Perspectives Spring 2015

PERSPECTIVES • SPRING 2015 39 After an extensive interview process that in- cluded competing against numerous qualified candidates, Chad Kuntz, D.P.T., a class of 2014 graduate, was accepted into the A.T. Still Or- thopedic Residency Program in Tucson, Ari- zona, which is a 12-month program that includes a multifaceted approach to adequately prepare its resident to sit for the ABTPS Ortho- pedic Certified Specialist Examination. Dr. Kuntz’s interest in physical therapy started when he joined the Pre-Physical Therapy Club in Grand Valley State, Michigan, where his strong interest to become a physical therapist commenced. “When I began job shadowing a physical therapist near my hometown, I realized how rewarding and fulfilling it is to enhance a patient’s quality of life every day,” he said. Despite a very demanding Doctor of Physical Therapy curriculum, Dr. Kuntz continued to pur- sue additional certifications, becoming a strength and conditioning specialist, a sports nutrition spe- cialist, and a Titleist Performance Institute-Level I trainer. According to Dr. Kuntz, being well versed in other neighboring areas of physical therapy will assist him in providing the best qual- ity of care possible. While attending NSU, he participated in an optional capstone project with Morey Kolber, Ph.D., PT, associate professor, and two other colleagues in a research study titled “Is There an Acute Loss of Shoulder Mobility Following Eccentric Resistance Training?” After recruiting and then performing range-of-motion assess- ments on 60 subjects, the study was accepted for presentation at the 2014 National Strength and Conditioning Association Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Currently, Dr. Kuntz serves as the corresponding author in a column titled “Augmenting Your Bench Press with Elastic Re- sistance: Scientific and Practical Applications” that has been accepted by the National Strength and Conditioning Association for publication. Dr. Kuntz also focused on his own fitness regimen during graduate school, winning the 2014 NPC Diamond Classic in the Men’s Open Heavyweight bodybuilding division. Additionally, because he is such a dedicated physical ther- apy advocate, he assisted with several muscu- loskeletal modules as a lab assistant for the classes of 2015 and 2016. As a firm believer in physical therapy resi- dency programs, Dr. Kuntz feels they will grow exponentially in both their popularity and es- tablishment in the future because they pro- mote the profession, personal growth, and the autonomy of physical therapy practice. Once he completes his residency training, Dr. Kuntz looks forward to being involved in education, both within the community and in the aca- demic world. DR. CHAD KUNTZ Accepted Into the A.T. Still PT Orthopedic Residency Program By Shari Rone-Adams, D.B.A., M.H.S.A., PT, Director, Entry-Level D.P.T. Programs Morey J. Kolber, Ph.D., PT, associate professor, received the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s 2014 Sports Medicine Professional of the Year Award, which was presented at the 2014 annual re- ception and awards dinner held in Las Vegas, Nevada, last July. The award is be- stowed upon an individual who has made a significant contribution to the field of sports medicine in the areas of scholarship, teach- ing, and clinical care. The award recipient is determined by the National Strength and Conditioning As- sociation Nominating Committee based on documented criteria and membership vot- ing. Dr. Kolber currently serves as the as- sociate editor in chief of the organization’s Strength and Conditioning Journal and is a previous recipient of the association’s Editorial Excellence Award and Young In- vestigators’ Grant. Currently, Dr. Kolber is collaborating with Melissa Tabor, D.O. (principal investigator) from the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Sports Medicine on a study entitled “The Effect of Baseline Platelet Count on Healing After Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections” that received a 2014 NSU Presi- dent’s Faculty Development and Research Grant. The study seeks to determine if an in- dividual’s baseline platelet counts can help determine the likelihood for deriving a benefit from this intervention. According to Dr. Kolber, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an emerging technology in the musculoskeletal field of clinical care. PRP is a nonsurgical alternative that essen- tially bridges the gap between conservative and surgical care. The procedure for per- forming PRP essentially consists of using the patient’s own blood, extracting valuable growth factors from it, and injecting these growth factors into the problem area. Unlike many other interventions such as corticos- teroid injections, PRP seeks to provide a corrective benefit. While much of the public’s familiarity of regenerative medicine arises from news about professional athletes that elect to un- dergo PRP, its utility is not limited to ath- letes. PRP has, in fact, been in existence for decades in other areas of clinical care such as dentistry; however, its use is gaining pop- ularity in the musculoskeletal arena. DR. MOREY KOLBER Receives 2014 Sports Medicine Professional of the Year Award By Shari Rone-Adams, D.B.A., M.H.S.A., PT, Director, Entry-Level D.P.T. Programs