Elon DPT students shine at APTA's annual NEXT Conference in Orlando

Several students in Elon’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program participated in the American Physical Therapy Association’s NEXT Conference in Orlando in June.

Third-year PT student Shagun Patel presented a research poster, winning a Special Recognition award in the Geriatrics category of 107 accepted abstracts. The research, titled “Concurrent Validity of Seno Compared to Gaitrite with Backward Walking in Older Adults with Fall Risk,” was co-authored by third-year students Rebecca Lin and Coty Thomas, along with Department of Physical Therapy faculty Jane Freund and Srikant Vallabhajosula.

First-year students Andrew Jones and Raina Stevens were selected from a competitive application process to serve as ushers. They reported that this was inspiring and educational—a truly transformative experience. 

In addition, second-year students Lauren Graham and Kaylee Pobocik attended the 6,000-person strong professional APTA NEXT Conference, both participating in the Student Assembly Leadership meeting to bring back great ideas and networking to implement with the North Carolina PT Association student interest group.