) residential Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

An athlete growing up, Dr. Rigney spent a lot of time in gyms and weight rooms. After a couple of surgeries early on in his sports career, he was introduced to the rehab world and got to know many trainers and physical therapists.

“I thought it was a pretty cool profession. I’m just somebody who likes to move, and I think being able to share that with others by teaching them how to move and use their bodies better as my profession is a double bonus.” – Dr. Rigney

Dr. Rigney received his bachelor of science in kinesiology from Humboldt State University, then went on to earn his doctor of physical therapy degree in 2010 from ATSU, before completing the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency program at ATSU in 2012.

“I realized I needed to seek out more guidance and knowledge. Dr. Cheri Hodges had just started the residency, and it was the perfect time for me to explore it. The residency was probably the best thing I could have done for my career. It was a lot of hands-on, applied learning from other experts.” – Dr. Rigney

As the son of a primary care physician, Dr. Rigney had early exposure to x-rays and learned how to look critically at the anatomy of the image. He was then officially introduced to ultrasound as a second-year student at ATSU by Dr. Wayne Smith. Seeing ultrasound as a way to expand his scope of practice, Dr. Rigney was one of the first PTs in the country to become board certified in musculoskeletal ultrasound.

Starting his teaching career at ATSU in 2013 as lab faculty in the kinesiology courses, Dr. Rigney has extensive training in the field of ultrasound imaging and is a registered specialist in diagnostic ultrasound imaging through the ARDMS.

“Dr. Rigney is a very good instructor. His course was challenging, and it required a lot of focus and dedication to learning. Through Dr. Rigney's expertise, I was able to understand the material and appreciate its value in providing quality patient care. I am very grateful that I attended his class.” – Postprofessional DPT student

Check out the course taught by Dr. Rigney:

PT807 - Radiology and Imaging

Explore all post-graduate PT courses >>

“A lot of second-year students don’t know where they’re going to go in the field. It’s a good opportunity to expose them to what therapists are doing, because it’s not common to see a therapist ordering x-rays and looking critically at a diagnostic image. That’s a gap I’m happily willing to bridge for students and set an example for the rest of the profession.” – Dr. Rigney

Outside of teaching at ATSU, Dr. Rigney is a partner and a shareholder at Modern Physical Therapy, an integrated practice that combines non-physical sports medicine doctors, physician assistants, and physical therapists under the same roof to comanage patients. He is also a part of the Orthopaedics Special Interest Group for imaging for the APTA.

“Dr. Rigney is an exceptional teacher who has been very motivating. He takes time to respond to each discussion and assignment. He gives extra details about each image, which helps make remembering each item easier.” – Postprofessional DPT student

With this extensive experience, he has worked with professional sports teams helping their doctors, trainers, and physical therapists learn how to integrate ultrasound into their practice at the sidelines to evaluate injuries at a point of care setting. Dr. Rigney also provides consulting to various medical providers in Arizona and around the country for organizations and societies.

He offers the following advice to PTs, “Don’t see barriers, only see opportunities. The biggest limitations in life are often ourselves and our thinking. I just encourage students to have a vision for their life, get in it for the right reasons because you like to help people and you like human movement.”

Outside of work, Dr. Rigney’s priority in life is taking care of his family, which includes his wife and two young children ages six and three.

DPT featured faculty

Suzanne Greenwalt, PT, DPT is a Board-Certified Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Clinical Specialist, Board-Certified Geriatrics Clinical Specialist, and an adjunct faculty member for A.T. Still University’s Postprofessional Doctor of Physical Therapy program. She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from ATSU in 2015 and completed her Master of Physical Therapy and Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Saint Louis University.

Originally introduced to physical therapy while in high school volunteering at a local hospital, Dr. Greenwalt fell in love with the profession immediately because of the amount of time practitioners get to spend with patients and the ability to nurture those relationships.

“I started out working with patients in different settings such as acute care and rehab, and then really fell in love with the geriatric population. There is a lot of diversity in that patient population. That passion drove me to pursue my board specialty certification in geriatrics and a few years later in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy.” – Dr. Greenwalt

After earning the board specialty certifications, she started teaching continuing education courses and trainings for physical therapists, which evolved to more teaching roles and led her to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy and ultimately academia.

“My experience as a student at ATSU in the postprofessional DPT program was great. I think what made it unique when compared to a traditional DPT program was the diversity of the students within the program. I felt like that really enhanced the learning opportunities that I had.” – Dr. Greenwalt

Attending and graduating from the postprofessional DPT program she is now teaching in, Dr. Greenwalt gained valuable insight into what students are going through on a daily basis, course workload, and the challenges of navigating an online classroom.

Check out the courses taught by Dr. Greenwalt:

Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy
Geriatrics

Explore all post-graduate PT courses >>

“Part of the reason I got into healthcare and physical therapy was really because of the desire to help people and make a difference in the lives of patients and other individuals. With teaching, I’m able to do that tenfold. Helping shape and grow future physical therapists has an exponentially larger effect on healthcare than what I can do just treating patients myself. I think that’s really what drives me with teaching.” – Dr. Greenwalt

In addition to teaching, Dr. Greenwalt still practices clinically in acute care and skilled nursing facilities.

“Patient care drives and fulfills me. I think it enhances the work I do in the classroom because I’m able to know exactly what’s up to date in the clinic, and I’m able to speak about real patient experiences.” – Dr. Greenwalt

She also serves the profession at the national level as a member of the nominating committee for the APTA Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Section. She is also a member of the nominating committee for the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association. She is an APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor and is full-time faculty at Belmont University. Her clinical and research interests are cardiopulmonary comorbidities in the geriatric population.

AT featured faculty

A faculty member at A.T. Still University (ATSU) for over ten years, Cailee Welch Bacon, PhD, ATC, FNATA is a professor for the Department of Athletic Training as well as a research professor in the Department of Basic Science in ATSU's School of Osteopathic Medicine. In addition to teaching, she currently serves as the Associate Director of the Athletic Training Practice Based Research Network (AT-PBRN), which includes overseeing the development and launch of the cost-free academic electronic health record, and currently offers 18 free continuing education courses available online to athletic trainers nationwide. Since offering these courses, there have been over 180,000 course completions.

While growing up, Dr. Bacon was always involved in sports. While in high school, she was injured and worked with an athletic trainer for the first time, leading her to become interested in the field.

Dr. Bacon earned her bachelor of science in athletic training from Boston University, followed by a master of science in education in athletic training from Old Dominion University. She also earned her doctor of philosophy degree in human movement science with a focus in athletic training curriculum and instruction from Old Dominion University, where she investigated the effectiveness of educational techniques to aid athletic trainers in learning the fundamentals of evidence-based practice.

During her undergraduate program, Dr. Bacon met ATSU professor and Director of the AT-PBRN Dr. Kenny Lam, who was one of her preceptors. Dr. Bacon was completing her PhD while Dr. Lam was completing the post-doctoral research fellowship at ATSU and encouraged her to apply. Dr. Bacon then went on to complete a post-doctoral research fellowship within the Center for Clinical Outcome Studies at ATSU, which focused on patient-oriented outcomes and athletic training educational research.

“I was really excited to be a part of such a large group of athletic training faculty who were doing innovative and exciting things to help advance the profession. They had the AT-PBRN, and I felt they were the leading innovators in athletic training.” – Dr. Bacon

The stars continued to align for Dr. Bacon. As she was finishing up the post-doctoral fellowship, a faculty position at ATSU opened, leading her to become a full-time faculty member as ATSU was granted approval to launch the Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program. With a background in curriculum and instruction, Dr. Bacon had the opportunity to be a part of the conversation for what the DAT program could look like.

Dr. Bacon’s research agenda focuses on athletic training education. Specifically, she is interested in assessing athletic training educational outcomes related to the core competencies, understanding current practice patterns of athletic trainers with a specific focus on patient care documentation patterns, and assessing the effectiveness of educational interventions to help fill practice gaps.

Along with her research collaborators, she initiated a line of research to understand the current landscape of patient care documentation in athletic training, which they’ve been focusing on for the past 10 years. This led to the launch of a cost-free academic electronic health record designed to help both athletic training students and practicing ATs strengthen their documentation behaviors.

“It was really exciting to spend so many years investigating a practice pattern and then being able to provide an innovative solution to help fill the identified gaps.” – Dr. Bacon

Complementary to her research passions, Dr. Bacon teaches a variety of research-based courses in the DAT program.

Check out courses taught by Dr. Bacon:

ATRN 7120: Evidence-Based Practice
ATRN 8160: Contemporary Issues in Athletic Training Education (co-instructor)
ATRN 8210: Qualitative Research Methodology
ATRN 9011: Analyzing the Problem
ATRN 9012: Proposing a Solution

Explore all our post-graduate AT courses >>

“I love teaching the Qualitative Research Methodology course. My goal is not to convert our DAT students to become qualitative researchers since I know that a lot of our DAT students aren’t necessarily interested in original research. In this course, we focus on how to sharpen our observation skills as athletic trainers, and how to use the information provided from patients to help make meaningful clinical decisions.” – Dr. Bacon

Additionally, Dr. Bacon currently serves as the Vice Chair of Awards for the NATA Foundation Research Committee and is an Associate Editor for both the Athletic Training Education Journal and Journal of Athletic Training.

“My advice is don’t just do what is expected. I think it’s important to take the time and reflect on what your goals are. One of the exciting things about our program is we provide the educational opportunities for people to explore those goals and those passion areas individually by enrolling in just a single course if they’re not ready to commit to the entire degree.” – Dr. Bacon

Outside of athletic training, Dr. Bacon loves spending her time with her husband and two very active toddlers. She also enjoys leisurely reading historical fiction and occasional beach reads.

AT featured faculty

Barton Anderson, DHSc, AT, ATC is a tenured Professor and Clinical Education Coordinator in the ATSU Athletic Training programs. As the residential program Clinical Education Coordinator, Dr. Anderson oversees all aspects of clinical education, including establishing and maintaining graduate assistantships, coordinating affiliated clinical sites and preceptors, and providing clinical mentoring to AT program students.

Naturally gravitating toward the field of sports medicine, the ability to be a healthcare provider who primarily works with active individuals got Dr. Anderson interested in athletic training. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training from Missouri State University, his Master of Science in Sports Healthcare from A.T. Still University, and his Doctor of Health Science degree from Nova Southeastern University.

Prior to coming to ATSU, Dr. Anderson worked full-time clinically for 10 years as an athletic trainer in the collegiate, high school, and clinical settings. During his first job out of his professional program, he realized he didn’t know nearly as much as he needed to be a successful provider, so he decided to pursue a post-professional master’s in athletic training and attended ATSU’s residential post-professional master’s program from 2001 to 2003.

“I really look at my time as a student in the post-professional program at ATSU as forming my philosophy for healthcare, my approach to patients, and just my overall ability as an athletic trainer. I see the post-professional master’s program as providing the base framework and foundation for me to continue to grow and develop as an AT throughout my career.” – Dr. Anderson

As an alumnus of the program he’s now a faculty for, he jokes that ATSU has always provided exactly what he needed at each point in his career.

“ATSU gave me opportunity. It seems as I grow and develop as a faculty member and progress in my career, I adapt and change at the same time as the University. I love the fact that I can give back to the program and contribute to the education of our students and hopefully move the profession forward.” – Dr. Anderson

With extensive experience and training in therapeutic exercise prescription, fundamental movement patterns, and manual therapy techniques, he currently practices part-time at Park University in Gilbert, AZ, where he specializes in post-surgical rehabilitations.

As a primary faculty member at ATSU since 2008, his primary teaching responsibilities are clinically oriented classes, teaching around 12 classes across the blocks, and was responsible for the initial development of many of the clinically oriented course curricula. He is an instructor for the Orthopaedic Track courses in the online Doctor of Athletic Training program and teaches the Advanced Clinical Practice course series in the residential post-professional master’s program. Dr. Anderson also advises master’s thesis projects and doctoral applied research projects in both programs.

Check out courses taught by Dr. Anderson:

ATRN 6101: Advanced Clinical Practice V: Functional Movement Screening
ATRN 6201: Advanced Clinical Practice VI: Manual Therapy Techniques
ATRN 6301: Advanced Clinical Practice VII: Soft Tissue Rehabilitation Techniques
ATRN 6310: Diagnosis of Orthopaedic and Sport-Related Injuries
ATRN 6330: Foundations of Tissue Healing
ATRN 6401: Advanced Clinical Practice VIII: Professional Development
ATRN 7210: Foundations of Tissue Healing
ATRN 7410: Orthopaedic Diagnostic Evaluation
ATRN 8170: Applied Clinical Education and Mentoring (co-instructor)

Explore all our post-graduate AT courses >>

Currently, Dr. Anderson’s favorite course to teach is the Orthopaedic Diagnostic Evaluation course.

“It's a course where I have the opportunity to cover some advanced concepts and we really focus on students' understanding and how to think about the evaluation process. We spend a lot of time helping students become more reflective as clinicians, to be more self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses as clinicians, and understand how to think through a patient case.” – Dr. Anderson

Dr. Anderson's research interests include the assessment and correction of fundamental movement patterns, the development of clinical reasoning skills and advanced clinical practice, and post-professional clinical education.

Dr. Anderson is the Chair of the CAATE Standards Committee, and a member of the CAATE Review Committee, the NATA Post-Professional Education Committee, and is the AT-PBRN EMR manager. Dr. Anderson holds a Level 1 Functional Movement Screen™ certification and is an accredited Graston Technique™ clinician. He has also been recognized as the Arizona School of Health Sciences Educator of the Year (2016), Distinguished Service of the Year (2019), and Scholar of the Year (2021). He was named a Distinguished Educator by the RMATA in 2019 and received the NATA Service Award in 2018.

AT featured faculty

Kenneth Lam, ScD, ATC, is a professor of clinical research within the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences for the athletic training programs at A.T. Still University (ATSU). In addition to his faculty responsibilities, Dr. Lam serves as the director of the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network (AT-PBRN) and as the vice chair of the Institutional Review Board at ATSU - Mesa campus.

AT-PBRN is the only practice-based research network in athletic training recognized by HARQ, and offers a network of engaged professionals to improve the quality of care provided by ATs through research sharing, education, and practice-based research. In addition to post-professional education opportunities through the MS-AT or DAT, certified ATs are also welcome to join AT-PBRN to engage with other AT clinicians for life-long learning opportunities.

Dr. Lam received a BS in athletic training, a master of education in human movement, and a doctorate with a focus on movement sciences from Boston University, and is passionate about helping patients recover from an injured state back to play and achieve their goals.

