91原创

Darcy Reisman, Chair, Physical Therapy Department

Take your daughter to work day was a regular occurrence in Darcy 搁别颈蝉尘补苍鈥檚 life. She remembers the thrilling feeling of being inside a hospital, where her father worked as a physical therapist and administrator.

鈥淚n the 1970s, a lot of people didn鈥檛 even know what a physical therapist was,鈥� she said. 鈥淔rom a young age, I knew about the profession.鈥�

She didn鈥檛 realize in that moment that she鈥檇 follow in her father鈥檚 footsteps. By the time she was in high school, Reisman was certain she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare, so she volunteered in the hospital鈥檚 rehabilitation unit, which directly inspired her career path.

鈥淢ost people get drawn to physical therapy as an adolescent because of sports, but I was really drawn to neuro rehab and working with people who鈥檝e had a neurologic condition, including stroke, Parkinson鈥檚 Disease, multiple sclerosis or a brain injury and how these brain challenges affect movement,鈥� she said.

Reisman studied health science with a minor in psychology at the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota and got her master鈥檚 in physical therapy with a focus on neurological rehabilitation from the same institution.

Reisman obtained her doctorate in (BIOMS) from the 91原创 in 2003 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins Kennedy Krieger Institute. During that time, she stayed connected with 91原创 through teaching and assisting with neurology curriculum and at the clinic.

鈥淪o, I never really left 91原创,鈥� she laughed.

She was hired as an assistant professor in 2006 and rose to chair of the Physical Therapy Department in fall of 2019, which has seen astronomical growth over the past decade.

鈥淥ur doctoral program has doubled the number of students it serves from 30 to 60 students. We have three of our own residency programs and three additional programs in conjunction with Johns Hopkins,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here were eight physical therapists obtaining their Ph.D. and getting mentored by PTs in the BIOMS program, now we have between 27 and 35 Ph.D. students being mentored by PT faculty.鈥�

搁别颈蝉尘补苍鈥檚 have always followed her clinical interests. Through various studies, Reisman works to develop scientifically-based interventions that improve the health and quality of life of people who鈥檝e suffered from a stroke. In 2003-2004, she helped found a division of the PT clinic dedicated to the treatment of . 聽聽

鈥淭his clinic provides outstanding training specific to older adults and those with neurologic conditions for our DPT students,鈥� Reisman said. 鈥淚t also serves as an amazing resource for specialized care for these populations in our community.鈥�

While physical therapy is a female-dominated profession, Reisman sees fewer females in positions of leadership in the field.

鈥淟ike most professions, our leadership often is male dominated. I鈥檓 used to working with a lot of women, and I鈥檓 very comfortable with that, but I do think that it has been different transitioning into an administrative role, where I鈥檝e found that a lot of my colleagues are not women,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s a faculty member and researcher, being a woman was no different than the fact that I have blonde hair. But I feel the importance of being a woman leader more in my administrative role, and my approach is very people centric.鈥�

As a leader, Reisman brings a lot of positive energy to her department.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 a problem, I want to solve it, and I think that people look for that in a leader,鈥� she said.

She credits strong women mentors in her life -- her mother and , professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, with helping her become a great leader.

鈥淢y mother, in part, inspired by interest in teaching and getting my Ph.D. and going into academia,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hen, Amy Bastian was just an amazing scientist, who showed me how to be a strong female scientist.鈥�

Over the years, Reisman said her students have helped open her eyes.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e helped me see that everybody sees the world through their own lens, and that it鈥檚 really important when we have interactions with people, whether patient-therapist or educator-student, we always try to ensure that we鈥檙e understanding where the other person is coming from,鈥� she said.

Through her, she hopes students learn to live for their passions. 聽

鈥淎s long as you have a passion for learning, there will always be a new, fun challenge to take on,鈥� Reisman said.

Her proudest moments in her career have been seeing her students succeed.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a series of moments--when I see people that I鈥檝e trained go on and be really successful and exceed what I鈥檝e been able to do, it leaves me beaming,鈥� she said.

She points to another strong woman in her life, Ph. D. student Maggie French, who graduated from 91原创鈥檚 聽Doctorate of Physical Therapy program during the pandemic. Reisman called French, who went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins, a 鈥渢railblazer.鈥�

鈥淪he鈥檚 learned how to do data analysis on large sets of electronic health data, and she鈥檚 really paving the way,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people in rehab doing that with musculoskeletal conditions, but hardly anyone doing that with neuro-rehab, and she鈥檚 really paving the way in our profession.鈥�

Ten years from now, both of 搁别颈蝉尘补苍鈥檚 children will have graduated from college; her daughter is already following in her footsteps and studying neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh. Reisman then hopes to spend time traveling but maintain her roots in physical therapy by continuing to teach and mentor others in research. For those who want to follow in her footsteps, her advice:

鈥淒ream big and be fearless.鈥