Daemen University’s Physical Therapy Department held its annual Physical Therapy Evidence-Based Clinical Research Symposium on Dec. 6 in Schenck Hall, showcasing third-year Doctor of PT students who presented their capstone research projects.
Dr. Michael Ross, professor, physical therapy department chair, and doctor of physical therapy program director welcomed over 275 students, faculty, clinical instructors, and family members to the symposium, acknowledging what a special day it was. “To the class of 2026, I want to congratulate each of you on your achievements. You have no doubt worked very hard to achieve your goals of becoming a PT. We are all very proud of you and are confident that you will succeed at the highest levels.”
Dr. Michael Ross
Scott Bieler, president and CEO of West Herr Automotive Group and Daemen trustee, delivered the keynote address, sharing how physical therapy impacted his life after an injury in 2019.
He reflected on his injury, surgery, and recovery, crediting his “dream team,” Emily and Andrea — his physical and occupational therapists — who are “the two people on this earth who made it so I could walk out of Mercy Hospital.” He never truly realized the significant impact physical therapy has on others until he experienced it for himself, saying, “I can’t tell you enough how much I feel what you do is so special.”
Scott Bieler
Bieler closed by reading one of his favorite poems, What will Matter. “For those of you practicing physical therapy and those of you studying to be a physical therapist, you are living a life that matters.”
The symposium represented a culmination of three semesters of clinical research coursework with a faculty mentor, including formulating a research question, completing a comprehensive analysis of the clinical literature, and developing an appropriate method to investigate research questions, among other requirements.