Prior to earning his doctorate, Dr. Lam practiced as a certified athletic trainer at Boston University, Rutgers University - New Brunswick, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Lam then completed a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship within the Center of Clinical Outcomes Studies at ATSU with a focus on patient-oriented outcomes research before becoming a faculty member at ATSU.

“I wanted to come to ATSU because the faculty have an excellent reputation, they’re known as leaders who are advancing our profession. Coming to ATSU was a great way for me to learn from leaders within our profession and gave me an opportunity to change my line of research to focus more on patient and patient outcomes.” – Dr. Lam

In contrast to historical disease-oriented or commission-rated outcomes of AT research trends, Dr. Lam’s focus is on the assessment of patient outcomes, which highlights the wants and needs of the patient. His current line of research seeks to understand the overall impact of sport-related lower extremity injuries on patient-oriented outcomes such as health-related quality of life.

Dr. Lam’s favorite course to teach is health information technology. “My focus is to help our students become data literate. I enjoy watching students gain understanding of the importance of data and demystifying how complicated it can get, we can do very simple things and learn very valuable information about our patient care.” – Dr. Lam

Check out other courses taught by Dr. Lam:

ATRN 7140: Health Information Technology
ATRN 8010: Research Methods & Design
ATRN 8020: Methods of Data Analysis
ATRN 8100: Practice-Based Research
ATRN 9013: Implementing and Evaluating the Solution (Course Facilitator)

Explore all our post-graduate AT courses >>

Dr. Lam will earn his NATA Fellow status in June, leading ATSU to be one of the only universities in the country that now has four faculty members with this distinction. He also serves as an editorial board member of the Journal of Athletic Training and Journal of Sport Rehabilitation and is the Chair of the Free Communications Committee of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association.

AuD featured instructor

Melanie Gibson, MA, is the instructional designer and program manager for the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Department at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Working with the department for almost 20 years, Mrs. Gibson worked her way up from answering initial inquiries from prospective students to working with adjunct faculty to help build and develop their courses. She now serves in a leadership role in developing creative strategies to teach faculty and students to use the University’s online learning management systems and chat platform as well as implementing best practices for teaching and learning in the online environment.

“When I first started working for the University, it was just a job to help me support my family. I did not see myself being where I am now. However, I grew to love working with the faculty, adjunct faculty, and students in the department. After finishing my bachelor’s degree, I decided to pursue my master’s degree in an area that would provide me with the skills to make our online courses compelling and enhance our students learning experience."

Mrs. Gibson received her bachelor’s degree in public administration in 2017 and her master’s degree in teaching and learning with technology in 2018 from Ashford University. During her time as a student at Ashford University, she designed content for adjunct instructors and content experts to improve how content is delivered in an online environment. She obtained knowledge of learning styles, best practices in online education, instructional design, using technology tools to support various learning styles, and strategies for increasing student engagement and retention of content.

“My goal is to make sure our courses are incorporating various learning styles. I like our instructors to use multiple methods of learning activities, such as discussion boards, mini-lectures, readings, or group projects.”

From developing to teaching to learning, she has experience working with multiple learning management systems, including Blackboard and Canvas. As a student, teacher, and developer, Mrs. Gibson has a unique insight into what is required to build captivating and engaging courses. She is a lifelong learner and continually researches and learns about other technologies to enhance teaching and learning.

As the program manager, Mrs. Gibson co-designed the orientation/training course for the content experts and course facilitators for the online Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program and the template for all courses in the post-professional program. Working with faculty to create and update their online classes, Mrs. Gibson ensures courses are uniform, organized, and student friendly.

“In the training course for our instructors, I focus on the design elements that are really needed to foster student learning and collaboration within the class to make sure students feel they can communicate in various ways with their instructors and classmates.”

Additionally, Mrs. Gibson co-instructs AUDP 7000 Ethics, Leadership and Professionalism, the very first class students take in the post-professional program. In this course, she teaches students how to use the learning management system and has them identify their learning styles. She then offers strategies for learning when information isn’t presented in specific learning styles to empower students to be the most successful they can be.

Explore all our post-professional AuD courses >>

DMSc featured faculty

Albert (Bert) Simon, DHSc, MEd, PA, is a professor and the associate director of the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program. A faculty member at A.T. Still University (ATSU) since 2005, he’s held a variety of roles; he’s the former chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) and founding vice dean at ATSU’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA), where he was also chief operating officer for ATSU-SOMA. He was an integral part of the leadership team that developed the most innovative medical school in the U.S. from 2007-2012.

As a PA faculty member since 1979 and PA Program Director since 1982, Dr. Simon has served as chair of physician assistant studies departments at three universities: Saint Francis University, Baylor College of Medicine, and most recently ATSU. His clinical practice experience includes internal medicine and occupational medicine.

“It is really interesting and exciting for me to work in the DMSc program. Students are by and large all colleagues; they have a lot of experience and interesting perspectives they bring to the courses. We try to make our courses very engaging, so there’s a lot of discussion. I couldn’t think of a better way to finalize my career.” – Dr. Simon

Being politically active in the physician assistant profession, he has served in a number of national leadership positions including president and vice president of the Association of Physician Assistant Programs (APAP). During his APAP presidency, he founded the Leadership-Training Institute as a vehicle to provide needed education to individuals entering into PA education. And, with the help of colleagues and the department, Dr. Simon was an integral part in developing the proposal for the DMSc program.

Always interested in leadership, it’s no surprise Dr. Simon’s favorite course to teach is Organizational Leadership Management & Behavior.

Check out all courses taught by Dr. Simon:

Organizational Leadership Management & Behavior
Community Assessment & Health Promotion
Clinical Practicum 1, 2, 3, and 4

Explore all post-professional PA courses >>

“That leadership role was something that I have always found to be engaging and exciting, and a way I could affect positive change. I’ve been involved in mentoring new PA program directors for years. That was a big interest of mine during faculty development.” – Dr. Simon

He has also served as an educational consultant to over 25 physician assistant programs across the U.S. He served as an author of the Annual Report on Physician Assistant Educational Programs in the U.S. and the co-editor of Appleton and Lange’s Q and A for the Physician Assistant, one of the best-selling board review books for physician assistants in the nation.

His advice for PAs looking to enhance their education is to really consider what they want to do with their education and what goals they want to achieve.

“Students have a much wider selection of opportunities to advance their education toward a doctoral degree. They have options within the curriculum for the direction they want to take their education. I think it offers a lot of choices for people to develop their skill set however they want.” – Dr. Simon

With three specialty tracks in clinical, leadership, and education, students have options to customize the DMSc to their interests and career aspirations. The DMSc can be completed while working full-time in two or three years.

DMSc featured faculty

Joseph Weber, DHSc, MBA, MPAS, PA-C is an adjunct Associate Professor in ATSU’s Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program. Dr. Weber has been teaching in the DMSc program since 2019.

Before becoming a PA, Dr. Weber was a computer engineer for nearly 20 years. During this time, he pursued a variety of degrees, including an associate in applied business, a bachelor of science in management science, and a master of business administration.

While working for Microsoft, one of his largest clients was the Cleveland Clinic, which rekindled his passion for medicine. This prompted Dr. Weber to go back to school in his 40s to become a PA and start his second career. After earning a master’s in physician assistant studies, he earned a doctorate in health sciences from ATSU in 2014.

“I grew up in an era where you picked one career and stuck with it for your whole life. But I realized there are so many opportunities. I think too many times students get too hung up on choosing the perfect career when they’re 18. You don’t need to do that; life is short and you can change careers. I did, and it was such an amazing blessing.” – Dr. Weber

A licensed PA in the state of South Carolina, Dr. Weber has clinical experience in both emergency and psychiatric medicine. He has previously taught graduate-level courses in research methods, biomedical ethics, and many other classes. He is extremely familiar with adult learning, course development, assessment methods, and has an extensive background in technology and medical simulation tools.

Dr. Weber’s favorite course to teach in the DMSc program is health economics.

“We live in a challenging time for many reasons. Even though we’re making progress, you see the disparities of healthcare are sometimes getting greater and greater. I try to get students to really understand and take a deep dive into looking at what other countries are doing. How are they tackling some of the problems we’re experiencing and how does that change how we apply medicine.” – Dr. Weber

Check out the courses taught by Dr. Weber:

Research Methods in Healthcare
Health Economics

See all doctorate courses >>

“Many of the people who are current DMSc faculty have been with the profession almost since the beginning of the profession. They’ve really set the tone for PA education for decades. These aren’t just a bunch of people with clinical skills, they’re people who have significant real-world experience in both academia and in the public sector, including public policy. When students come in, they’re learning from the best of the best. I’m proud to be a part of a great team.” – Dr. Weber

DMSc featured faculty

Michael Halasy, DHSc, MS, PA-C is an adjunct Assistant Professor with the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS), and also teaches for the Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) program with ATSU’s College of Graduate Health Studies (ATSU-CGHS).

Dr. Halasy was introduced to the PA profession in the early 1990s as a corpsman in the U.S. Navy serving with the Marines. After his military service, he went home to finish his undergraduate degree and attended PA school.

Dr. Halasy completed his undergraduate education in labor economics at the University of Akron, then earned an M.S. in Advanced Physician Assistant Studies, M.S. in Sports Medicine, and a DHSc in Organizational Behavior and Science, all at A.T. Still University.

After completing his DHSc in 2012, he started teaching at University of Bridgeport in their PA program, assisting with research. He then taught at Cleveland State University in their bachelor of medical science program before coming to ATSU to teach in the Doctor of Health Sciences program in 2017. Then, when Dr. Danielsen started the DMSc program at ATSU, he was invited to be a contributing faculty member.

“I enjoy the educational component. A lot of PAs start our program and are terrified of doing research. And it’s always nice to see them flip that. It’s not something to be scared of, you can enjoy it, you can have fun with this. So that’s a highlight. I enjoy the person-to-person interaction with clinical care. Then of course, the research itself is always stimulating. I enjoy trying to understand things better, trying to grow the knowledge base.” – Dr. Halasy

Check out courses taught by Dr. Halasy:

Research Methods in Healthcare
Capstone I
Capstone II
Capstone III

See all doctorate courses >>

“I enjoy teaching the capstone courses probably the best. Many PAs have never done any research, and taking them through the process of learning how to do research is something that’s very satisfying.” – Dr. Halasy

In addition to teaching, Dr. Halasy has worked clinically in orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. A part of the Mayo Clinic staff since 2001, he holds the academic rank of Assistant Professor of Healthcare Administration at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, in addition to practicing in the Spine Center where he provides out-patient non-operative spine care and manages an independent panel of complex spine patients from all over the world. He is also affiliated with the North America Spine Society.

Dr. Halasy is an accomplished researcher and is currently the co-chair of the multidisciplinary spine research committee at Mayo Clinic. His research interests include shared decision making, healthcare workforce studies, burnout rate, health economics, and organizational behavior.

His current research is focused on provider behavior, specifically how providers and physicians make decisions and how to improve, change, or modify decision-making. Currently, he is working with two international teams, one in Ireland and one in Canada, in addition to working with the American Academy of PAs on burnout rate. He also works with several other research groups nationally doing workforce studies and behavioral studies.

He was one of only five U.S. researchers invited to the first international research collaborative on Audit and Feedback research. He has published numerous articles and has a background in health policy and healthcare economics.

“The biggest advice I have is understanding that the DMSc is a big challenge, and it’s supposed to be. It’s rigorous. It’s something that you earn and are proud of in the end. You get out of it what you put into it.” – Dr. Halasy

Outside of work, Dr. Halasy enjoys multiple forms of martial arts, including jiu jitsu and aikido, and has a deep passion for golfing.

DMSc featured faculty

Randy Danielsen, PhD, PA-C Emeritus, DFAAPA, has been with A.T. Still University for over two decades in various roles: PA academic coordinator (1995-1997), chair of physician assistant studies (1997-2004), dean of the Arizona School of Health Sciences (2004-2010, 2012-2018) and recently stepped down as dean to take on a new role with the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program, of which he is now the director and a professor. He is also the director for the Center for the Future of the Health Professions.

Since graduating from the University of Utah physician assistant program in 1974, Dr. Danielsen has distinguished himself as a clinician, PA educator, author, and editor. He received his BS in Health Science (cum laude) from the University of Utah in 1978, his master’s in PA studies (MPAS) from the University of Nebraska with an emphasis in internal medicine in 1997, and his PhD from the Union Institute & University in 2003 with an emphasis in medical education. Working in primary care, emergency medicine, and occupational medicine clinical care for 25 years, Dr. Danielsen then entered education in 1995 when he helped debut the residential PA program at ATSU.

“The faculty and the administration really care about what you’re doing and the programs at the school. The second thing that’s kept me here is seeing what our alumni do. It just blows me away what a good job they’re doing and making a difference in the world.” – Dr. Danielsen

Dr. Danielsen has served on the board of directors of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and as a board member and chairman for National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Earlier in his career, he served as president of the Utah Academy of Physician Assistants (UAPA), the Arizona State Association of Physician Assistants (ASAPA), and as chair of the Arizona Regulatory Board for PAs.

He also served as PA editor-in-chief for Clinician Reviews. Dr. Danielsen has published over nineteen peer-reviewed articles, twenty journal editorials, three book chapters, and his first co-authored book, entitled The Preceptor’s Handbook for Supervising Physician Assistants, published by Jones & Bartlett Learning. He is also a Senior Consultant with the Academy for Academic Leadership and a proud member of Rotary International.

Teaching at ATSU for over a decade, his favorite course to teach in the DMSc program is medical writing.

“I get an opportunity to teach PAs how to write for a professional journal and they do it. It’s really fun to see people blossom in professional writing. Now that the profession has proved itself, we really need PAs doing research on the profession and writing about cases they’ve seen, not only for our PA colleagues, but our students too.” – Dr. Danielsen

Check out courses taught by Dr. Danielsen:

Medical Writing
Quality Improvement in Healthcare
Physician Assistants in Healthcare Policy

Explore all post-professional PA courses >>

Retired after 28 years of service in the U.S. Air Force and Army National Guard with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Danielsen is also a former president of the AAPA Veterans Caucus and was honored with the Caucus’ Civilian PA of the Year Award in 2003. Dr. Danielsen was named Outstanding PA of the Year by the AAPA in 1993 and by ASAPA in 2011. In 2012 he was honored by the University of Utah, School of Medicine, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, Division of Physician Assistant Studies with the “Patron of the Profession” award for “unwavering dedication and service to the Physician Assistant Profession.” In May 2015 he received the Eugene A. Stead Award of Achievement by the AAPA. This is the Academy’s most prestigious award recognizing an individual for lifetime achievement that has had a broad and significant impact on the profession.

