Ignatian Pilgrimage, Dr. Hayes, and SLUs Mission and Identity

Ignatian Pilgrimage, Dr. Hayes, and SLUs Mission and Identity

May 29, 2022: Four members of the SLU community joined the College of the Holy Cross and other Jesuit colleagues from Marquette University and Xavier University on an #IgnatianYear pilgrimage to visit the Ignatian sites at Loyola, Manresa, Montserrat, Rome, and others. Pictured: Ann Hayes (Doisy College, Program in PT),  Amy Sanders (Law School), Rob Boyle (Chaifetz Business School), and Virginia Herbers (Office of Mission and Identity).

May 31, 2022:  The SLU pilgrims visited Loyola, Spain and several other sites from Ignatius’ early years. Mass at the “Conversion Chapel” was a highlight.  The SLU pilgrims prayed in the very room where Ignatius convalesced and began his journey to the foundation of the Society of Jesus. 

June 1, 2022: Continued their pilgrimage journey to Javier, Spain via Aranzazu

June 2, 2022: The SLU pilgrims celebrated Mass at the Cave at Manresa.  Also known as the Cave of St. Ignatius, this is where, in the 1520s, St. Ignatius prayed and completed penance prior to writing the Spiritual Exercises. Dr. Ann Hayes had reached out to Doisy College to collect intentions from the SLU community to pray during the visit here. 

June 4, 2022:   The SLU pilgrims are pictured here on their last day in Montserrat.  Next stop, Barcelona where Ignatius lived a few months before departing for the Holy Land. 

June 5-7, 2022: The completion of the pilgrimage in Rome Italy!  Dr. Ann Hayes and her Jesuit colleagues visited St. Peter’s Basilica, the rooms of Ignatius, the tomb of Ignatius, St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Jesuit Curia, and many other incredible, holy sights.  Each day of the pilgrimage was filled with many blessings—it will be forever held in our hearts.

The Ignatian Year: To See All Things New in Christ

May 20, 2021 - July 31, 2022

On May 20, 2021, the Society of Jesus celebrated the 500th anniversary of St. Ignatius conversion and the beginning of the Ignatian Year. Within the Ignatian Year, on March 12, 2022, we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the canonization of both St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier. The year will conclude on the Feast of St. Ignatius on July 31, 2022.

Resources for the Ignatian Year

Throughout the Ignatian Year, Saint Louis University's Office of Mission and Identity will provide opportunities to see all things new in Christ. Learn more on the SLU Ignatian Year website. 

Celebrate the Closing of the Ignatian Year, Feast of St. Ignatius on Sunday, July 31

All members of the St. Louis Ignatian family are invited to celebrate the closing of the Ignatian Year with a Mass Sunday, July 31, at the Shrine of St. Joseph. Learn more here.

The Office of Mission and Identity at Saint Louis University is charged with furthering the understanding of Saint Louis University's Mission as a Jesuit and Catholic University. 

Photos submitted by Ann Hayes.

SLU Program in Physical Therapy Welcomes PhD Student Samantha Price, PT, DPT, to the Integrated Applied Sciences – Health Sciences Program

Hello, my name is Samantha Price. I will be a PhD student within the Integrated Applied Sciences – Health Sciences program at Saint Louis University. I received my bachelor’s degree in human health sciences, pre-physical therapy at the University of Kentucky, and my doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Dayton. I have since been working clinically as a neurodevelopmental physical therapist at Dayton Children’s Hospital. Additionally, I have 5 years experience working in biomechanics/motion analysis labs and am so excited to get started on this new journey.

Pursuing a PhD at SLU with a focus in lower extremity biomechanics and motion analysis will enable me to deepen my current knowledge/training as well as achieve my long-term goals. These goals include becoming an independent researcher with aspirations of becoming a lab director and securing a physical therapy faculty position. This specific PhD program creates more autonomy in program setup and will prepare me to become a well-rounded, collaborative researcher. Furthermore, the overall message of the university including a call to service and focus on God is very important to me. 

I was initially introduced to Dr. Pat Corrigan’s research as a third year PT student as he presented at our research symposium. After being connected through a mutual professor, I quickly found that our research interests and previous training in biomechanics align. More importantly, I am eager to challenge my current research knowledge through investigating musculoskeletal pathologies with ultrasound, working with epidemiological data, exploring motor learning during functional tasks, and adding the additional avenue of pediatric orthopedic injuries.  

As a current physical therapist, I am constantly searching for evidence-based treatment methods to produce the best patient outcomes. Practicing in pediatrics, these questions commonly come up short due to the lack in current research. As a result of my previous training in motion analysis orthopedics along with my current focus in neurodevelopmental pediatrics, I frequently utilize all aspects of physical therapy specialties to treat the whole person. Having both clinical experience and working to grow in my knowledge of biomechanics will uniquely position me to become an expert in pediatric treatment methods.

Researcher Spotlight - Ann Hayes, PT, DPT, MHS, OCS

Hello—I am Ann Hayes, a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training at Saint Louis University.  While my primary responsibilities in the department are teaching within the musculoskeletal curriculum, I continue to practice clinically in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at SSMHealth Saint Louis University Hospital which has led to a collegial relationship with Dr. Howard Place, chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and interdisciplinary research in the area of the spine.

While I am not a trained researcher, I have been fortunate to work in a department that has mentored me in areas that enabled me to attain grant funding through the Scoliosis Research Society.  This funding supported our study looking at lumbopelvic mobility in normal subjects resulting in three published papers, one of which was the first paper to dispel the universally accepted fact that pelvic incidence is a fixed measurement.  Since then, I have become C2 certified in Schroth-based Physiotherapeutic Scoliosis Specific Exercise and established a program for adolescents and adults with scoliosis at SSMHealth SLU Hospital, which is now accepted as best practice for the individuals within our system.  

