On Jan. 20, the Department of Physical Therapy awarded doctoral degrees to 127 students at the DPT Commencement ceremony in the Kuch Athletic Center. Arcadia’s DPT Class of 2018,  including graduates from the Orthopaedic Residency and Transitional DPT programs, collaborated with faculty on research, provided pro-bono service through organizations such as the Dan Aaron Stay Fit Program, and aided underprivileged communities in Guatemala, Jamaica, and Belize.  

“With thousands of hours spent together, we connected,” said student speaker Richard Benes ’18DPT. “Arcadia is a people place. This community has made my life better.”  

During her keynote address, Dr. Edelle Field-Fote, PT, PhD, FAPTA, director of Spinal Cord Injury Research and the Hulse Spinal Injury Laboratory at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Ga., urged graduates to “embrace the possibility of failure, excel in physical therapy ABCs, and always remember that [they] are movement scientists.”

Among the Class of 2018 award recipients was Noah Thomas Smith ’18DPT, who earned the Jill Sisenwine Berger Award for exemplifying the core values of the physical therapy profession. The department also instituted a new award in honor of Dr. Carol Leiper, Professor Emerita and former director of the Physical Therapy program.