In August, the Division of Physical Therapy Education hosted 58 alumni, clinical instructors, and like-minded rehab professionals for a continuing education conference: Oncology Rehabilitation Principles, Application, and State of Practice.
This interprofessional conference featured the expertise of two national speakers from the well-known cancer centers of MD Anderson and Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital: Brent Braveman, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA and Sharlynn Touhy, PT, DPT, MBA, respectively. It was also transmitted to participants in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
On Friday, Dr. Braveman focused broadly on oncology rehabilitation programming and the impact of the Affordable Care Act for this patient population.
“Our challenge, as rehabilitation professionals,” said Braveman, “is to prove we have a role in smoothly and safely transitioning patients through the system.”
On Saturday, Dr. Touhy included rehabilitation principles and application into practice with a focus on direct patient care. She stressed the importance of rehabilitation as it relates to cancer symptoms and side effects of medical treatment to improve function and quality of life.
“The success this year,” said Betsy Becker, PT, DPT, CLT-LANA, planning committee chair, “was based on a great UNMC planning team and support from the Division of PT Education and the Alumni Association. We look forward to next year’s event which will again include transmission to distance sites across Nebraska.”
This event was sponsored in part by the UNMC Physical Therapy Alumni Chapter and the UNMC Alumni Association.