NYU PT Fall 2025 Alumni Newsletter

Smita Rao, Inaugural Robert S. Salant Endowed Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Physical Therapy

Greetings from the Chair

Inaugural Robert S. Salant Associate Professor

Hello, from NYU Physical Therapy! Fall is a beautiful time in New York City, and here in our Department, it is a season full of energy and purpose. One of the highlights of my Fall is this newsletter, connecting us over many miles, many years, and many adventures.

We hosted our 12th White Coat ceremony to welcome students into the Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Arts in Pathokinesiology, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Therapy Research programs. As one of the oldest and most established departments of physical therapy in the nation, we are delighted to see our community strengthen and grow.

The 2024–2025 academic year has been a remarkable one for our students, marked by success both inside and outside the classroom. Our rigorous generalist curriculum, combined with the innovative pedagogy spearheaded by our faculty and NYU community, showcases that learning can be deeply transformative while being fun and having real-world impact. Dr. John Sutera, Clinical Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, continues to offer his popular inter-professional experiences in collaboration with Educational Theater and with Occupational Therapy. Led by Drs. Anat Lubetzky and John Sutera, our students provided consultations for NYU’s Division III hockey team and their assistant coach, Brian Zaffino. Spring semester is one of my favorite times to peek into classes— hearing our students lead their case presentations and business plans, mentored by faculty and Master Clinicians, fills me with pride. Led by the third-year class, our students hosted a 5K run, the MOST Physical Therapist, and many House events, and raised funds for the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research. Consistent with our rich history, we provide unparalleled resources and unique opportunities for our students to learn and to discover their full potential.

Our faculty’s deeply impactful work was evident not only in the classroom, but also in their publications, presentations, and grant-funded projects.

Our faculty and students attended APTA’s Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) meeting in Texas in 2025, and we have a number of innovative and ground-breaking abstracts accepted at CSM in Anaheim in 2026 (details on page 10). Dr. Moffat presented at the World Confederation on Physical Therapy conference in Kyoto, Japan.
Dr. Lubetzky’s virtual reality paradigms balance assessment paradigms have been game changing for people with hearing loss - she was featured in a research webinar, titled “Does What We Hear Matter for Balance?”, hosted by the Hearing Health Foundation.
In addition to her editorial and scholarly work, Dr. Merriwether co-chaired a Veterans Administration Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D) scientific review committee.
I led an NIH R25 grant in which NYU Steinhardt faculty in rehabilitation health professions research (including physical therapy, occupational therapy, communicative sciences and disorders, music therapy, drama therapy and art therapy) and education research offer mentorship, science education and career preparation for middle and high-school aged students. Additional details follow in the section on Faculty updates, and I look forward to connecting with you, perhaps chatting over one of our posters, at APTA’s Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim, CA.

Dr. Ling has been a beloved teacher and role model for many of us and I am humbled to follow in her accomplished footsteps. With 17 years as a faculty member at NYU Physical Therapy, I am honored to now serve as Department Chair. To be a physical therapist and an academician is a privilege and I am grateful for a life anchored in purpose and service. From the moment I interviewed at NYU, I have admired the creativity, drive, and commitment to excellence of this amazing community. I am excited to strengthen and grow our connections and impact. We have much to look forward to: in just under two years, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NYU Physical Therapy Department! Please save the date! I want to thank our outstanding departmental staff: Julie Chin, Peggy Dadaille, Ashley Mitchell, Thomasina Cochran, and Michelle Shin, in advance of this landmark celebration. Our planning has already begun and many updates will follow!

Whether you are exploring physical therapy as a potential career, are a current member or graduate of our department, or are part of the extended NYU family, I look forward to hearing from you! In the meantime, take good care and be well.

Best Regards,
Smita Rao, PT, PhD
Inaugural Robert S. Salant Associate Professor, Chair

Message From the Outgoing Chair

As always, I hope this message finds health and high spirits. As I reflect on my time as Chair of the NYU Physical Therapy Department, I am filled with gratitude. It has been a privilege to serve alongside such committed and outstanding faculty, staff, students, alumni, and clinical partners. Each of you has contributed to making this department a place of excellence, innovation, and community, and for that, I am deeply thankful.