“My advice to PAs currently practicing who want to move upward is to decide what they really want to accomplish and to find their niche in education, leadership, or clinical practice.” – Dr. Danielsen

AuD featured faculty

Andrea Ruotolo, AuD, is an associate professor and program director of the Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Ruotolo received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Indiana University and her doctor of audiology degree from ATSU-ASHS.

“When I went online to get my AuD, I really saw that it rounded out my experience. I loved being an online student at that time, even with all the challenges of juggling work and a family. The faculty and Dr. Parent-Buck were incredibly supportive.” – Dr. Ruotolo

An audiologist for 34 years, Dr. Ruotolo has provided academic and clinical instruction at Portland State University and ATSU, where she has been recognized for teaching excellence. She has an extensive background in adult and pediatric assessment, amplification, and aural rehabilitation. Her professional experience includes hospital and medical settings, school settings, and private non-profit facilities. She has participated as an off-campus preceptor supporting local programs throughout her career and has frequently in-serviced nurses, physicians, and support staff on audiology-related issues. She served as a board member and Educational Committee chair for the Oregon Academy of Audiology.

As the director of the Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program, her role is focused on curriculum development and implementations, hiring, recruiting, and mentoring. She continues to teach her favorite course, Counseling, Aural Rehabilitation and Assistive Devices.

“I feel very passionate about counseling; how are we listening to our patients? Until we get to that underlying emotional message, we can’t move them forward in the testing, diagnosis, and rehabilitation process. The course engages our post-professional students in learning about those counseling skilling, and how they can apply those skills to create aural rehab groups in the clinical environment they’re in, whether that’s private practice, an ENT setting, hospitals, VA, etc.” – Dr. Ruotolo

Dr. Ruotolo has also taught in the residential AuD program, where she presented courses on hearing science, amplification, pediatric audiology, vestibular disorders, educational audiology, professional issues, adult amplification, adult aural rehabilitation, and embryology and genetic conditions.

Check out the course taught by Dr. Ruotolo:

AUDP 8220 Counseling, Aural Rehabilitation and Assistive Devices

Explore all our post-professional AuD courses >>

At the core design of the post-professional program is the connection with global colleagues. In every course, students are interacting with each other across the globe. With 29 global adjunct faculty and approximately 14 additional guest contributors sharing their expertise, information in the post-professional program is explored through a global perspective. This program truly looks at the temperature of where the audiology profession is going from a global perspective.

“Post-professionals may be a bit hesitant as they are considering the balancing act between work and family and school. My advice is if you’re considering the AuD, just make the leap. You will see the benefits across the board!” – Dr. Ruotolo

By going the extra mile in their education to increase their skills, the post-professional AuD graduates are opening doors in their careers across the globe. Those selecting the post-professional AuD program want to be leaders in the profession, esteemed academic faculty, more marketable for administrative and clinical positions, and to broaden their reach in their communities.

AT featured faculty

Alison Valier, PhD, ATC, FNATA, serves as a professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and assistant director in the Department of Research Support through the Division of Research, Grants, & Scholarly Innovations at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS).

“I came to ATSU for the opportunity to work with great people and be involved with something valuable and important to the profession. I’ve stayed for a long time because I love the work and what the school and program are all about, and the collective contributions that we make to the profession.” – Dr. Valier

Dr. Valier received her bachelor of arts in psychology from Whitman College in Washington. Initially interested in athletic training when she saw an AT on the job, she didn’t have any initial guidance on becoming an athletic trainer, but found herself engaged with the athletics department and the head athletic trainer at Whitman College. That’s when she found her passion for the profession.

She then received her masters and doctorate in exercise science from the University of Toledo, where she majored in applied physiology and completed a minor in human anatomy. Dr. Valier completed a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Clinical Outcomes Research, awarded to her by the NATA Research and Education Foundation.

Finding a fulfilling role as the athletic trainer for a few local high schools while completing her education, she then had a wonderful opportunity to come to ATSU as faculty, which changed the trajectory of her professional career.

“I got to see firsthand the value of post-professional athletic training education. That was eye-opening to me, how valuable and important it was. I was in this interesting spot where I got to be a part of delivering that curriculum and teaching students, but then, I hadn’t experienced a program like that myself. In some ways I was a little envious just because it really offered something I wished I had as a student in some of my learning.” – Dr. Valier

Dr. Valier’s teaching emphasizes the assessment of clinical outcomes and evaluating the end result of healthcare services, sports injury epidemiology, and quality improvement. She instructs students in the post-professional Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program, Master of Science in Athletic Training (MS-AT) program, and clinical decision-making graduate certificate.

Check out courses taught by Dr. Valier:

ATRN 7110: Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
ATRN 7130: Patient-Oriented Outcomes

Explore all our post-graduate AT courses >>

“I love my interactions with students, I love getting them excited. I like sharing new ideas and things they might be able to use practically in their practice. That’s always been fun and rewarding.” – Dr. Valier

Get immersed in Dr. Valier's research

Her primary research area of interest is clinical outcomes assessment, quality improvement, and sports injury epidemiology. At the centerpiece of her research is the patient. Dr. Valier studies the impact of sport-related injury on the HRQOL of high school and college athletes and the development of patient-reported outcomes instruments that are used to facilitate patient-centered care and evaluate patient outcomes. Further, she is interested in better understanding risks and rates of injury through epidemiology research as well as optimizing athletic training systems of care through quality improvement research.

With an interest in better understanding the outcomes of the care athletic trainers deliver to their patients, she strives to help students and clinicians reflect and evaluate their systems of delivery to find ways to make improvements or more efficient outcomes.

Dr. Valier has served in a variety of service roles in the profession. More recently she has served as a member of the NATA Pronouncements Committee and the Foundation Research Committee. She also serves as the co-chair of the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association Governmental Affairs Committee. In 2015, she was accepted as a Fellow of the NATA.

“There’s a lot of great benefit to taking a deeper study of things you’re passionate about. A program like the DAT allows you to do that. There are always things you can learn more about and things you can do to advance yourself and ultimately help advance or elevate the profession as well. I think that’s the value of education.” – Dr. Valier

AT featured faculty

Sue Falsone PT, DPT, MS, SCS, ATC, CSCS*D, COMT, RYT is an associate professor at A.T. Still University, who teaches across the spectrum of online post-professional AT offerings, which include Doctor of Athletic Training degree and Master of Science degree programs as well as individual courses leading to specialized graduate certificates and digital badges in Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. She also serves as a clinician scientist within the school’s Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network. Working as an accomplished physical therapist, athletic trainer, business owner, and educator, Dr. Falsone has experienced an eventful career spanning 25 years.

Initially earning a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy, Dr. Falsone was working as a PT when she decided to go back to school to become an athletic trainer, finding the sports medicine aspect interesting and believing it would complement her experience in PT. Physical therapy offered Dr. Falsone a post-injury clinical care perspective, while athletic training filled in the gap from the initial injury to the clinic. Wanting to span it all, from preinjury to postop to return to play, she also became a strength coach to learn the performance side.

“For me, it’s always been about how do I bridge this gap from non-injured being with the team and helping someone through an injury to get back to performance and field and be able to blend the AT, PT, and strength conditioning. That’s always been my passion and I took a long route to get there, but once I did, it was great.”

An alumna of Daemen College, Dr. Falsone graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a master’s degree in human movement science. Dr. Falsone gave graduation speech last spring at Daemen College, where she was conferred with an honorary doctorate, the state of New York bestowed a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

One of Dr. Falsone’s many accomplishments includes being the first female head athletic trainer in any of the four major American professional sports leagues, when she was named the head athletic trainer for the LA Dodgers in 2012. She also served as the head of athletic training and sport performance for the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team.

“It’s been a huge blessing in my life to have a small role in young women being able to see that vision for themselves, that they’re certainly capable in that position and have a seat at the table. I didn’t realize the impact of it at the time, it’s been almost 10 years and it’s still not the norm to have a woman in that position.”

Dr. Falsone is known internationally for her expertise in sport rehabilitation and performance enhancement and bridging between AT, PT, and return to sport.

Check out courses taught by Dr. Falsone:

ATRN 7250: Rehabilitation Considerations for Sport Performance

Explore all our post-graduate AT courses >>

In addition to teaching at ATSU, she treats patients and is the owner and founder of Structure and Function Education, an educational company working to bring the concepts, philosophies and techniques of dry needling to the allied healthcare professional.

“My biggest advice is to take the plunge, take that first step. People were like you’re already a physical therapist, you’re crazy to quit your job and go back to school to become an athletic trainer. But I knew that knowledge was going to elevate my life and it did. It changed the course of my life. It can be a risk and be scary, but when it’s your passion, you have to have some faith in yourself that you’re going to take the knowledge you learned and apply it in a way that is going to alter your life.”

AT featured faculty

Dr. Tamara McLeod is the Athletic Training program director, professor of Athletic Training, and the John P. Wood, DO, endowed chair for Sports Medicine at A.T. Still University's Arizona School of Health Sciences in Mesa, Arizona. She is also a research professor in the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona at ATSU.

Involved in sports from a young age and interested in science and medicine, Dr. McLeod completed her doctor of philosophy degree in education with an emphasis in sports medicine from the University of Virginia. Mixing her love of being an athlete with a medical approach, her interest was piqued in the ability to be around athletes and physically active individuals and help them achieve their goals to return them from injury and illness.

“The faculty within the AT department are amazing at what they do. We not only mesh in how we contrast each other in some ways, or meld our teaching styles and content areas, but we like to collaborate with each other, we like to work with each other on research projects.”

Dr. McLeod is the founding director of the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network. Her research has focused on the pediatric athlete with respect to sport-related concussion. Her current work is investigating the short- and long-term effects of pediatric sports concussion as well as recovery following concussion on traditional concussion assessments, academics, and health-related quality of life.

“There’s incredible faculty buy-in for who we are and what we do and how we want to teach the next generation of athletic training leaders. The people and the support to allow me to flourish as a researcher and as a teacher are really what’s kept me here for so long.”

Dr. McLeod is also involved with pediatric sports injury education and prevention through the Positive Play Project in conjunction with Mesa Parks and Recreation.

“Not only was [concussion-related pediatric and adolescent research] lacking in research literature, but I think collaborations with high schools were lacking and being able to provide services in some way to high schools that would ultimately result in research data down the road was important to me personally and in advancing the athletic training profession.”

Check out courses taught by Dr. McLeod:

ATRN7330: Classification & Management TBI in Sport
ATRN7340: Assessment & Management of Complex Patients with Concussion
ATRN8140: Leadership and Professionalism in Athletic Training (co-taught with Dr. Winterstein)
ATRN9004/9014: Completing and Disseminating the Project

Explore all our graduate AT courses »

Find Dr. McLeod’s research:

Dr. McLeod was a contributing author for both NATA Position Statements on the Management of Sport-Related Concussion, the lead author on the NATA Position Statement on the Prevention of Pediatric Overuse Injuries, and a consultant and contributing author on the Appropriate Medical Coverage for Secondary School-Aged Athletes and Appropriate Medical Care Standards statements.

Dr. McLeod serves on numerous editorial boards, publishes frequently in the athletic training and sports medicine journals, and is a NATA Fellow.

DNP course spotlight

DNPP 7600: Clinical and Theoretical Applications

An essential course in A.T. Still University's (ATSU) Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, Clinical and Theoretical Applications serves as a mentoring guidepost course, as most of the learning takes place during a student’s clinical hours. The learning that takes place embodies the true essence of the ATSU-CGHS curriculum with its direct and synchronous application of learning to the workplace. One of the core components of the course is the acquisition of direct clinical practice hours outside of the University and the student’s primary workplace. These clinical hours allow the student to practice their skills as a nurse leader. These required hours are completed under the guidance of expert nurse practitioners and educators in the ATSU faculty, as well as a site preceptor. Choosing a site for completion of the clinical practice hours can be a challenging but also a rewarding aspect of the course for students.

“Students are encouraged to utilize their network to find an area of interest or one for which they have a passion. Students have the freedom to select sites and preceptors with the exception of their current department or unit where they work to avoid a conflict of interest.”— Dr. Nicole Webb, Chair and Associate Professor of the DNP program.

Assignments for the course include reflective journal entries as well as meetings with faculty mentors and preceptors. Because the class is taken concurrently with other DNP courses, this course allows for guided practice in the application of the leadership concepts covered throughout the curriculum. For example, taken in sequence with the DNP Project Evaluation course, the work completed in Clinical and Theoretical Applications also serves as a building block for developing the final DNP project. One of the benefits of this course is the opportunity for students to identify their project topics earlier in their DNP so they can begin to build a knowledge base and their literature review.

Journal entries provide an avenue for mentorship of students by the preceptor and the ATSU-CGHS faculty member. For example, students might want to explore new quality improvement practices or gain valuable hours within a specific department at the clinical site. These types of entries provide opportunities for students, preceptors, and faculty to collaborate in creating a rewarding and productive clinical experience. These entries also allow students to reflect on challenges that might arise during their DNP and their clinical hours. The course instructor and facilitator, Clair Lunt, DHSc, MEd, MN, RN, encourages students to use these journals as a place to collaborate with her to find solutions to these challenges together.

“The journaling certainly helps students. If you have frustrations, that's the best place to put them. I am a resource always available to students as well and tell them, ‘If you need help with something, just let me know. And we'll work it out.’ ”— Dr. Lunt

The journals completed throughout the course can also serve as a reflective tool to consider when selecting the topic for the DNP project. After identifying a relevant issue through effective gap analysis, students can choose to focus their primary research on evaluating and addressing healthcare concerns.

“Staffing is the biggest challenge that nursing faces across the world. A Doctor of Nursing Practice can certainly provide people with leadership skills to address the issue of staffing shortages. For example, students can choose to use their DNP project to explore retention strategies. Our goal is to create nursing leaders that are solution-oriented and patient-centered.” — Dr. Lunt

DHA course spotlight

DHAD 8800: Strategic Change Management for Health Care Organizations

An executive course in the Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) program and a pathway course in the Master of Health Administration (MHA) program, Strategic Change Management for Health Care Organizations teaches student teams how to strategically position healthcare organizations for the future using a project-based learning model. Course instructor John Fick, EdD, FACHE, intends this project to apply to each student’s learning as well as their individual career goals.

“We put students in a real-world situation so at the end of the 10 weeks, they can then say, ‘This is something I can put in my academic portfolio, and I might even be able to use it at my place of employment.’” — Dr. Fick

Dr. Fick has implemented a variety of modalities into course assignments, refined over his 14 years of developing and teaching the Strategic Change Management course at ATSU. In addition to the course-long project which tasks student teams with developing their own strategic plan, assignments include discussion, readings, reflections, a presentation, and creation of a course impact video. Students find the course informative as well as applicable to a variety of real-world contexts.

