WVU physical therapist accepted into prestigious faculty training program

Cheryl Brandmeir, assistant professor of physical therapy at West Virginia University, was recently accepted into a faculty training program hosted by the Parkinson’s Foundation.

The competitive program brings in only six physical therapy educators in the United States per training site—one at Boston University and the other at the OHSU Parkinson Center of Oregon.

Under a “train the trainer” model, participants will spend four days improving their understanding of Parkinson’s disease symptomatology, clinical issues as well as pharmacological, non-pharmacological and surgical treatments. The faculty members will study the field’s most recent research and discuss the role physical therapists have in caring for Parkinson’s disease patients and their family.

After the four-day on-site event, participants will begin working on independent projects, such as course content development, curriculum planning, initiating support groups or assessing articles in peer-reviewed journals. The faculty will receive a $2,000 stipend upon completion of their projects.

Currently, the number of people living with Parkinson’s globally is expected to double to nearly 13 million by 2040. Program leaders hope the training helps teachers better prepare the next generation of physical therapists to provide care for this population.

Brandmeir will join her distinguished colleagues at Boston University Monday, May 20–23.