The NYU flag flying from the side of a building

Save the Date

NYU Steinhardt
Physical Therapy

CELEBRATES
100 Years of Excellence

SEPTEMBER 23, 2027

Alumni Short-Takes

Brief updates from Physical Therapy alumni.

Faculty Notes

Learn more about faculty engagement and research.

Student Life

Physical Therapy students are involved both on- and off-campus.

CSM UPDATE:
Connect with NYU Physical Therapy at APTA’s Combined Sections Meeting 2026

Supporting Learning and Community Building

Dr. Smita Rao and her collaborators have three abstracts related to artificial intel- ligence accepted at American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)’s Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim, CA, in February 2026. “Generative artificial intel- ligence, gen AI for short, and agentic AI, have enormous potential to improve workflows in the clinic, lab, and class- room. However, they are not without their substantial downsides,” Dr. Rao explains. In these three abstracts, we share three use cases — a kinesiology tutor, motion capture, and a chatbot, to support clini- cal decision making — and uncover the strengths and limitations of current AI tools.

TITLE: Using Generative AI to Build a Kinesiology Tutor for DPT Students — A Pilot Study

AUTHORS: Smita Rao, Xavier Ochoa, Andrew Brackett

TITLE: Between-Session Reliability of Commercial Automated Markerless Motion Capture During Four Tasks

AUTHORS: Pooja Mahaseth, Soniya Kadam, Dannyelle Long, Smita Rao

TITLE: Using the CRISPE Framework to Assess the Accuracy of ChatGPT’s Physical Therapy Neck Pain Recommendations

AUTHORS: Daniel Peredo, Richard A Ferraro, Emily Paris, Patrick Spano, Asma Mohammadi, Smita Rao, Mark Vorensky

Dr. Greg Gao and Dr. Wen Ling are excited to announce their research abstract on innovative 3D anatomical models has been accepted for poster presentation at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim, CA in February 2026.

This research offers an exciting opportunity to make immersive anatomy learning more accessible for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students. We look forward to presenting our findings and discussing how this simple yet powerful technology can transform the way future clinicians learn human anatomy.

TITLE: Using the Axial Rotation Technique to Generate Three Dimensional Stereoscopic Anatomical Models

AUTHORS: Greg X. Gao, Wen Ling

Dr. Lubetzky’s lab will present three posters at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim, CA, in February 2026. One will be presented by Brittani Morris, a PhD student in the Physical Therapy pro- gram, and two are the results of a coast- to-coast collaboration with Casa Colina Hospital in California.

TITLE: The Relationship Between Different Postural Challenges: Visual vs. Cognitive Load

AUTHORS: B. Morris, M. Cosetti, J. Kelly, S. Krishnamoorthy, S. Zhou, D. Harel, A. Buchwald, A. V. Lubetzky

TITLE: Increased Postural Visual Dependence in the Presence of Sounds in Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury

AUTHORS: D. Humphrey, J. Kelly, E. Rosario, T. Johnson, A. V. Lubetzky TITLE: Can Auditory Input Change Anticipatory Postural Control in Parkinson’s Disease? AUTHORS: D. H

Dr. Moffat has co-authored and will co- present an educational session at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim, CA, in February 2026.

TITLE: Confronting the Triple Threats to Aging Well: PT Strategies for Sarcopenia, Osteopenia & Frailty

AUTHORS: Moffat M, Kemmis K, Parker D.

Community News

Special Olympics FUNfitness: Dr. Donna Cantrell Leads Training and Student Collaboration

Dr. Donna Cantrell, Special Olympics Clinical Director for FUNfitness Long Island, hosted a specialized FUNfitness Screening Training for our Doctor of Physical Therapy students.

Physical Therapy Meets Educational Theatre

In an ongoing collaboration, Ed Theatre students improvise responses to physical therapy scenarios, challenging PT students to think critically and respond in real time.