“The course concepts can not only be used for the expansion or retraction of healthcare services but can also be applied to state governments to assess the need for existing or proposed services.” — Sean Murphy, MBA

Students especially appreciate that DHAD8800 offers a lot of depth, tasking them with considering any external, competitive, and internal factors that impact the strategizing process. External dynamics considered include technological, social/cultural, demographic, political/regulatory, and economic forces.

“The real-world application of the strategic planning process, specifically the requirement to assess the internal and external environment, is an insightful aspect of this course. The process of identifying strengths and weaknesses of an organization is a difficult, but necessary, function of anyone in a leadership position.” — Alicia D. Potter-Burk RN, BSN, MS, EdS

As in the workplace, students will not cultivate their strategic plan alone, but with others. Their collaboration skills are developed as the course culminates with the groups presenting their strategic plan to a live audience with a relevant background in strategic planning.

“Most students have been on the implementation side of a strategic plan but haven’t yet been exposed to the front end of forming a plan. Reviewing the mission and the vision statements, the collected data on the external environment, the internal information, the competitor information, and more to form a strategy are all new experiences they gain.” — Dr. Fick

Students also appreciate the opportunity to connect in real time with the course instructor, offering them the chance to refine their strategic plan and return to their workplaces with confidence and fresh ideas.

“The chance to be fully involved, and then being able to go back and contribute in a new way to their organizations is a big takeaway for students.” — Dr. Fick

Seeing students’ ability to apply their learning immediately to their careers has been a satisfying outcome for Dr. Fick, and a mark of success for the course.

“I've had students say, ‘I went back and revisited our mission and vision and I talked to the person responsible for that, and shared my strategic thinking map and they're going to follow up with me.’ This course has had an impact on students in terms of the visibility in their workplaces.” — Dr. Fick

AT Course Spotlight

ATRN 8160: Contemporary Issues in Athletic Training

Contemporary Issues in Athletic Training is a course offered as a part of the Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program and the Graduate Certificate in Athletic Training Education. This course explores modern issues that athletic trainers face, with a focus on contemporary concerns in athletic training education. “Students will develop insights and discuss implications for the ever-changing nature of health professions education,” according to the course description. ATRN 8160 is a dynamic course which allows flexible curriculum content in order to address professional priorities and trending concerns in higher education as well as the industry as a whole.

“ATRN 8160 helps students understand the direction in which the profession of athletic training is going, as well as barriers to moving forward and ways we can make a change. I was able to implement knowledge from the course into my workplace by taking these topics to my coworkers and encouraging change in their individual practice.” — DAT student, Kelly Ferian DAT, LAT, ATC

Some of the recent contemporary issues explored in this course include the student debt crisis as well as the evolving nature of faculty roles in the athletic training education space. All issues are explored globally and objectively, and students are encouraged to speak their minds in the safe environment instilled by Sara Brown, MS, ATC and Cailee Welch Bacon, PhD, ATC, FNATA, the course instructors. In order to make sure the content is applicable to students, Professors Brown and Welch Bacon present several issues and the class then votes on which topics will be explored in the course each block.

“I was able to implement knowledge from ATRN 8160 immediately. I took this course during the COVID-19 pandemic and found the information to be useful in navigating healthcare resources for student athletes. I felt more comfortable participating in conversations I would not have before.” — DAT student, Rebecca D.

Assignments in ATRN 8160 are multi-modal and dynamic, with a heavy focus on discussion. The course was designed with this emphasis in mind, so that students may bring their own work experiences and work culture to the classroom environment, where they can then learn from and be supported by a cohort of ATs from various backgrounds.

“Our classroom environment is so dynamic because we have students from every athletic training setting and every type of experience, coming from a wide range of years of experience in the profession. In this unique environment, multiple perspectives are considered continuously throughout the course.” — Cailee Welch Bacon, PhD, ATC, FNATA

ATRN 8160 students are also given a thoughtfully selected series of reading assignments, composed of eight books related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and other crucial concerns in the athletic training profession and in higher education. The course culminates in a professional priorities project, in which students are tasked with identifying the top three issues facing the athletic training profession. They then must reach out to athletic trainers in different settings and with differing experience levels in order to get more perspective on professional priorities and issues identified by current ATs. Toward the end of the course, students take this insight and apply it toward a deep dive into their chosen issue to explore, proposing solutions in the process.

“ATRN 8160 encourages students to think broader about many issues in AT with applicable topics to every setting. I found the tenure assignment to be especially helpful in my current workplace and was even able to use the knowledge learned to gain a promotion at work. I am a better professional for taking this course and for having the opportunity to work with and learn from Professors Brown and Welch Bacon.” — DAT student, Chelsea P., MS, LAT, AT

The Athletic Training Department strives to prepare ATs to take on modern challenges in any setting. Through discussion, careful reading, and professional outreach, the Contemporary Issues in Athletic Training course prepares students to not only better understand the professional issues faced by those in the field, but to also address these concerns and advance the AT profession as a whole.

DMSc course spotlight

DMSC 8220: Ethical Considerations in Health Administration

A required course in the Leadership track of the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS), Ethical Considerations in Health Administration will challenge students with ethical dilemmas in research, healthcare, and administration settings.

Taught by adjunct assistant professor Larry Fisher, DHSc, PA-C, Ethical Considerations tasks students with considering ethical dilemmas from an administrative angle rather than a clinical perspective. They must examine the real-life case studies they are presented with in relation to the fundamental principles of ethics: Beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice.

“One of the major takeaways students leave the course with is that some decisions have far-reaching implications. If they’re no longer just a clinician, they will have to answer to stakeholders. Their decisions are now much further reaching and of a gravity that maybe they’d never considered before.” — Dr. Fisher

Students must practice applying the four ethical principles in the form of discussion posts and more formal written assignments throughout the 10-week course. Dr. Fisher notes that these scenarios are challenging because DMSc students can very comfortably handle the cases from a clinical decision-making viewpoint, but have to expand their perspective to achieve the goals of the course.

“And so the question is not ‘What do you do with a broken leg and a ruptured spleen?’ But what do you do when a minor is brought into the hospital who was in a motorcycle crash, and has a broken leg and a ruptured spleen, and needs emergency surgery? But the dilemma: The parents are Jehovah's Witnesses and their theology prohibits blood transfusions. What do you do? Not as the surgeon, or as the PA, but as the hospital administrator. And how do you respectfully and ethically address these issues while also doing what’s best for the patient?” — Dr. Fisher

As the course instructor since its inception at ATSU, Dr. Fisher reflects on the ways healthcare and its most pressing challenges have evolved, and how that has impacted the Ethical Considerations in Health Administration course content as a result.

“The world is different and PA programs are changing to meet the new challenges. As the field is changing, doctoral-level PAs are going to be the ones leading the changes. The PA profession is demanding more of its members, and those with a doctoral degree are going to be influential participants in the changes needed.” — Dr. Fisher

Students of the Ethical Considerations course overall feel that, as practicing PAs, the coursework is immediately applicable to their careers.

“Having a framework to evaluate ethical concerns is helpful in the workforce. It provides a starting point for discussion and understanding. The course and the final assignment led to a lot of thought on how to approach a real-world ethical dilemma, spanning ethical responsibilities regarding finances, religion, and autonomy of responsible minors when in contrast to their parents.” — Ashley Mines, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA

As healthcare providers, PAs are often faced with ethical reasoning challenges. Ethical Considerations in Health Administration as a course helps them elevate their critical thinking as it relates to the responsibilities associated with the patient-healthcare provider relationship, and builds a framework to approach situations with a leadership mentality.

DMSc course spotlight

DMSC 8100: Adult Learning Theory

The first essential course in the Doctor of Medical Science program's (DMSc) Education track and a core requirement of the PA Post-Professional Certificate in Education, DMSC 8100: Adult Learning Theory is built around gaining an understanding of how adults learn. Students will discover and discuss crucial theories as they relate to andragogy, including behaviorism, cognitivism, humanism, constructivism, as well as contemporary theories around learning styles. They will then take this collective knowledge and examine how to apply it to the design, implementation, and assessment processes in teaching.

The course instructor, Mary Kimmitt Laxton, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, emphasizes that just because someone is a top clinician doesn't necessarily mean they will also make a good teacher. Adult Learning Theory is thus designed to fill the knowledge gaps which impede effective teaching.

“Being a successful educator is not simply knowing the material, for example, 'I know all about heart sounds, and I know all about heart murmurs.' You have to know how to teach an adult learner and appeal to the adult sensibility. And that is learned in this course.”— Dr. Laxton

Course material is fully evidence-based, implementing the most up-to-date research to inform about how adults really learn. For example, one module is solely focused on how adult learners retain information. Students in intensive programs, such as PA school, might rely on cramming material before an exam. But while this intensive study might be effective for achieving a desired grade, it can be detrimental to the long-term retention of knowledge.

“Being an effective teacher of adults relies on building an understanding of how adults learn. We should aim to not just help them learn now, but also build a foundation for ongoing learning. This is a mission all PAs and medical professionals should have: We should be lifelong learners. Teaching the foundations of adult learning theory has decades-long implications for the PA profession.” — Dr. Laxton

As in most ATSU DMSc courses, discussion is a part of the assignments students can anticipate in the course, as this helps them better absorb and understand the numerous learning theories discovered in DMSC 8100. Students can also expect reading and writing assignments throughout the term, with key assignments related to the core reading, “Education Theory Made Practical,” which require them to apply their learning. Students select a source from the bibliography of the book, and then deep dive into the original material so they may then present this information in either a written or video synopsis.

“The assignment goal is not just to demonstrate they know the material. Rather, do they understand how to develop something in writing or by video that aims to teach adults? I'm asking them to model the behaviors we want them to engage in as PA educators through teaching their peers.” — Dr. Laxton

The biggest takeaway from DMSC 8100 for many students is realizing the breadth of research dedicated to education and adult learning theories.

“Students are blown away to learn it's a real skill to learn how to teach adults, that it's not just, 'Well, how do I learn? And how did I learn, and what worked for me?' — there's evidence behind it, just as there's evidence behind how to treat a diabetic. Many of them are just so intrigued by the course literature.” — Dr. Laxton

Dr. Laxton believes the most challenging aspect of the course for students to grasp is that they're not just learning the course material for themselves but are learning the material to learn how to teach it to others.

“We stress very much in the grading rubrics and in the assignments, that this is about teaching your peers. Students learn the material but they also have to learn how to teach it. And when I offer feedback, I might say, 'Well, this is a great summary of the article. But here's a way you could make it stronger as a pure learning tool.' As an ATSU faculty member, as your instructor, I provide a lot of coaching. And I do ask students to demonstrate implementation of my feedback in their future work. It's a lot of work, but it's very rewarding.” — Dr. Laxton

MHSc Course Spotlight

MHSC6300 Special Topics in Health Science Research

The Master of Science in Health Sciences (MHSc) program offers a Special Topics in Health Science Research course (MHSC6300), which is designed as an introduction to using the research process to address health science problems and the use of evidence as a foundation for practice. The course is designed to provide students with practical skills they can apply to their professional role, whether they are in a clinical, managerial, or leadership position.

“This course teaches students to not just read, but critically appraise research so they can discern whether it's a high-quality piece of evidence and see if the topic was addressed in a rigorous way.” – Professor, Dr. Kathleen Mathieson, PhD, CIP

Special Topics in Health Science Research engages students in each step of qualitative and quantitative research design, from forming a methodology all the way to data collection, analysis, and presentation. The course is structured in 10-week blocks and is asynchronous, meaning students can complete the course at their own pace and on their own schedule.

Throughout the course, students engage in critical analysis of various research topics in the health sciences and create an integrative literature review. They also investigate a health science problem or area of improvement relevant to their professional role or personal interest and come up with a plan for how they might research and address the specific question related to the problem. There are also assignments in every module, including discussions focused on specific types of research articles, an infographic assignment, and analyzing a systematic review article.

“This course is of great importance to me due to it expanding my knowledge regarding research methods. I learned many new concepts that are needed for my future studies. The M9 assignment was my favorite, as the research was related to my field. The discussions were always engaging.” – MHSc student, Kamar E.

Students also contribute to a wiki where they gather and share research resources that they find useful, and this helps them build a credible repository of research resources that they can utilize after they’ve completed the course and MHSc program.

Overall, the course provides students with a strong foundation in research methods and equips them with the skills needed to critically analyze and evaluate research in the health sciences. By the end of the course, students are able to apply what they have learned to their specific interests and roles and engage in meaningful dialogue about research.

MEd Course Spotlight

Innovative Teaching Strategies in Health Professions

Taught as part of the Master of Education in Health Professions (MEd) program at A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Health Studies (ATSU-CGHS), Innovative Teaching Strategies in Health Professions discusses traditional and emerging learning theories in pedagogy and andragogy. This 10-week course is fully online and asynchronous.

Innovative Teaching Strategies in Health Professions covers the most effective, commonly used, evidence-based teaching strategies in health professions education. Topics discussed include student-centered learning, heutagogy, pedagogy 2.0 and 3.0, problem-based learning, and transformative learning. Students study the differences between instructor-focused and student-focused teaching strategies and learn how to meet a variety of learning needs and learning styles so information can be effectively understood by all students.

“The slow introduction into the different teaching styles was the most insightful aspect of this course. The lesson plan assignment was my favorite, because it makes you evaluate and analyze what you have learned.” – MEd student, Aaron B., MSDH

Emphasis is placed on teaching and learning in the face-to-face, hybrid, and online learning environments, and learning how to differentiate teaching strategies.

Learning activities include written assignments, reading articles published in professional journals, and watching videos, in addition to didactic teaching from the instructor. Interactive discussions are also a large part of this course, offering students the opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise with each other in the context of in the context of subject discussion topics each week.

There are a handful of other written assignments, including blogs, journals, papers, and a teaching presentation, where students design a teaching plan that they can use in the future.

“I learned a lot about my writing in this course, and that multiple theories depend on the students and the topic being taught.” – MEd student, Ann H.

There is a constant stream of new research about the effectiveness of various teaching strategies being published, so course content and learning materials are continuously updated.

DMSc course spotlight

Capstone Course Sequence

The Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program culminates in a three-course capstone series designed to instruct students in the process of developing and conducting an applied research project.

During the capstone course sequence, students work closely with their faculty advisor as they progress from conceptualization to completion of the research project. The applied research project is designed to target a problem in either clinical practice, the health system, the PA professional sphere, or PA education.

