HIGH POINT, N.C., Nov. 5, 2013 – High Point University senior Jennifer Johnson recently presented her research on hip treatment therapies at the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association’s annual meeting. She was the only undergraduate student to present at the conference which is primarily attended by Doctor of Physical Therapy faculty across North Carolina.
“I got to experience what it is like for physical therapists in the field,” says Johnson. “I was able to see what doctoral students are researching now and what I could be researching in the future. It also gave me a chance to network and get a personal look at graduate programs I want to apply to.”
Johnson was chosen after co-authoring a paper, titled “Reported MCID Estimates of Hip Related Patient Reported Outcomes: A Systematic Review,” with her professor Dr. Alexis Wright, assistant professor of physical therapy at HPU. The study found that the primary test to determine if physical therapy is working for a patient does not work for all patients. It suggests therapists use the tests with caution and with other methods to determine if a specific treatment is effective.
“I cannot thank her enough,” Johnson said of Wright. “She really cares about me getting experience and lets me get hands-on experience. She also lets me fix my own mistakes so I can learn from them.”