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Awards and Honors

Honors presented to students and faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science, and Athletic Training.

Each fall, we host the Jessie Ball Lecture and Student Awards/Pinning Ceremony for first-year physical therapy and athletic training students. The lecture is named after former physical therapy faculty member Jessie M. Ball, who taught at KU Medical Center from 1960 to 1988.

2023 Jessie Ball Lecture and Student Awards/Pinning Ceremony

The Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science, and Athletic Training hosted its annual Jessie Ball Lecture and Student Awards/Pinning Ceremony on October 5, 2023. The featured speaker was KU alumna and former department chair Lisa Stehno-Bittel, Ph.D.

The individuals below were presented with awards during this year's event.

Penny Cohn Scholarship
Awarded to a student for demonstration of personal dedication to the profession of physical therapy, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to community service.
  • Alex Long
  • Natalie Love
  • Faith Rottinghaus
  • Jena Berkland
  • Courtney Goetz
 
Beverly Drake Fellowship Award
Awarded to student who demonstrates a strong desire to assist individuals in the community who lack the resources to obtain physical therapy services.
  • Reagan Moege
 
Bloom Wahbeh Leadership Award
Awarded to a student for outstanding leadership skills and an understanding of the responsibility that comes with being a lifelong professional physical therapist.
  • Lindsay Garcia
 
Pamela J. Darnell Student Support Award
Awarded to a student for outstanding leadership skills and academic merit.
  • Hannah Sewester
  • Tarah Phongsavath
 
Lou Loescher Junge Professional Development Award
Awarded to a student to provide professional development experiences that will enrich and enhance the doctoral educational experience. In addition to honoring students, it provides specifically for their travel to present at a future conference.
  • Pedram Ahmadnezhad
  • Lingjun Chen
  • Tony Cheng
  • Samuel Durairaj
  • Sodiq Fakorede
  • James Fang
  • Maryam Sadeghi
 
Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award
Awarded to a student for demonstrating outstanding commitment and dedication to the research endeavors of KU Medical Center.
  • Taylor Rees
  • Maryam Sadeghi
 
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award
Awarded to a student for demonstrating outstanding commitment and dedication to the teaching endeavors of KU Medical Center.
  • Saniya Waghmare
 
Bittel Family Scholarship Award
Awarded to a student who demonstrates a strong leadership potential in the fields of physical therapy and rehabilitation science.
  • Mustapha Mangdow
 
Lynn Bott Scholarship
Awarded to rising athletic training students who display a commitment to the profession of athletic training.
  • Ashley Mick
 
Department Diversity Scholarship
Recipients represent a racial/ ethnic minority or underrepresented groups, have life experiences or hardships they have overcome and demonstrate a commitment to underrepresented/ underserved populations.
  • Xavier Henderson
  • Denzel Mena
  • Enrique Garcia
  • Courtney Goetz
 
KU Clinical Instructor of the Year
  • Jennifer Talone
 
Physical Therapy Clinical Education Shining Star Award
  • Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital

2022 Jessie Ball Lecture and Student Awards/Pinning Ceremony

October 6, 2022

photo of Gagnon speaking on stageWe were excited to host our annual event in person on campus for the first time since 2019. And to celebrate the return, we welcomed Kendra Gagnon, Ph.D., PT, as this year's featured speaker. Gagnon was a faculty member in the department from 2008 to 2014 and is an alumna of our doctoral program in rehabilitation science. Today she is chair of a developing physical therapy program at Johns Hopkins University. Read article.

Members of the Class of 2025 in the doctoral program in physical therapy and members of the Class of 2024 in the master's degree program in athletic training recited an oath and received a pin as a symbol of their entrance into their field of study.

In addition, students across the department's three degree programs were recognized with awards and scholarships.

Penny Cohn Student Award

Awarded to a student for demonstration of personal dedication to the profession of physical therapy, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to community service.