“I like the fact that you get to pick your own project. This allows you to choose something that you are passionate about, and it makes it easier to research and complete. I enjoyed how the discussion post questions were related to the capstone assignments. This allows you to continuously work toward completing the assignments throughout the week.” – DMSc student, Andrea M., MSPAS, PA-C

During the capstone courses, students will create a scoping review and a translational project. The capstone project must be of sufficient scholarly effort to satisfy the expectation of rigorous, professional, doctoral level work.

“The organization and structure of the courses helped the process of research for the capstone projects. Each course had a well-developed and organized structure of modules that broke up the project which made it easy to follow and feasible to complete within the deadlines.” – DMSc student, Shannon M. A., MSPAS, PA-C

In Capstone I, students determine the concept or idea they want to research. Students apply methods from prior courses, such as the Research Design in Healthcare course, to develop a proposal for their applied research project and conduct a literature review into their chosen topic. In Capstone I, students will:

Determine DCP topic with guidance from Capstone facilitator
Create Scoping Review protocol
Review scholarly writing best practices
Collaborate with classmates and Capstone facilitator on research oversight
Engage university resources – Librarian and University Writing Center

“I learned how to how to narrow the focus for a research project and how to properly do research and save my searches. I appreciated the information she provided about the AMA template.” – DMSc student, Margaret H., PA-C

Capstone II focuses on the collection and analysis of data. In Capstone II, students will:

Complete Scoping Review using PRISMA guidelines
Review evidence-based practices to assess the quality of literature
Collaborate with classmates and Capstone facilitator for research oversight
Engage university resources – Librarian and University Writing Center

“The capstone courses are very practical and relevant to the work I do as a PA educator and clinician. The coursework serves as a great resource for improving my skills as a researcher and life-long student.” – DMSc student, Hugo B., PA-C

Capstone III focuses on the final preparation and submission of a quality product targeted at publication in healthcare literature or presentation at a state or national meeting. In Capstone III, students will:

Review concepts related to translational research and implementation science
Design translational project
Conduct blinded peer reviews of classmates’ Scoping Reviews

“I added many tools to my toolbox: Excel Spreadsheet for tracking references, template for making a poster for a conference presentation, outline for putting together a dissertation type paper (which is different from a manuscript for a journal publication), how to use Qualtrics, performing basic statistical analysis of data set, putting together the parts of may paper (abstract, background, methodology), keeping a flow chart of my literature review, using PRISMA, etc.” – DMSc student, Catherine J.

At the conclusion of the capstone course sequence, students will have a finished research project that can be submitted for publication or implemented within their practice.

DPT course spotlight

PT807 Radiology and Imaging

Taught as part of the Postprofessional Doctor of Physical Therapy program, Radiology and Imaging is a three-credit course instructed by Wayne Smith, PT, DPT, MEd, Board-Certified Sports Clinical Specialist, Registered Musculoskeletal Sonographer and Colin Rigney, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist, Registered Musculoskeletal Sonographer.

“Dr. Rigney is a very good instructor. The course was challenging, and it required a lot of focus and dedication to learning. Through Dr. Rigney's expertise, I was able to understand the material and appreciate its value in providing quality patient care. I enjoyed doing the assignments, and it stimulated my critical thinking skills. This course was tremendously helpful, and I am very grateful that I attended this class.” – DPT student

This course covers the study of the common diagnostic and therapeutic imaging studies such as radiographs, CAT, MRI, and musculoskeletal imaging. Providing students with the necessary knowledge about imaging modalities, this course teaches how to read the images, how to look critically at the anatomy of the image, how to use imaging in therapy, and what imaging options would be most beneficial for a patient.

“The class was well-organized. Assignments and discussion board posts were applicable to clinical scenarios and helped me to be a better-informed clinician. I am particularly grateful for the video tutorials by Dr. Rigney and Dr. Smith. As someone with no formal or informal training in reading imaging studies, I learned a lot of new information.” – DPT student

This course teaches students to become aware of the indications and implications of commonly used diagnostic imaging tests as they pertain to patient/client management. Students find the presentations and audio-video training tutorials especially valuable. The professors cover various aspects of required clinical skills during imaging.

It’s not common to see a physical therapist in the field ordering x-rays and looking critically at a diagnostic image, as it’s not the standard practice in the profession yet. This course offers a great opportunity to bridge that gap and set an example for the rest of the profession.

“This course has been an eye opener for how imaging can impact therapy assessment and intervention. The materials provided were very thorough and well thought out. The subject seems very intimidating but the program itself is well organized and focuses on the most important aspects that are essential for the PT practice.” – DPT student

Radiology and other imaging modalities are great tools for PTs to use to expand their scope of practice.

“This course was really challenging, and we were propelled to not be shy in creating our own opinions and decisions as physical therapists. Therefore, I think it is of significant value to be a part of this class and have a teacher as an example of a great therapist. I would not change anything in this course, and I could not be more pleased to be a part of it.” – DPT student

AT course spotlight

ATRN 8150: Winter Institute

The Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program encompasses a four-day intensive Winter Institute at A.T. Still University’s Mesa campus. This is the only on-campus requirement of the DAT program. At this in-person event, students come together to meet faculty within the Athletic Training Department and adjunct faculty who are leaders within the profession.

Focused on advancing athletic healthcare, the thread of innovation is woven throughout the course with particular emphasis on innovation to advance higher education, patient care, and research. Each day of the four-day institute is dedicated to a different concept centered around faculty and industry leader presentations and small group discussions.

“The types of conversations we have at the Winter Institute can lead to change, advancement, and progression of the AT profession. I was able to come back to my workplace and have meaningful conversations with my colleagues about best practices, and I was able to speak with my supervisor about specific ideas to improve the care we provide.” – DAT student, Kimberly D., MS, ATC

This course is designed to promote in-depth interaction between students and faculty to facilitate the development of action plans for leading innovation in athletic healthcare education, patient care, and research.

The Winter Institute includes a presentation in which students prepare a project proposal specific to their work environment with the opportunity to receive feedback on the feasibility of implementation to help them develop the knowledge and skills needed for leading innovations within their own healthcare facilities and institutions. For many students, the Winter Institute is when it all clicks.

“The broad selection of topics discussed during the Winter Institute led me to generating new ideas to implement into my clinical practice, with the goal of continuing to offer the best patient care. The study group sessions were my favorite part of the Winter Institute, because I was able to hear everyone’s perspective on different topics and share different points of view.” – DAT graduate, Adriana P., DAT, LAT, ATC

The Institute faculty consists of leading innovators in athletic healthcare from across the country. Each faculty member leads educational sessions in their respective area(s) of expertise and also serves as small group facilitators. The face-to-face time with faculty promotes a new level of getting to know each other from a professional and personal lens.

“It’s nice to come together and see classmates and faculty in person. I think the Winter Institute really consummates all the learning by bringing it all together. Providing the opportunity to have those high-level discussions in the profession and how the learning students do every day can help solve some of those problems is a really powerful experience.” – Director of student recruitment and assistant professor, Dr. Nikki Harris

Throughout the week, students will be a part of small groups that meet daily, each facilitated by an internal (ATSU) and external faculty member, to maximize opportunities for extensive interactions with peers and faculty. Project groups meet daily to help students develop their innovative projects for leading and managing environmental change. Reflection groups meet at the end of each day to discuss the key points, where students experienced their greatest knowledge gains, how the information can be translated into their work settings, and what new questions may have emerged.

“The ability to share experiences with peers and learn from the top Athletic Trainers and educators in our profession cultivated an environment that you do not get to experience anywhere else. I found each day of the Winter Institute insightful and truly could not be more grateful to have experienced it.” – DAT student, Karley P., ATC

The Doctor of Athletic Training program is student driven and changes the way ATs think about athletic training in all aspects.

“The Winter Institute inspired me to change the way I evaluate, helped me make my practice even more patient centered, and gave me the tools to bring to my administration to show them our value lies outside of practice coverage, and that our daily schedule needs to reflect that.” – DAT graduate, Stephanie T., DAT, LAT, ATC

DMSc course spotlight

Quality Improvement in Healthcare

Taught as a core course in the online Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program, Quality Improvement in Healthcare takes a broader look at the global healthcare system beyond the patient level. Applicable to all PAs, whether they’re in clinical practice, administration, or education, many doctoral students say it’s an area of medicine where they haven’t had extensive education or experience.

This course introduces students to quality improvement (QI) tools used to look at the healthcare systems they’re utilizing, including the environment, personnel, and system processes that affect the quality of care that’s being delivered, the efficiency of healthcare, and the satisfaction of patients.

“I started the program believing that I understood the CQI process. I quickly discovered that I did not. As I learned about each of the QI tools, I began using them in my everyday work. I feel that I have a greater understanding of study process and measures. This is an excellent class.” – DMSc student, Robin A.

This online course includes components of The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) curriculum to prepare students to lead the development and maintenance of quality management in clinical and business settings. Students will develop foundational fluency in methods of healthcare data collection and industry-standard metrics of clinical quality and patient safety.

Course topics include analysis of underlying factors that affect quality improvement processes and management tools that can be effectively used to implement change. Students will look at systematic processes and data analysis tools that can influence evidence-based decision making at the practice level. They will also learn to evaluate external forces that hinder change, enabling them to make improvement processes more successful.

Through team-based learning, students explore how quality metrics enable evidence-based clinical and business decision making. There’s a lot of interaction and discussion among students on the discussion board and frequent interaction with the professor, Sondra DePalma, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA.

“I really like creating an environment where the learning is tailored to the student. When I know what their interests and needs are, I can customize it to them. The course is by no means cookie cutter. It’s very flexible, and I can work with students and help them develop the skills they need the most in their actual work environment.”
– Professor, Dr. Sondra DePalma, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA

Students complete weekly discussion posts and three assignments, including a traditional written essay assignment and a management tool they can use in real practice to help improve quality in their respective healthcare setting. The course culminates in the development a video presentation with a proposed quality improvement initiative that delves into specific areas PAs can implement quality change at their practice level or employment level.

“My favorite module was learning about the XmR chart. I have been recording injury and illness rates for many years but have been frustrated that I had no formula for computing normal variants. Following this course, I created XmR charts for patient lift/handling injuries that allowed each inpatient unit to understand thresholds for normal variation, allowing them to react quicker to investigate.” – DMSc student, Robin A.

Following this course, many students have been able to implement their proposed quality improvement initiative in real time at their current workplace… and then actually see they’ve been able to affect change.

"Students find that this course is something unique that’s not typically taught in PA programs. It really empowers them and enables them to apply their knowledge firsthand to see how PAs can make a unique difference in the healthcare system. They have skills they can leverage to make a difference within their own practices, which is something they maybe didn’t have prior to this course."
- Professor, Dr. Sondra DePalma, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA

AuD course spotlight

AUDP 8400 - Global Healthcare and Audiology

Taught as part of the Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program, the Global Healthcare and Audiology course is a four-week guided discussion focusing on current global hearing healthcare practices, areas of need, and advocacy for effective policies and services. Telehealth in audiology and interprofessional collaboration are also explored as potential opportunities for improving access to hearing healthcare services.

Week to week, instructor Kelly Malcom, AuD, MPH leads discussion with input from the program’s global students focused on concerns about the future and sharing information from healthcare systems across the globe. Topics discussed include practitioner interest at the undergraduate level, number of practitioners going into the profession, legislature changes and changes in law across the globe, and where leaders of the profession should be focused and are needed globally.

“Learning about the latest statistics on hearing loss, causes, and prevention was very insightful. Because of this course, I can better educate patients on prevalence of hearing loss in Australia and prevention measures.”
– AuD graduate, Dr. Michelle P.

This course includes case scenarios, article reflections, discussion boards, and written assignments culminating in a final project that students build components of each week.

Because the post-professional AuD program is focused on the global practitioner, this course is an amazing opportunity to evaluate the profession of audiology globally and not only look at where the profession is now, but where it’s going in the next 10, 15, 20 years. Plus, as the profession becomes more interconnected, this course emphasizes interactions between peers and the instructor to provide discussion based on a variety of global perspectives.

An area of expertise for Dr. Malcolm, who has focused her public health research on increasing access to audiology services in the United States and in low- and middle-income countries, she has delivered audiology services in Nicaragua and assisted in creating a teleaudiology program in western Nebraska to provide auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing for infants in a rural area. Dr. Malcolm received her doctor of audiology degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2020 and her master of public health degree with a concentration in global health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2021.

“The most insightful thing about this course was looking at hearing healthcare and healthcare in general from a larger perspective.”
– AuD student, Greg F., MS, CCC-A

Since audiology is a dynamic profession with technology changing clinical practices quickly, this course helps students refocus their perspective and take a global view of the profession, rather than solely focusing on their clinic and location. With a different focus than the typical science-, counseling, and technology-based courses seen in doctor of audiology curriculum, this course is unique in its structure and application.

AuD course spotlight

AUDP 7100 – Neuroscience and Neuroimaging

Taught in the online Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program, Neuroscience and Neuroimaging is a 10-week course designed to provide a detailed exploration of the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system upon which the foundations of audiologic diagnostic and therapeutic measures are based.

This course begins with a review of topics that students may or may not have covered at the master’s level. The weekly modules then provide an in-depth study of the development of the nervous system, the structure and function of the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system, neurovasculature, and detailed coverage of the audiovestibular system. Understanding overall function of the peripheral and central nervous system structures is geared toward making sure audiologists consider the health and medical conditions of their patients with a focus on whole person healthcare.

"I had a life-changing experience in AUDP 7100: Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. My grasp of neural processes was enhanced by this course's exploration of the intricate workings of the brain, and it also sparked a curiosity that fuels my passion for the subtleties of the human mind." – AuD student, Genia S., M.Sc.

Course topics include an understanding of imaging techniques used for the evaluation of auditory and vestibular pathologies. Neurodiagnostic imaging data from CT scans, MRI, and other imaging or data are correlated with audiologic findings when possible.

“After taking my first anatomy and neuroanatomy courses, I was hooked on learning and teaching neuroscience and neuroanatomy topics. As an audiologist, understanding the underlying structure and physiology of the nervous system is so valuable to our clinical judgements and interpretations.” – Dr. Parent-Buck

This course is taught by Tabitha Parent-Buck, AuD. Dr. Parent-Buck is a tenured professor and was appointed as the founding chair of the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) in July 1999. She is also the program director of the Entry Level Doctor of Audiology Program. Dr. Parent-Buck obtained her BS and MS degrees in audiology from Purdue University and her Doctor of Audiology degree from Baylor College of Medicine. Prior to developing the online and residential AuD programs at ATSU, she practiced in a variety of clinical settings, worked as a representative and trainer for AVR Sonovation, and provided academic and clinical instruction as an assistant professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of New Mexico. Her main areas of teaching for online and on-campus courses include neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, embryology, genetics, pharmacology, amplification, and otoacoustic emissions. Dr. Parent-Buck has published and presented on a variety of industry topics including the AuD movement, the use of web-based educational tools, hearing aid technology, otoacoustic emissions, neuroanatomy, vestibular assessment, genetics, and pharmacology.