To determine the effects of this intervention with adults with spinal deformity, we have recently initiated a study, “Would Additional Radiographic Measures Taken Pre and Post Physiotherapeutic Scoliosis Specific Exercise Better Demonstrate Successful Outcomes for Adults?” to follow the adult graduates of our PSSE program for two years, documenting their outcomes in pain relief and quality of life as well as to determine any radiographic changes, besides Cobb angle, that might better determine musculoskeletal improvement.  I am especially excited about this study for two reasons--not only for the long-term information that we will collect since there is a lack of evidence for this type of treatment for adults with spinal deformity, but because it involves collaborative work between an Orthopaedic medical resident and a physical therapy student in addition to our usual research team.

Dr. Hayes with SLU PT alumna Dr. Ann Jacott at the 2022 SOSORT Congress

In addition to my spine research, I am fortunate to be a part of a team of fellow PT faculty members who are interested in developing the skills of observational movement analysis in physical therapy students at SLU.  Through a collaborative relationship with faculty from the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, our team has established a curricular thread that is wound through the professional year curriculum in addition to being presented at CSM platform presentations.  Our interest in this area has expanded to collaborations with a variety of PT colleagues from around the country resulting in a publication in PTJ entitled, “The Intersection of Movement and Clinical Reasoning: Embodying ‘Body as a Teacher’ to Advance the Profession and Practice”.

Dr. Hayes on a recent backpacking trip (a favorite pastime).

Researcher Spotlight is a regular feature that highlights faculty research in the Saint Louis University Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training.  

SLU PT Student Jessica D'Agostino had an Encouraging Clinical Experience at Advanced Training and Rehab in St. Peters, Missouri

SLU PT Clinical Site Spotlight – Advanced Training and Rehab - Jungermann in St. Peters, MO

By Jessica D’Agostino (Class of 2023)

My first clinical experience is at Advanced Training & Rehab Jungermann, an outpatient orthopedic clinic committed to individualized and holistic patient care. I have learned how to build positive relationships with the patients in the clinic and have been refining the skills that I have learned through my time at SLU. Through this experience, I have worked with patients with varying diagnoses and complexities to assist in returning to their prior level of function. Overall, my time at ATR has been a rewarding and eye-opening experience under the supervision of knowledgeable, sympathetic and patient PTs.

Thank you for being an incredible Clinical Instructor, Erica Friebel, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my first clinical experience under your expertise. I began my clinical experience lacking confidence in my practical and conversational skills, but with encouragement from my CI, the difference in my confidence since the start of my experience is night and day. My CI is kind and attentive, always ensuring that all of my questions are answered and encouraging me to be curious. Her dedication to relationship building and her sharp sense of humor in the clinic make every day exciting, and I aspire to be even half the clinician that she is. Thank you for an incredible 10 weeks!

This is one of a series of posts by the Saint Louis University Program in Physical Therapy students featuring their clinical site and their clinical instructors. The number, quality, and diversity of clinical instruction are major assets for the SLU PT Program

SLU PT Student Meredith Miller is Grateful For Her Clinical Experience at OSF Rehabilitation Sheridan in Peoria, Illinois

SLU PT Clinical Site Spotlight – OSF Rehabilitation Sheridan in Peoria, IL

By Meredith Miller (Class of 2023)

With this being my first clinical experience, I went in feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure of what to expect, but on my very first day my Clinical Instructor, Matt Schultz, made me feel welcome and like I was supposed to be there. Each day we would spend time going over the day's patients, talking about their backgrounds and talking through with each other what him or I would be doing with them that visit. Matt is very knowledgeable in the world of orthopedics and always had an article on hand in which he could slide into the topic in which we were discussing but found ways to make the research interesting by relating it back to the patients we were seeing. I have learned so much in the past few weeks and am thankful that I got to work with someone as kind and as dedicated to their craft as he is.

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to work with you and taking your time to go through each patient individually in order to really understand their background and that each and every person is different, and we need to treat them as such. I feel that I have learned an incredible amount from you in these past few weeks and am grateful for the experience.

This is one of a series of posts by the Saint Louis University Program in Physical Therapy students featuring their clinical site and their clinical instructors. The number, quality, and diversity of clinical instruction are major assets for the SLU PT Program

SLU PT Student Jemma Kim had a Wonderful Clinical Experience at NorthShore University Health System at Sky Fitness Center in Buffalo Grove, IL

SLU Alums: Sierra Bugno, DPT, Sarah Levein, DPT, Sara Bayerle, DPT and SLU PT Student Jemma Kim

SLU PT Clinical Site Spotlight – NorthShore University Health System at Sky Fitness Center in Buffalo Grove, IL

By Jemma Kim  (Class of 2023)

My time at NorthShore at Sky Fitness has been absolutely wonderful. From the first day I knew that I was in good hands when I met my Clinical Instructor and SLU PT Alum, Sara Bayerle. Sara is an incredible teacher and even better physical therapist! She is so passionate about every single patient that we see and was excited to help me learn as much as I can in 10 weeks! I've grown in my skills of initial evaluations all the way to determining a plan of care for a patient. I've gotten to learn different exercises and grown tremendously in my manual therapy skills. I have felt so supported yet challenged in my growth as a student.

Thank you so much for making my 10 weeks so memorable! I have grown to love the profession of physical therapy so much in my time at Sky Fitness. Thank you for being a beam of light for our patients and for me as a student. Thank you for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. :)

This is one of a series of posts by the Saint Louis University Program in Physical Therapy students featuring their clinical site and their clinical instructors. The number, quality, and diversity of clinical instruction are major assets for the SLU PT Program