SLU PT Alumni spotlight - Brian Schwabe, PT, DPT, SCS, COMT, CSCS

SLU PT Alumni Spotlight - Brian Schwabe, PT, DPT, SCS, COMT, CSCS

Director of I.O. Sports Therapy, Irvine Orthopedic Sports Therapy

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Current Town/City: Los Angeles, CA

SLU DPT Class of 2013

Interests, Activities, Clubs, and Professional Organizations

Personal Development, Business & Finances, Sports Physical Therapy, The Beach!

Dr. Schwabe presenting at APTA Combined Sections Meeting.

If you could come back to SLU and teach a class, which class would you like to teach?

Sports Physical Therapy Seminar.  This class helped me start my vision of what was possible in sports PT. I would love to share my experiences with students.

Dr. Schwabe at the NFL Combine

What was the most valuable lesson — inside or outside the classroom — you learned at SLU?

What you become in the process is more important than the dream. My experience at SLU taught me that the person I was becoming and the struggle I endured was the most important part of my growth process as not only a person, but a health care provider.

Tell us about one of your professional accomplishments thus far.

Ignoring the traditional path of physical therapy and creating my own dream career.  While I wasn’t always the strongest academic test taker (despite the endless hours in the library), I always had a burning desire to excel and build a unique career in sports physical therapy.  I was fortunate that a few professors in SLU’s PT program believed in me and gave me a reference/opportunity to land a sports residency position with USC.  From there I worked hard, ignored the many naysayers, and created a dream career working as an out of network/cash based sports therapist working with athletes of all levels and traveling with entertainers and professional athletes.  

Dr. Schwabe during Concierge Performance Therapy services.

What advice do you have for students getting ready to graduate with their DPT?

Know that despite challenges our profession faces, there has never been a greater time to become a physical therapist, help more people than ever before, and build out the career you envision through hard work and perseverance.   

Is there anything else you would like to share?

My time at SLU was an incredible experience.  I am extremely grateful for the mentorship, support, and experiences at SLU. There is no doubt in my mind that without SLU I would never have accomplished what I have in my professional career.  

This is one of several posts featuring SLU PT Alumni experiences. The Saint Louis University Program in Physical Therapy wants to recognize the exciting and innovative things our alumni are doing, here in St. Louis and around the world. For more information for and about SLU alumni experiences go to: http://www.slu.edu/alumni-and-donors/.

Welcome to the 2022-2023 SLU SSM Health Physical Therapy Residents!

Welcome to the new SLU SSM Health Physical Therapy Residents!

We are welcoming four physical therapists in the orthopedic program: Drs. Mark Welegala, Andrew Elston, Jazmon Carroll, and Allie Wilson.  

Drs. Welegala, Elston, Carroll, and Wilson

We welcomed two physical therapists to the women’s pelvic health program:  Drs. Laura Erb and Bri Mulhearn.  

Drs. Erb and Mulhearn

The residents are graduates from Univ of Missouri – Columbia, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Texas Medical Branch – Galveston, and our own Saint Louis University Program in Physical Therapy.  

Additionally, Dr. Carroll (SLU alumni) and Dr. Wilson hold licenses in athletic training.  We are so excited to Welcome you to the Residency!  

For more information on the SLU-SSM Health Physical Therapy Orthopedic Residency Program, visit https://www.slu.edu/doisy/degrees/ssm-residency.php or contact the Residency Program Director, Dr. Chris Sebelski at chris.sebelski@health.slu.edu.

For more information on the program, visit https://www.slu.edu/doisy/degrees/ssm-womens-health-residency.php or contact the Residency Program Director, Dr. Jill Imgarten at jimgarten@ssm-select.com OR the SLU Director of Residency Education, Dr. Chris Sebelski at chris.sebelski@health.slu.edu.

Faculty Spotlight - Jessica Luechtefeld, PT, DPT, PCS

Hello! I’m Jessica Luechtefeld, an adjunct faculty member within the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at Saint Louis University.  I am the course coordinator for the Neurological Conditions II course. I am a practicing pediatric physical therapist, providing early intervention services through Missouri First Steps in rural Missouri and outpatient and aquatics through ShowMe Therapy in Washington, Missouri.

I have had a wide variety of pediatric experiences throughout my career. I graduated from the University of Missouri with my DPT, during which I completed pediatric clinicals as well as participated in various volunteer opportunities working with pediatric patients. I then completed the Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency at Creighton University. My time as a pediatric resident gave me the opportunity to work and learn in a variety of pediatric settings, including outpatient pediatrics, aquatics, the NICU, schools, and inpatient rehab. Since completing my residency education, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of pediatric settings, including outpatient, schools, and early intervention.

Research collaborations with colleagues led to the opportunity to present at various conferences over the past several years. Research during my residency education led to presenting at the APTA Pediatric Annual Conference in 2020 on clinical reasoning when working with patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Collaborations with colleagues from the University of Missouri led to presenting at Combined Sections Meeting in 2022 and several manuscript publications, all discussing the results of a nationwide survey about providing pediatric physical therapy services using telehealth during COVID-19.  

I’m hoping to grow my pediatric team of professionals at Saint Louis University for assisting with both on-campus and/or off-campus lab experiences with the students. Please reach out to me at jessica.luechtefeld@health.slu.edu for more information or with any questions.