“The neuroscience and neuroimaging course was challenging but extremely informative. It was very in depth and definitely expanded my knowledge. I feel much more comfortable analyzing images in clinic and feel it has made me a better clinician.”
– AuD student, Annie M., M.S.

Students’ understanding is assessed through a variety of learning activities including discussion board posts, case studies, short papers, quizzes, and examinations. Learning assessments in this course provide an opportunity to share clinical experiences, expand knowledge in this area, and rethink how to apply concepts in daily clinical practice.

“I truly enjoy working with colleagues across the globe and new audiology students in all of the neuroscience and neuroanatomy courses I teach. The content keeps me energized and I never get tired of the discussions and questions about anything related to neuro.”
– Dr. Parent-Buck

This course is offered to individuals who are taking the full post-professional AuD program or as a standalone course in the non-degree seeking option for individuals who already have their AuD, PhD, or a master’s and desire to expand their neuroscience knowledge.

AuD course spotlight

AUDP 8310 - Tinnitus and Hyperacusis: Theories, Evaluation and Treatment

Taught in the Post-Professional Doctor of Audiology program, Tinnitus and Hyperacusis: Theories, Evaluation and Treatment is a 10-week course designed to provide a detailed exploration of tinnitus and hyperacusis and the clinical tools required to treat this patient population.

Tinnitus is a huge topic in audiology. In the last decade, audiologists have developed a full tool kit of what questions to ask in the case history, which diagnostic tools to choose depending on the patient complaint, and a wealth of recommendations and counseling support for patients.

“I have used various resources from questionnaires to counseling tools to help my patients who suffer from tinnitus or hyperacusis. The assignments were relative and very useful for my everyday work in private practice.” – AuD graduate, Dr. Michelle P.

Course topics include etiology, epidemiology, comorbidity, musical hallucinations, misophonia, hidden hearing loss, impact on quality of life, and exacerbating factors. Detailed case histories; tinnitus self-assessment questionnaires/inventories; hyperacusis visual analog scales; psychoacoustic measurements and self-report measures of stress, anxiety and depression will be explored. This course is filled with case studies for students to put into practice what they learn.

"I believe the involvement of audiologists in tinnitus treatment and management is paramount for the emotional wellbeing of this population. Audiologists’ extensive knowledge of the auditory system and fundamental understanding of the aural rehabilitation process position them as leaders in tinnitus care." – Professor, Dr. Pineault

This course is taught by assistant professor Dany Pineault, AuD, Msc. Dr. Pineault earned his bachelor of applied science degree in speech and hearing sciences and master of science degree in audiology from the Université de Montréal. He earned his doctor of audiology degree from ATSU-ASHS. An expert in this field, Dr. Pineault has co-authored several papers on tinnitus and hearing health problems among the adult population in Canada with research analysts at Statistics Canada. Dr. Pineault has extensive clinical experience in the assessment and management of bothersome tinnitus and decreased sound tolerance. He regularly lectures hearing healthcare professionals on tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment protocols such as amplification, sound therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction.

“Dr. Pineault is a great professor and I really benefited from his interactions in the discussion boards. He did a great job of explaining complex issues.” – AuD student, Greg F., M.S. CCC-A

This course also includes an amazing section on the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying tinnitus and hyperacusis, where Dr. Pineault covers the physiology, anatomy, and different treatment options. Students learn evidence based audiological interventions related to tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management including counseling, amplification, and comprehensive management programs through the review of case studies. Students who take this course can implement the tools learned the very next day in their clinical environments.

ATSU’s post-professional AuD is meant to build on master’s level content, so Dr. Pineault reviews what individuals may or may not have learned at the master’s level and deep dives into the current research.

“The biggest takeaway is 10-weeks of knowledge about everything related to tinnitus and hyperacusis. This course is updated each block, so all references are the newest, latest research. Students discuss the most recent advances on this topic and are able to apply them immediately in their clinical environments.” – Program director, Dr. Ruotolo

This course is offered to individuals who are taking the full post-professional AuD program and as a standalone course in the non-degree seeking option. Individuals who already have their AuD, PhD, or a master’s and desire to implement tinnitus treatment can take this as a single course.

DPT course spotlight

PT831: Gender Healthcare in Physical Therapy

A key course in the Postprofessional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, Gender Healthcare in Physical Therapy explores the latest evidence surrounding gender-specific healthcare issues. The coursework examines and compares contemporary and traditional interventions and how they adjust alongside evolving knowledge in the field.

Taught by Heather Allen, PT, DPT, for the past 14 years, Gender Healthcare is meant to provide an overview of gender issues that may occur throughout the lifespans of males and females. Conditions covered include common pelvic floor dysfunction diagnoses, such as urinary incontinence and pelvic pain. More specific issues related to adolescence and aging in different genders, from dysmenorrhea to pregnancy and menopause in women and conditions like testicular and prostate cancers in men, are also reviewed.

“I want the therapists to be able to recognize and be aware of these health conditions so they can, at a minimum, provide education to the patient. After taking this course, they may not be 100% confident in treating pelvic floor dysfunction — but they can educate the patient on what's normal bladder physiology, they can understand exercises to assign to the patient. They can now educate patients, friends, co-workers, and neighbors on all these topics.” — Dr. Heather Allen

Dr. Allen notes that many students leave the course with a broader sense of the scope of the PT field, as well as more confidence and knowledge needed to provide whole person care.

“I learned that the scope of PT practice is much more diverse than I thought. [Some of the most helpful knowledge centered around] pediatric bladder and bowel dysfunction. I work with children and these conditions are very common with the population I work with, and so learning about this provided me with new insight.” — Jamie Lee Valdez, PT

Much of the course assignments involve creating patient educational materials, as Dr. Allen wants the students to leave with not only the knowledge but also the resources needed for students to educate their communities. Other assignments include frequent discussion, occasional quizzes, and case study assignments that require students to support recommended interventions for diagnoses with peer-reviewed literature.

“Regardless of what PT setting you work in, you can take away something from this course to apply in your clinical study.” — Dr. Heather Allen

For PTs who don’t normally diagnose gender-specific conditions, they feel the course better equipped them to take a whole person view of health for their patients and provide more holistic care.

“This course helped me feel confident understanding some of my patient's other distressing symptoms such as pelvic floor issues, osteoporosis, heart disease, menopausal symptoms, and certain cancer history.” — Shelley Hockensmith, PT, MPT, NCS

Dr. Allen’s goal of PTs leaving the course with information they can share with others is reflected in the feedback received.

“[After this course, I] was able to share information about gender specific conditions in an objective and easy manner.” — Jose Dela Cruz, PT

Gender Healthcare is a course that expands students’ scope and quality of patient care, empowering their PT practice.

“I was able to implement this course into my practice because I can now offer a basic verbal assessment and some preliminary and practical suggestions to patients [for more conditions, rather than saying] I cannot evaluate or treat.” — Jay Brahmbhatt, PT

DPT course spotlight

PT804: Integumentary Physical Therapy

A crucial course in the Postprofessional Doctor of Physical Therapy program, Integumentary Physical Therapy is an eye-opening look into physical therapists’ role in wound care, a too-often overlooked element of a PT’s realm of services. Course instructor Dana Palmer, PT, DPT, knows that many practicing PTs are unaware of how important knowledge of integumentary care is, and strives to reverse that phenomenon in this six-week course.

PT804 is divided into six modules, starting with an overview of wound care, before delving deeper into the five main types of wounds PTs are likely to encounter in clinical settings. The mid-point of the course allows students to practice their knowledge of wound debridement — which involves cutting away dead tissue so the wound can heal more efficiently — on a ham hock, eggplant, or orange. Students appreciate this practical assignment, which is evaluated over video.

“Being able to perform debridement on either a pork hock or an orange was a creative way to experience how the techniques can be performed properly. That was my first and only hands-on experience with sharp debridement, and I truly enjoyed it. I was able to apply the knowledge I gained from this course to patient/client education.” — Aileene Nejal, PT, PTA, CBIS

The fourth module picks up from debridement to discussing dressing wounds, before moving into adjunct modalities in week five — or how other PT treatment methods can apply to wound care. The final week of the course presents students with three case studies to which they can apply their integrated learning in the course by analyzing and presenting their suggested concerns, treatment, and patient education measures.

“The entire layout, organization, and content of the course were phenomenal. Before this course, I had little to no knowledge on application for wound care. Dr. Palmer’s mentorship and guidance helped me grow as a professional.” — Aishwarya Sriram, PT

PT804 utilizes many modalities to cover course material. From assigned readings to conducting their own secondary research to procure the latest evidence in wound care, students are tasked with reading widely and deeply on various literature in integumentary care. These readings are supplemented with frequent discussion, which allows students to gain insight from each other as well as their course instructor. Dr. Palmer also assigns a weekly critical thinking assignment, which challenges students to apply their learning to various case studies related to integumentary PT.

“Each weekly module had critical thinking discussions. The discussions were clinically relevant and applicable to realistic patient scenarios. These scenarios resulted in a deeper understanding of the material and the application of the new information.” — Kyle Knapp, PT, OCS, CSCS

Students in PT804 appreciated Dr. Palmer’s commitment to their learning, as demonstrated through her passion for the subject material, her availability for questions, and her additional learning opportunities and meetings available beyond class hours.

“Dr. Palmer enhanced my interest in the course material through her extensive teaching, engaging course material, and constructive feedback. I plan to share the knowledge I gained from this course with my colleagues.” — Susan Abraham, PT

In addition to students appreciating Dr. Palmer’s dedication to their success in the course, many students expressed that they gained an appreciation for the role of wound care in PT and were able to immediately apply these insights into their practice.

“The lessons on the normal structure and function of the integumentary system including the pathophysiology of various wounds and healing principles helped my clinical decision-making in providing quality care to my patients. Although wound care may only be a part of overall PT care in outpatient settings, it has a huge impact in the overall treatment outcomes.” — Venus Ong, PT, DPT

DPT course spotlight

PT819: Differential Diagnosis and Screening for Medical Conditions

Taught in the Postprofessional Doctor of Physical Therapy online program, Differential Diagnosis and Screening for Medical Conditions is a three-credit course taught by Professor Jenny Bradley, PT, DPT.

Focusing on content that is central to physical therapists’ daily practice settings, this course contains information that is especially critical for those working in the direct access states. Much of the information covered in this course isn’t taught in bachelor’s or master’s degree programs. Building on foundational skills acquired in entry-level PT programs, this course dives deeper into multiple body systems to identify areas and red flags that are outside PTs’ areas of practice that need referrals back to a physician for further diagnostic testing.

“This course is definitely central to the daily life of physical therapists. I honestly feel uncomfortable with my previous studies in physical therapy, as this type of information was not part of my training. I believe that baccalaureate degree therapy professionals should be required to take this course.” – DPT student

The information presented in the course provides a broader understanding of different body systems to improve students’ evaluation and assessment skills and can be applied immediately to their practice settings. Further, the format enables students to use their own experiences with patients to dive deeper into the body systems and reflect on how they could have provided better care, notice red flags they missed, or accomplished things differently.

This course reviews information related to differential diagnosis of the major body systems including cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematological, gastrointestinal, renal and urinary, hepatic and biliary, endocrine, and immune systems. In addition, students are introduced to the concept of differential screening in physical therapy and an in-depth analysis of the interviewing process.

“As a foreign-trained physical therapist with only a bachelor's degree, this course opened my eyes to the many intricate diagnoses that resemble the typical musculoskeletal conditions. I do not believe we ever had a course on differential diagnoses in my undergraduate studies so this aspect of my DPT learning is appreciated.” – DPT student

This course encompasses textbook and journal article reading with weekly assignments based on the required reading, quizzes, and discussion boards centered around students’ clinical experience, which are a favorite of students. While the course is asynchronous, Dr. Bradley offers a supplemental Zoom meeting during the course, which is an excellent opportunity for students to meet each other and discuss the course and patient cases shared in the discussion boards.

“I love teaching this course because I always learn from my students as well. I feel like it’s such an important area to focus on, especially with direct access and being a better practitioner. We might be the first medical person a patient sees, and we really need to know when something should be referred for further diagnostic testing that is outside our scope of practice.” – Professor Jenny Bradley, PT, DPT

AT course spotlight

Applied Research Project

As part of the Doctor of Athletic Training program, the Applied Research Project (ARP) is a series of four courses students participate in to assist in the creation of their research project. The goal of the ARP process is for students to complete a project that is meaningful and that they’re passionate about.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the DAT’s ARP is that students assume they need to conduct original research. The program offers a variety of options, including original research, which makes the process unique and approachable. The ARP is catered to the individual student’s area of passion and area of meaningful change for them or in their local clinical practice setting.

Students can conduct original research, including systematic reviews and point of care research, and are always paired with an ARP advisor who is conducting research in that area. This type of project follows the typical research process: students work closely with their advisor to develop the methodology, collect the data, analyze it, and disseminate it.

“My professors were topnotch! They were supportive, patient, encouraging, knowledgeable, and demanding, all at the same time. The pulled a level of performance out of me that I didn’t know I could execute.”
– DAT graduate, Brandon H., DAT, ABD, LAT, ATC

Students can complete quality improvement (QI) initiatives to improve an identified quality gap in their practice or at their clinical practice setting. They go through the formal QI process for their project. Students are also encouraged to create case studies for interesting and unique cases they’ve come across in their practice.

The last option is a special project, which covers the whole spectrum of possibilities. Some examples include developing education intervention to provide education for a known gap in AT, creating a business proposal for employers detailing new positions or creating new programs at their employment setting, developing protocols to be adopted by employers, or developing new theoretical frameworks for clinical practice for AT education.

Check out completed student research projects at Kubify.

