Elon students showcase research at the 2025 American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting

The Department of Physical Therapy Education once again made its presence felt at the prestigious American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting in February 2025 in Houston with 12 presentations.

The Department of Physical Therapy Education made its presence felt with 12 presentations at the prestigious American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting in February.

Abstracts on diverse topics ranging from sports, pelvic health, pediatrics, neurology, geriatrics, education, and cardiovascular & pulmonary sections were accepted for presentation. In total, there were eight poster presentations and four podium/platform presentations. Nine of the 12 presentations were done by current third year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students. Several Elon DPT graduates also attended and presented at the conference.

A man and woman stand side by side in photo — Third year DPT student Raya Coley won the Catherine Worthingham Student Scholarship at the 2025 American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting.

Raya Coley, a third year DPT student won the prestigious Catherine Worthingham Student Scholarship

2025 Combined Session Meeting Presentations from Elon (Presenting author names bolded)

Platform presentations

“Preadmission and Curricular Predictors of First-Time National Physical Therapy Examination Success”
John (Jack) Magill

“Educational Technology Acceptance and Use By Physical Therapy Faculty”
Melissa Scales

“How Does Dual-Tasking Affect Distance Walked and Gait during an Endurance Task in Older Adults?”
Josephine Freeman, Bill Andrews, Srikant Vallabhajosula

“Obstacle Clearance Behavior in Immersive Reality Environments Among Older Adults”
William Huie, Sara Moore, Jake Rosengarten, Alys Giordano, Pratheep Kumar Paranthaman, Srikant Vallabhajosula

Photo collage of Elon DPT students at conference — Third year DPT students Josie Freeman, William Huie, Jake Rosengarten and Sara Moore, along with DPT faculty members Melissa Scales and Jack Magill, during their platform presentations at the APTA CSM 2025 Meeting.

A photo collage of people with presentation boards — Third year DPT students Hannah Wright, Katelyn Carpenter, Katie Messikomer, and recent graduate Ashlyn Loring with DPT faculty Bill Andrews presenting their posters at the American Physical Therapy Association CSM 2025 Meeting.

Poster presentations

“Utilizing Neural Network to Predict Prevalence of MetS in High School Seniors”
Caroline Guill, John Magill, Svetlana Nepocatych

“The Influence of Anxiety and Stress on the Academic Performance of First-Year DPT Students”
Alys Giordano

“Concurrent Traumatic Brain Injury and Above Knee Amputation: A Multi-Modal Intervention Strategy”
Ashlyn Loring, Addison Andrews

“Modification of the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test for an Adult over 50: A Case Study”
Katelyn Carpenter, Hannah Wright, Michaela Fitzgerald, Crystal Ramsey

“Predicting Maximum Eccentric Ground Reaction Force in Healthy Pediatric and Adolescent Athletes”
Katherine Messikomer, Alexis Nowell, Samantha Kosmacki, John Magill, Srikant Vallabhajosula

“Changes in Kinetics of Runners from the 3rd Trimester to 3 Months Postpartum”
Milani Denise Saldon, Andrew Miller, Srikant Vallabhajosula, Svetlana Nepocatych, Angela Spontelli Gisselman, Shefali Christopher

“Musculoskeletal Characteristics Among Practitioners of the Bharatanatyam Dance”
Danielle Essex, Kaleigh Jenkins, Virginia Shafer, Kelly O’Daniel, John Magill, Srikant Vallabhajosula:

“Establishing Predictive Physical Performance Measures for Golf Swing Velocity”
Gabrielle Flocco, John Magill