History of the Program
The Brooks/UNF Residency and Fellowship Program was initially conceptualized in the early 2000’s by A. Russell Smith, a professor in the physical therapy program within the Brooks College of Health at the University of North Florida. In 2004, Dr. Smith presented his concept to the COO of Brooks Rehabilitation, Michael Spigel. After several conversations over the course of 2004 and 2005, Brooks Rehabilitation recognized that an advanced training program was congruent with the Brooks’ mission and vision and supported the creation of the Brooks/UNF Residency and Fellowship Program. By late spring of 2006, a search for the director of the program was underway. This search led to Dr. Robert Rowe who was teaching and practicing within the physical therapy program at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LA. Dr. Rowe came onboard with Brooks in August 2006. With a laptop and projector in tow, Dr. Rowe embarked on a tour of the Brooks’ facilities in order to describe and promote the new residency and fellowship program. The tour was successful and in January of 2007 the inaugural Brooks/UNF Orthopaedic Residency was launched with 6 residents.
Expansion
In February of 2007, Pamela Spigel was recruited to develop and coordinate a neurologic residency. The inaugural Brooks/UNF Neurologic Residency was launched in November of 2007 with 3 residents. 2008 marked the start of the second orthopaedic residency class enrolling 4 new residents. Also in 2008, the faculty was expanded to include Jennifer Van Bussel, a residency and fellowship trained physical therapist from Canada, as well as former 2007 residents Ryan Reed and Matthew Stafford. The 2008 orthopaedic and neurologic residencies were the first to integrate residents from multiple programs into the foundational component of the curriculum. The Brooks/UNF Residency and Fellowship Program is the first program known to include this multispecialty aspect into a residency curriculum. 2009 brought the start of the third orthopaedic and second neurologic residency classes each with 4 residents. This year also enjoyed a growing nationwide reputation as a quality residency program. As previously mentioned, 2010 was a banner year for the Brooks/UNF Residency and Fellowship Program. January marked the start of the inaugural Brooks/UNF Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy Fellowship Program. Fellowship training is the highest level of clinical training available in physical therapy and culminates in the designation of being a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT). There are only around 650 AAOMPT Fellows currently in the United States and only 27 in the state of Florida.
In April 2010, Dr. Jacqueline Osborne was hired to develop and coordinate the nation’s first multidisciplinary geriatric residency program. The Brooks Geriatric Residency is comprised of residents from the nursing, speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy professions. In June of 2010, one of the former residents and current Fellows-in-Training, Raine Osborne, was hired as the coordinator of the orthopaedic residency program. Also joining the team at this time was Danyelle Christie. Danyelle was hired as the administrative assistant for the rapidly growing Brooks Residency/Fellowship Department and has proven to be a vital member of the team. July 2010 added to the already exciting year with the start of the fourth orthpaedic, third neurologic, and inaugural geriatric residency classes.
In April 2011, the Brooks Residency/Fellowship Department welcomed Dr. Cynthia Neville to the team as the coordinator of the Brooks Physical Therapy Women’s Health Residency. July 7th, 2011 marks the beginning of the fifth orthopaedic, fourth neurologic, second geriatric, and first women’s health residency classes. The second class of Fellows-in-Training will also begin their training in July 2011. Enrollment in these programs continues to be strong and there is growing interest from therapists from across the country. With four residencies and a fellowship, Brooks and UNF are proud to be on the forefront of excellence in clinical practice within the field of rehabilitation.
Future Plans
Plans are already in the works for the future of the Brooks/UNF Residency and Fellowship Program. A robust schedule of continuing education courses has been released, with multiple courses provided by former residents and fellows. These courses will provide up-to-date evidence based approaches to the conditions commonly managed by Brooks Rehabilitation professionals. The number of residency and fellowship programs offered will also continue to grow. Plans are being made for a Pain Fellowship and other opportunities will continue to be explored. Brooks/UNF Residency and Fellowship Program is also actively investigating opportunities to contribute to the rehabilitation body of knowledge through poster presentations at association meetings, publication of manuscripts, and involvement in clinical trials. One of the outcomes for residency and fellowship training is to develop the future leaders of the rehabilitation professions. Some of the faculty as well as current and former residents and fellows already hold leadership posts at state and national level boards and professional organizations. The Brooks/UNF Residency and Fellowship looks for this trend to continue to grow over the next several years.
Many thanks go out to the leadership at Brooks Rehabilitation for having the vision to see what was possible and the courage to take the first steps towards such an innovative endeavor. The last 5 years have seen remarkable progress. Hold on to your seat for “WHAT’S NEXT”!