“We’ve seen a whole variety of different projects and it’s been really exciting to see these projects move forward beyond the ARP process and actually make meaningful change to athletic trainers and the profession.”
– Professor Cailee Welch Bacon, PhD, ATC

The four courses within the Applied Research Project include:

ATRN 9001: Analyzing the Problem
ATRN 9002: Proposing a Solution
ATRN 9003: Implementing and Evaluating the Solution
ATRN 9004: Completing and Disseminating the Project

Explore all our post-professional AT courses ›

Analyzing the Problem is the first course in the series of four courses designed to assist students with the development of an applied research project through the stages of reviewing the literature to project dissemination. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills to successfully review the literature around their chosen ARP topic and write a focused review of literature, which will serve as a foundational paper for the ARP.

“After diving deeper into my literary search, I felt confident discussing the topic with people at my workplace. I was able to implement my knowledge immediately with my supervisors and my students knowing I had the most updated information.” – DAT graduate, Taelar S., DAT, LAT, ATC, CES, GTS

Proposing a Solution is the second course with the purpose of providing students with the knowledge and skills to develop and present their ARP proposal. During this course, students will work closely with their ARP advisor to ensure the ARP proposal is methodologically sound and feasible. By the end of this course, the student will have completed the ARP proposal and will present the project to their ARP advisor and submit their application to the IRB.

Implementing and Evaluating the Solution is the third course with the purpose of providing students with the knowledge and skills to continue finalizing their data collection forms and sampling methodology. This course will help students develop and implement an analysis plan for their ARP, based on previous methodological and statistical courses, and write the bulk of their results section so that they will be ready to complete their manuscript and prepare it for dissemination.

“The ARP process really increased my understanding of conducting point of care research and how beneficial it will continue to be for our profession as we continue to see evolution within the field of medicine.”
– DAT graduate, Jessica P., DAT, ATC, CES

Completing and Disseminating the Project is the fourth and final course. The purpose of this course is to provide the knowledge and skills needed to successfully complete the ARP manuscript, and to identify possible strategies for the dissemination of research findings through multiple means, such as poster and oral presentations or manuscript submission.

Many AT students can be intimidated by the research process. By providing structure via these four courses, students work very closely with their ARP advisor, and they are able to approach the project in small digestible components which make the process more feasible and less intimidating. This process enables students to get a better understanding of the steps that they can continue to take after they complete the ARP and the DAT degree to keep that process moving forward.

“Most athletic training students see research as intimidating, so if I can break down the process to simplify it for them that may help them make their project successful and less intimidating.” – DAT graduate, Brian B., DAT, LAT, ATC

Post-graduation, many students are still focused on their ARP topic, presenting at district and national conferences and publishing their work. They are also continuing to create more change either at their place of employment or more broadly for the profession.

“As a full-time faculty member in the Health and Exercise Science department, I incorporate components of what I studied into a variety of courses that I teach (Principles of Fitness Assessment, Exercise Techniques, Principles of Strength Training & Conditioning).” – DAT graduate, Kristen A., DAT, LAT, ATC, CSCS, CES, FMS-2, FCS

AT Course Spotlight

ATRN 7430: Orthopaedic Imaging and Labs

An intensely informative course in the Orthopaedics track and graduate certificate of ATSU’s Athletic Training Department, the Orthopaedic Imaging and Labs course is designed to increase the AT’s knowledge in imaging and laboratory techniques to evaluate and treat orthopaedic patients. This course can also be taken as a part of the Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) degree or the Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program.

Students are exposed to a variety of imaging modalities including radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging, CT scans, and musculoskeletal ultrasound. These are examined along with common lab tests and results along with specific scenarios as arranged by course instructor and adjunct professor JJ Wetherington, MS, LAT, ATC, BCS-O and supported by assistant professor and course facilitator Nicolette “Nikki” Harris, DAT, LAT, ATC, CSCS.

Professor Wetherington emphasizes that the biggest gain students can anticipate from the course is an abundance of practical knowledge and a new skill set.

“This course significantly expands a learner's knowledge in orthopaedics and diagnostic imaging. It gives students a chance to learn by studying real world, practical examples. They truly develop an additional skill set that a lot of athletic trainers don't have.” — Professor JJ Wetherington

Students especially appreciate the opportunity to review and learn from an expert currently working in the field and are eager to absorb all knowledge that can be gleaned from Professor Wetherington as well as any imaging examples he shares. The practical experience gained from studying these images is invaluable.

“I was able to directly implement a lot of the information in this course because I use ultrasound in my regular clinical practice. Being able to better understand how to read images has drastically improved my ability as a clinician to evaluate and diagnose complicated injuries in my patients.” — Mitch Barnhart, DAT, ATC, AT

Many students feel the course is applicable immediately to their AT practice.

“I loved getting the opportunity to dive deeper into reading imaging to be able to translate that into practice when reviewing MRIs in clinic with patients.” — Abby Gullo, MS, ATC, CSCS

Much of the course is arranged around compiling information and references for students to use in their own practice or share with peers, as well as creating patient educational materials.

“I continue to utilize some of the resources that I created in class to enhance the verbal education that I give to patients and their families. I enjoyed learning about interpreting imaging and lab reports. Right away, I was able to incorporate what we were learning in class about imaging of the elbow to identify a subtle fracture that had been missed in one of my patients.” — Kendall Marshall, DAT, ATC, CSCS

Discussion is also a key part of the course, as talking about orthopaedic imaging concepts with other ATs helps students increase their comfort and practice the new “language” learned in the class.

“Regardless of what their role is in imaging, this course gives ATs kind of a new language to speak — particularly during the evaluation process or when they're communicating in an interdisciplinary capacity with a physician or other medical professionals. ATRN 7430 is really giving them a new language so that they can be comfortable when talking about a condition.” — Dr. Nikki Harris

AT course spotlight

ATRN 7440: Orthopaedic Surgical Considerations

Taught as part of the Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program, the post-professional Master of Science in Athletic Training (MS-AT) program, and the Graduate Certificate in Orthopaedics, the Orthopaedic Surgical Considerations course is designed to enhance the athletic trainer’s knowledge, understanding, and awareness of special considerations for rehabilitation following common orthopaedic surgeries. With a focus on improving ATs’ ability to provide quality education and counseling to orthopaedic patients, students develop advanced knowledge and skills in post-surgical rehabilitation.

Within the first couple of weeks of the course, basic concepts related to orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine, and general guidelines for rehabilitation considerations for post-surgical patients are presented. This sets the framework for the general process of understanding surgery and how ATs manage post-surgical patients.

“This course brought to life the intricacies of orthopaedic surgery and the rehabilitation considerations that follow. We got to learn collectively about common major orthopaedic surgeries. This course has helped me be able to better describe what a patient may be going to experience. It has also allowed me to engage in better rehabilitation understanding.” – DAT student, Caitlyn T., MS, LAT, ATC

Then curriculum then focuses on 10-12 specific procedures in different body regions that are common in athletic training, from a week on arthroscopic surgery at the hip to ACL reconstruction. Then, discussion covers how to guide the progression of post-surgical rehabilitation based on evidence, inclusive of tissue response to surgery, post-surgical rehabilitation guidelines and timelines, and surgical outcomes.

“While the final project was a lot of work, it was very rewarding to become intimately familiar with a surgical procedure and rehabilitation process that I was interested in. Otherwise, the discussion board assignments were all equally valuable.” – DAT student, Kim D., MS, LAT, ATC

Focusing on what ATs need to know about orthopaedic surgery, the goal of this course is to ensure they can provide quality care for the patient, progress the patient as appropriate, and maintain and protect the surgical procedure as it’s healing. Students will engage in weekly collaborative learning activities to critically appraise the current evidence for post-surgical rehabilitation approaches.

“All of the patient education assignments were my favorite, as they have been something I have formally used in my clinical practice. Patient education material has helped me manage patient expectations and appropriately educate and discuss their options.” – DAT student, Matt S., ATC, MA, CSCS

The course culminates with the development of a comprehensive, evidence-based post-surgical rehabilitation protocol for an orthopaedic surgery of the student’s choice. The biggest benefit of this course is exposure to and increased awareness of a wide variety of common sports medicine and athletic training orthopaedic procedures. The course prepares students to be able to perform surgical rehab after any type of surgery, even if it isn’t a surgery covered in the course.

“Beyond the discussion boards, I really enjoyed having to create a post-operative rehab protocol. That is something I had never done before and had previously relied on pre-existing documents in the literature or from the physician.” – DAT student, Kendall M., MS, ATC, CSCS

The DAT program attracts a variety of ATs from different backgrounds and clinical experiences, and this course is no different. For students who aren’t working in post-surgical rehab on a regular basis, they still benefit from this course by gaining a much deeper understanding of the surgical process and rehab, enabling them to better educate and help their patients navigate the process. And for students who work in post-rehab, this course offers directly applicable knowledge to their practice.

“Throughout the course, I had patients with a UCL reconstruction and another patient with an ACL reconstruction which gave me the ability to immediately implement what I learned and how to properly help them.” – DAT student, Anna F., MS, ATC

The Athletic Training Department at ATSU has the goal of creating courses that provide foundational content to support the student in continuing to develop and grow as a clinician throughout their career. Most students who take this course have little exposure to surgical procedures or post-surgical rehab and have never taken a course focused on different surgical procedures. This course helps expand that area of knowledge from a clinical skills standpoint and from a patient education standpoint.

AT course spotlight

ATRN 8100: Practice-Based Research

Practice-based research represents the last step of the transnational research continuum and is vital to the translation of evidence into routine clinical practice. Taught in the Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program, Practice-Based Research is one of the last classes students take before graduating with their doctorate. The course allows students to reflect on previous curriculum and see how they can apply learned concepts in their clinical practice to improve their understanding of and ability to conduct practice-based research.

"Interestingly, the course in its entirety was my favorite. After the course, our emergency department implemented a number of the course items to initiate research in the department.” – DAT graduate, David H., DO, DAT, ATC

As one of the few athletic training programs that offer a specific course for practice-based research, many topics discussed typically aren’t found in athletic training curricula, such as the clinician-scientist model, researcher-clinician partnerships, common study designs and statistical approaches for point-of-care research.

"I learned a more progressive way to conduct research at the point of care and to answer clinical questions, which I found beneficial. I also learned how the AT-PBRN can be utilized by clinicians for integrated use of the EMR system to promote research clinicians in the profession of athletic training.” – DAT student, Jerry S., MS, ATC, LAT

The first half of the course is heavily structured with readings and discussion boards, while the second half of the course is dedicated to students designing a point-of-care research project. While implementing the project isn’t mandatory, it enables students to think about what they can do at the point of care in terms of research and how they can design a study to create practice-based evidence and disseminate their findings to patients.

"I enjoyed completing the practice-based research project that encompassed a topic of interest and how it impacted the clinician-patient care. I began incorporating tools based on the research to improve patient care and provide valuable information for the clinician.” – DAT student, Adriana P., MS, LAT, ATC

Practice-Based Research is taught by Kenneth C. Lam, ScD, ATC, who’s an associate professor of clinical research within the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and serves as the director of the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network (AT-PBRN), which is the only practice-based research in athletic training recognized by HARQ.

"If we look at practice-based research in athletic training, our faculty are leaders in that regard. We want our students to have the skills and knowledge to make the last step of the translational research framework because it is vital for all care of patients in terms of research evidence.” – Dr. Kenneth Lam, ScD, ATC

AT course spotlight

ATRN 8170: Applied Clinical Education and Mentoring

Taken as part of the Doctor of Athletic Training program or the Athletic Training Education Certificate program, the Applied Clinical Education and Mentoring course is intended to improve students’ understanding and application of best practices in clinical education and mentoring in athletic training professional education and residency or fellowship programs.

Course content is structured through assigned readings, guided questions, and online discussions that help foster students’ engagement. The first half of the course focuses on fundamental information, including the history of clinical education in healthcare overall, before narrowing in on clinical education in athletic training. Weekly topics incorporate best practices for bridging the gap between didactic and clinical education, clinical education techniques and models, preceptor mentoring, and student/resident/fellow mentorship models. The class then discusses prevalent stakeholders and their roles.

The second half of the course covers the application of information learned with focused discussion regarding developing assessment activities at the point of care to facilitate practice-based research.

“This course taught me practical ways to mentor future generations of ATs. It also helped me utilize new skills to be a better preceptor to athletic training students. I will be able to implement the knowledge from this course in the coming months as my workplace becomes a clinical site for a local AT education program.” – DAT student, Cody W., MS, LAT, ATC, CSCS

Then, the course delves into contemporary topics in athletic training clinical education, for example, full-time clinical education experiences, facilitating transition to practice, using simulation to improve education opportunities for students, and mentoring. Students also complete a five-week long project that can either be a professional development workshop for preceptors or an assessment plan for clinical education.

“I enjoyed responding to the preceptor questions and seeing how others would respond to the issues. I made it a point to incorporate the standards into my preceptor work (teaching students why).” – DAT student, Kelly F., MS, ATC, CSS

This course is taught by Chad Clements, MS, ATC, associate professor and Director of Clinical Education, and co-taught by associate professor Bart Anderson, DHSc, AT, ATC. Prior to joining the ATSU faculty full-time in July, Chad Clements developed the course content and taught this course as an adjunct faculty. Dr. Anderson serves as the primary clinical faculty member and clinical education coordinator for the post-professional master’s program, overseeing all aspects of the Advanced Clinical Practice program (Clinical Education), including establishing and maintaining graduate assistantships, coordinating affiliated clinical sites and preceptors, and providing clinical mentoring to AT program students.

“Each of our own lived experiences has shaped what we know about being a student in a professional AT program and going through clinical experiences. This class helps reflect on the successes, the challenges or failures of students’ own experiences, and how can they now improve the experiences students have in professional AT programs.” – Professor Chad Clements

Since all students experienced a professional athletic training program, many relate to the post-professional curriculum. Most students in this course have been practicing clinically, possibly in the role of a preceptor, but may not have any experience looking at the standards for accreditation for AT programs and what the specific content is related to in clinical education. For students who are already in faculty roles, this course helps expand on their ability to effectively implement a structured clinical education framework.

DMSc course spotlight

Health Economics

Taken as part of the leadership track in the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program, Health Economics is a 10-week course that provides a foundation for understanding how economics influence the shaping of health policy in the U.S and how students can apply that in leadership positions. The course starts with building the foundation of understanding health economics and then develops a detailed examination of both the micro- and macroeconomic views of healthcare, history, current status, and its evolution.

“I didn't have a great economics foundation going into the course. I had never taken any economics courses in undergrad, so this was helpful in giving me some basics and applying it to healthcare.” – DMSc student, David E., MHS, PA-C

Topics compound on each other week to week. After covering the basics of health economics, students delve into the different health inputs (efficiency, effectiveness, values, and behaviors), before looking at the consumption of healthcare. The course then discusses factors that influence the supply and demand of healthcare to provide students with a grasp of the market forces impacting the U.S. healthcare system. Discussions will also include topics such as market equilibrium, scarcity, risk aversion, moral hazard, adverse selection, quality of care, and pay for performance.

