{"id":189196,"date":"2022-08-26T06:17:19","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T10:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=189196"},"modified":"2022-12-15T10:13:31","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T15:13:31","slug":"belonging-runs-deep-among-physical-therapy-students-faculty-and-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2022\/08\/belonging-runs-deep-among-physical-therapy-students-faculty-and-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Belonging Runs Deep Among Physical Therapy Students, Faculty, and Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"

From supporting fellow students during the COVID-19 pandemic to running the Boston Marathon in honor of his mother and one of his professors, Jacob Notinger\u2019s experience in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program exemplifies the community and connections the program promotes.<\/p>\n

\"Smiling
Jacob Notinger after completing the Boston Marathon (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Notinger \u201820, \u201823 (CAHNR<\/a>) navigated an unconventional start to his graduate studies finding a supportive community along the way. When Notinger started the DPT program<\/a> in Fall 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had forced courses that were normally very hands-on to a virtual setting.<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges this presented for the new students, the experience bonded the 2020 cohort, Notinger says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that it was COVID was a whirlwind for my whole class,\u201d Notinger says. \u201cIt ended up bringing us together more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

This past April, Notinger ran the Boston Marathon and was sponsored by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, raising $10,000 for the organization.<\/p>\n

He ran in honor of his mother, who is fighting cancer, as well as a member of his UConn \u201cfamily,\u201d professor Deborah Bubela, who is a cancer survivor. Notinger had his fellow DPT students sign a shirt for Bubela, which he took across the finish line.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me,\u201d Bubela says. \u201cAnd he did that. He has the bigger picture of goodness. He\u2019s truly an altruistic and giving young man, like so many of the students in this program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Small Group, Big Bond<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each cohort in the DPT program includes about 30 students. This small size helps foster meaningful connections between faculty and students, says Laurie Devaney, associate professor and DPT director.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur program is not about competition, it\u2019s about supporting everyone to succeed,\u201d Devaney says. \u201cWhen [our students] go out in the world it\u2019s important to not look at the person next to you as competition, but as someone on the same team.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an undergraduate, Notinger worked closely with Devaney on research related to work by kinesiology department head, Lindsay DiStefano. The study compared students\u2019 abilities to perform basic sports tasks, like throwing or catching a ball, with their perception of how well they could complete that task.<\/p>\n

Notinger\u2019s positive undergraduate experience working with Devaney and other faculty and staff encouraged him to stay at UConn for his graduate studies.<\/p>\n

He and the other member of the close-knit student cohort were able to resume in-person studies for their second year in the program. Entering their third year, the DPT students will take on a series of internships around the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel like we\u2019re ready, even though it\u2019s been a roundabout road,\u201d Notinger says.<\/p>\n

Notinger is starting with a clinical rotation at an outpatient facility in Massachusetts. In January, he will complete a specialized internship at the Seattle Children\u2019s Hospital, a highly sought position at the nationally renowned hospital, working with adolescent athletes recovering from injuries.<\/p>\n

Notinger always knew he wanted to study medicine, but wasn\u2019t sure what field. By his sophomore year, he had decided to pursue a career in physical therapy, recalling his own experiences in physical therapy from his time as a student athlete.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always liked the hands-on part of it, and how you can help people and you can see improvements,\u201d Notinger says.<\/p>\n

Making a Difference, One Mile at a Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bubela says Notinger exemplifies the kind of student the UConn DPT program celebrates: one who is motivated by a desire to help others.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll our students do this [work] to help others and to make a difference in the world,\u201d Bubela says. \u201cJacob has certainly shown that in many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Notinger says his marathon time was hardly record-shattering, he was proud to have finished, with cheers from his family and DPT supporters all along the way.<\/p>\n

Follow <\/em>UConn CAHNR<\/a><\/em> on social media<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jacob Notinger’s marathon experience highlights community, not competition, in the DPT program<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":189346,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,2224,2269,2299,2076],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2140],"class_list":["post-189196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-cahnr","category-inchip","category-kinesiology","category-research"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-25 07:38:16","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189196"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189517,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189196\/revisions\/189517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/189346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189196"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=189196"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=189196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}