  • Zach Rottinghaus, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Zachary Van Dorn, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Liz Hildreth, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Darrius Montgomery, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Sadie Thomas, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Ashlynn Marx, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Chelsey Henry, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Crystal Weinman, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Logan Johnsen, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Ana Martinez, physical therapy Class of 2024

Beverly Drake Fellowship

Awarded to student who demonstrates a strong desire to assist individuals in the community who lack the resources to obtain physical therapy services.

  • Christine Cunningham, physical therapy Class of 2024

Bloom Wahbah Professional Leadership Award

Awarded to a student for outstanding leadership skills and an understanding of the responsibility that comes with being a lifelong professional physical therapist.

  • Irvin Ramos, physical therapy Class of 2023

Pamela J. Darnell Student Support Award

Awarded to a student for outstanding leadership skills and academic merit.

  • Katelyn Struckle, physical therapy Class of 2023

Lynn Bott Scholarship

Awarded to rising athletic training students who display a commitment to the profession of athletic training.

  • Abigail Garrett, athletic training Class of 2023
  • Natalie Ligtenberg, athletic training Class of 2023
  • Hannah Prymek, athletic training Class of 2023

Brian W. Luinstra Award

The recipients of this award represent the qualities that made Luinstra such an outstanding student in athletic training. These include, but are not limited, to leadership, strong work ethic, professional involvement, dedication to the profession and patients, respect toward others and a constant pursuance of professional development.

  • Abigail Garrett, athletic training Class of 2023
  • Natalie Ligtenberg, athletic training Class of 2023
  • Hannah Prymek, athletic training Class of 2023
  • Ashley Mick, athletic training Class of 2024
  • Madison Mohar, athletic training Class of 2024

Department Diversity Scholarship

Recipients represent a racial/ ethnic minority or underrepresented groups, have life experiences or hardships they have overcome and demonstrate a commitment to underrepresented/ underserved populations.

  • Fakorede Sodiq, rehabilitation science doctoral student
  • Phongsavath Tarah, physical therapy Class of 2024
  • Henderson Xavier, physical therapy Class of 2025
  • Steger Elizabeth, physical therapy Class of 2025

Lou Loescher-Junge Professional Development Award

Awarded to a student to provide professional development experiences that will enrich and enhance the doctoral educational experience. In addition to honoring students, it provides specifically for their travel to present at a future conference.

  • Tony Cheng
  • Becca Ludwig
  • Maryam Sadeghi
  • Alicen Whitaker

Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award

Awarded to a student for demonstrating outstanding commitment and dedication to the research endeavors of KU Medical Center.

  • Samuel Durairaj

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Awarded to a student for demonstrating outstanding commitment and dedication to the teaching endeavors of KU Medical Center.

  • Samuel Durairaj

Bittel Family Leadership Award

Awarded to a student who demonstrates a strong leadership potential in the fields of physical therapy and rehabilitation science.

  • Samuel Durairaj

Additional Recognitions

KU Clinical Instructor of the Year

Awarded to a clinician for demonstrating outstanding commitment and dedication to the clinical education of KU student physical therapists, thereby shaping and influencing the future of physical therapy practice.

Physical Therapy Clinical Education Shining Start Award

This award recognizes a clinical instructor, SCCE or clinical site who has demonstrated significant contribution to the quality of clinical education. This may be a broad impact across clinical education or depth of impact in a certain area (including below).

  1. Leadership in the promotion and management of a robust, quality clinical education program.
  2. Innovation in design and delivery of learning experiences.
  3. Dedication (long-term commitment) to providing superior education support and clinical learning opportunities to students on clinical rotations.
  4. Consistent clinical teaching excellence demonstrating outstanding work in education, supervision and/or mentorship of students.
KU School of Health Professions

Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science, and Athletic Training
University of Kansas Medical Center
Mail Stop 2002
3901 Rainbow Blvd.
Kansas City, KS 66160
ptrsat@kumc.edu

913-588-6799