“I enjoyed the reading and the weekly interactions, they enabled me to be more cognizant of all aspects of the financial side of medicine.” – DMSc student, Norman D., RN, MS, PA-C

This course is for students looking to take advanced leadership roles within hospital systems, the public health sector, and government. Since economics typically isn’t covered in PA school, students who take this course benefit by gaining advanced knowledge of running a business and balancing the economy of healthcare.

Taught by Dr. Joseph Weber, DHSc, MBA, MPAS, PA-C, this course is very relevant to health topics discussed as a society for the past decade, but really became more important with the outbreak of the pandemic. By providing the framework to process what is happening in real life, students are able to watch the news with new dimensions and understand current events with greater perspective.

“This is really the first time the world has collectively looked at the health impact and seen the economic impact on a global basis. This is a cool time in history to teach this course.” – Professor Dr. Joseph Weber

By gaining a historical perspective, DMSc students and graduates in leadership positions can help make and drive business decisions, policy decisions, and drive public health decisions in changing how practitioners care for the young, elderly, and economically disadvantaged.

“I meet with my Chairs once a week, and this course allowed me to speak more knowledgeably than in the past in regard to business matters. I've always had the voice in these meetings, and brought topics of value to the table, however, now I bring a higher quality of understanding.” – DMSc student, Teresa D., MPAS, PA-C

DMSc course spotlight

Social & Behavioral Determinants of Health

Part of the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program, this 10-week course serves as an introduction to the social, cultural, behavioral, and economic factors that influence health status and population health interventions. Often overlooked in traditional entry-level healthcare education, social determinants of healthcare contribute about 80-90% of health outcomes. This course provides a higher level of understanding of the underlying factors of patient care in clinical practice and a higher level of evaluating needs and factors of patients.

“This course gave me the opportunity to do an in-depth study, research, and understand the local social determinants, especially those affecting the health of my patients. The course is very well structured.” – DMSc graduate, Mousumi D., PA-C, DMSc, DPH, MPhil, MBBS

Throughout the course, students discuss all non-clinical factors that affect patients’ health, wellbeing, and quality of life. These include sociocultural conditions and factors of work and life that affect patients’ wellbeing, such as their environments, community, the physical structures in which they interact, economic stability, access to food and other resources, and education. By learning the coursework in their actual environment and community, students gain a better understanding of their specific patients.

“I found the presentation on 'Food Deserts' very informative and eye-opening. This addressed both the urban and rural food deserts, and the special challenges for medical and public health leaders within each geographical and socioeconomic region.” – DMSc graduate, David G., DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA

The curriculum includes assigned reading materials, audio/visual resources, and discussion boards where students can apply and summarize their learning of the material, collaborate with colleagues in group learning, and also propose ideas to overcome social determinants of health. Students can incorporate their own sources into the course depending on their interests.

“The course provided clarity and relevance regarding how the Social Determinants of Health relate to primary care and patient outcomes particularly in underserved populations.” – DMSc graduate, James L. Ali, DMSc

Throughout the course, students complete three assignments inclusive of a formal written paper that analyzes and summarizes aspects of health that are unique to their patient population or community and a project where students work to understand health literacy, promote health literacy among their patients, and learn to communicate more effectively with their patients. This culminates in a final assignment where students put together a proposal for an initiative to address a social determinant of health that’s applicable to their patients, students, or community. This includes a presentation where students talk about specific strategies and tools to implement into their own practice or work environment.

“There’s a lot of flexibility within the framework of the courses, you get to know the students, their goals, their interests, and provide them with supplemental resources within the context of the material, so they can really learn information that’s readily applicable to their patients.” – Professor Dr. Sondra DePalma

This class is taught by Dr. Sondra DePalma and Dr. Francis (Frank) Crosby. Dr. DePalma is a national leader of PA practice regulations, policy, and utilization. In addition to being an adjunct professor with ATSU since the DMSc program’s inaugural class, she also works fulltime for the American Academy of PAs as the Director of Regulatory and Professional Practice.

Dr. Crosby received his DHSc in 2013, after decades of working in the PA profession and the United States Air Force. During his military career, he served in multiple leadership roles including deputy chief of medical staff, commander of a medical operations squadron, and as an AF liaison to the Joint Commission. He is also a founding member and past President of PAs for Tomorrow. Dr. Crosby brings a wealth of experience in leadership and health policy to the DMSc program.

"The most common theme students have said is this has been the most eye-opening course they have taken so far. The course makes students think about their own communities. It takes into consideration local cultures, things patients might do before they commute to the clinic, and integrating medicine with the local culture." – Professor Dr. Frank Crosby

This course prepares doctoral students to understand the key factors of healthcare and where they as clinicians, educators, and leaders can potentially make a difference in their future work and careers to improve the health and wellness of individuals, communities, and populations. After completing this course, students have a much better understanding of factors that are affecting patients and are given a framework for integrating social determinants of health into their daily practice. Students who are educators are better able to explain these determinants to their students, improving their teaching plans and education.

AT course spotlight

ATRN 7110: Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

Quality improvement is the consistent, combined effort of many to make changes in healthcare that will improve patient outcomes, system performance, and professional development. Taken as part of the Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program, Master of Science in Athletic Training (MS-AT) program, and post-graduate certificate in clinical decision-making, this 10-week course is designed to enhance the athletic trainer’s understanding of quality improvement as it relates to patients’ health, clinical care, and learning.

“This class had me taking a second look at a lot of different protocols that my institution has in place and how to improve upon them, not only that, but it also gave me the tools and the knowledge I needed to know how to properly and effectively go about it.” – DAT student, Mackenzie V., MS, LAT, ATC

Students are introduced to an element of quality improvement each week, building upon previous concepts. Starting with a global overview of the history of quality improvement, students are then introduced to the methodology used for quality improvement, the Model for Improvement, which serves as the theoretical foundation for the course. Curriculum topics include creating and managing interprofessional teams, identifying quality improvement issues, process literacy, data collection for continuous improvement, and implementing system changes.

“It is a more systematic approach rather than just writing ideas down. The step-by-step approach to making change is something that takes time and does not happen overnight. I have learned to incorporate others in the process as well.” – DAT student, Brian B., MEd, LAT, ATC

Students are introduced to tools and strategies to become process literate, which helps clinicians better understand what’s going on within their healthcare system to see where the opportunities are to make it better. During the course, students will also be introduced to common tools used in quality improvement projects, such as process diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams, run charts, and plan-do-study-act cycles.

“My favorite week was the week where we discussed working styles and how to build a team. I always see many problems in our field, but never know where to begin to address them and it becomes overwhelming. But Dr. Valier guided us through the steps on how to make change happen. Building a team and outlining each of the roles each member needs to contribute for success was something that I think is the most important.” – DAT student, Jeremy A., MA, ATC

The thread that runs through the entire course is the development of a quality improvement project. Students learn how to identify a problem or a healthcare quality gap and find ways to reduce that gap and make systems function or work better to create a better patient experience. Within the coursework, students identify an area of improvement needed within their healthcare system and create a plan for how they could make that area better. Assignments include readings, multi-media presentations, discussions, and individual and/or group assignments.

“The final project was my favorite part of the course because it put everything together. I was able to utilize the class project in my practice at the time.” – DAT student, Brian B., MEd, LAT, ATC

Some course highlights include a greater understanding of how to form and lead a team, how to take action on things that need quality improvement, and how to practically promote a culture of change.

This class has significant student and faculty interaction and sharing of ideas between students, adding a fun engagement element to the class. This course is taught by Dr. Alison Valier, PhD, ATC, FNATA, who also serves as a professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and is the assistant director in the Department of Research Support through the Division of Research, Grants, & Scholarly Innovations.

“My experience with Dr. Valier was very pleasant and thought-provoking. I was excited to learn more from her. There was so much that I was excited about that I even met with her one on one via Zoom. She was responsive, patient, and very knowledgeable. One of the top professors I've had here at ATSU.” – DAT student, Jeremy A., MA, ATC

AT course spotlight

ATRN 7250: Rehabilitation Considerations for Sport Performance

Rehabilitation Considerations for Sport Performance provides ATs with advanced knowledge on how to bridge the gap from rehabilitation to sport performance. Taught by Sue Falsone PT, DPT, MS, SCS, ATC, CSCS*D, COMT, RYT, and referencing the textbook, Bridging the Gap from Rehab to Performance, written by Dr. Falsone, the course lays out an organizational system for treating an athlete from rehab back to performance. This course can be taken as part of the Master of Science in Athletic Training program, Doctor of Athletic Training program, and Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation. Notably, it allows for the individuality of the clinician. Dr. Falsone says, “What we do is an art based on science. It allows the clinician to still be an artist, but provides them organization and science to back up what they’re doing each step of the process.”

The course covers neuromuscular considerations such as psychomotor and somatosensory control, in addition to considerations for strength training, time under tension, power development and athletic movement prescription.

“Learned a good amount of advanced rehab techniques as well as proper assessment and progression and I improved rehab knowledge. I loved the videos, projects, and the feedback we were able to give to each other.” – DAT graduate, Amanda H. DAT, ATC, CES, SMTC

Broken into weekly components, material covers identifying the pain generator and discussing the source of someone’s pain, followed by discussion on the cause of someone’s pain. The following sections covers cycle motor control, with in-depth discussion on the brain-body connection. Then the nervous system is covered, including how do to manipulate the nervous system to create an outcome of movement, such as the visual, vestibular, or co-receptive.

“My favorite assignment was creating the movement analysis chart. It made me look deeper into the types of movements each sport does and understand the types of functional movements that need to be incorporated while rehabbing to improve performance.” – DAT student, Americus W. MSAT, LAT, ATC

Then strength and power production are discussed with focus on how to manipulate sets and reps to stimulate a physiological response. Then fundamental movement patterns and understanding patterns to create movement within sport. Lastly, a discussion on the technical aspects of this process, such as how to work with coaches and technical coaches to better understand the game.

“The movement analysis project was my favorite! Essentially, I had to take one skill (I used a basketball layup) and break it down into the essential movements of the skill. This was helpful because it breaks down a play into individual movements that can be trained before training on the skill as a whole. I had a lot of fun on all of the assignments in this course because they were all so immediately applicable!” – DAT graduate, Jesse M. DAT, MS, MEd, LAT, ATC, CSCS

Woven throughout the course is discussion on the different biosocial factors that impacts the individual. Every athlete has a different story, where they are in their career, the rehab process, amount of family support are all things that impact their journey.

“My passion lies with helping athletes from preinjury through postinjury to performance. In the course of 10 weeks, the class takes learners through that process in a very organized way. It really helps the learner fill in the gaps and it highlights areas of strength in the bridging the gap between rehab and performance process, but it also highlights the areas where they need more work or need interprofessional relationships for the betterment of their patient/athlete/human.” – Dr. Sue Falsone, Professor

A lot of information is covered this 10-week course! Through a variety of assignments, including writing or a discussion board, every topic along the way of rehabilitation to performance is covered with allotted time for reflection. Following this course, ATs will be able to develop a comprehensive program for the athlete who is returning to sport post-injury.

“The faculty was a 10/10. Sue and Dr. Hortz are two of the best in the business and their expertise and experiences made the class enjoyable and challenged me to become a better clinician.” – DAT student, Brian B. M.Ed., LAT, ATC

AT course spotlight

ATRN 7340: Assessment and Management of Complex Patients with Concussion

Assessment and Management of Complex Patients with Concussion provides a thorough examination of the treatment of patients with complex medical concerns who suffer a concussion. With specific attention focused on the patient’s past medical history and co-morbid factors, students discover how these may influence the assessment, treatment, and management of head injuries. The course is focused on getting patients active using treatment strategies to assess and manage the concussion to try to get them back to their sport, job, school, even return to military duty in a much more active manner.

“I learned how to evaluate and manage complex concussion cases in ways that immediately helped my clinical practice.” – DAT Student, Maurice I., MS, ATC

As part of the Sport Neurology and Concussion track, students can take this course as a part of Master of Science in Athletic Training program, the Doctor of Athletic Training program, or the Sport Neurology and Concussion certificate program. This course is offered during Spring Block 2, and can be taken from March to May.

Starting off with a broad discussion of the biopsychosocial model of healthcare with respect to concussion and defining the complex patient, this course then focuses on one concussion subtype or clinical profile in one-week intervals. The course discusses an important profile, sleep, managing sleep, and treating sleep issues. This is followed by aerobic exercise and the importance of getting patients active at a sub-symptom threshold level early. Rehabilitation strategies for vision and vestibular deficits are discussed, followed by executive functioning and cognitive therapies. The final weeks of the course address mental health concerns, long-term consequences and medical disqualification, ending with a focus on patient-centered care. The next lecture topic is patient-centered care and how to incorporate that into concussion. A week is also spent on the long-term consequences of concussions and how to make tough decisions, like when to recommend medical disqualification to patients who are either having prolonged recovery or had multiple concussions.

“The information provided each week was relevant and easily transferable to the daily treatments of concussive patients. Each week there were many takeaways which allowed for better overall care of student-athletes. An example would be the week three project, which involved creating a sleep pamphlet. I still have this available to share with our student-athletes.” – DAT Student, Chuck M. MS, ATC

“I loved the public health concern unit. I also felt the project was very useful is combining the course material into a care plan.” – Certificate Graduate, Taeopae W., MS, ATC

Taught by Tamara McLeod, PhD, ATC, FNATA, this course offers up-to-date, evidence-based insight into related areas of complex concussions, such as mental health, public health education, and visual and vestibular rehabilitation. Dr. McLeod states, “I find with this course, every time I teach it, I’m almost restructuring it because the evidence that’s coming out to support some of these treatment modalities changes and so it certainly challenges me as an instructor to stay on top of the literature. You see a lot of lightbulbs go off in the students over the course of the 10 weeks.”

“[After taking this course], we added early active aerobic exercise and visual/vestibular rehabilitation techniques into our concussion protocol, as well as developed a solid return to learn protocol for the district.” – DAT Student, Stephanie T., LAT, ATC

Student portal

Students have access to advisement for education support, research, technology, and performance assessment.

DNP vs. PhD in nursing

Request Information

DNP vs. PhD in nursing

What’s the difference between a DNP and a PhD in nursing?

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing program

Doctor of Nursing Practice program

DNP or PhD

You indicated you’re interested in becoming a PA...

You indicated you're interested in becoming an AT...

You indicated you're interested in becoming an PT...

You indicated you're interested in becoming an RN...