News

Dalhousie to open university-run physiotherapy clinic December 4^th

Wednesday October 4, 2017 (Halifax, NS) – Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Health (Dal Health) and Department of Athletics and Recreation are pleased to announce the creation of the Dalhousie Physiotherapy Clinic. Situated in Dalplex, the Dal PT Clinic will offer a broad range of physiotherapy services to the Dalhousie, Halifax and Nova Scotia communities.

Established through a collaborative partnership between Dal Health’s School of Physiotherapy and the Department of Athletics and Recreation’s Varsity Athletics and Dalplex, the Dal PT Clinic will be closely aligned with the university’s teaching and research mission.

“This is a great opportunity to offer innovative experiential learning and clinical placement opportunities for our physiotherapy students,” says Brenda Merritt, Dean of the Faculty of Health (Acting). “A university-based clinic will also allow us to link the cutting edge research happening in our labs and centres with service provision to our broader community.”

As in some private physiotherapy clinics and most public hospitals, the licenced physiotherapists working in the Dal PT Clinic will supervise student-patient interactions with students from Dal’s Masters of Science in Physiotherapy program.

“The clinic will give physio students a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with real people, who have real injuries, in an authentic physiotherapy environment,” says Gregg Bandy, who graduated from Dal with his MScPT yesterday. “The chance to work with athletes will allow physio students to see various types of injuries, utilize a multitude of different treatment techniques, and work with a unique patient population.”

“We’re very excited about this opportunity,” says Anne Fenety, Director of the School of Physiotherapy and Assistant Dean, Innovation for the Faculty of Health. “This clinic will provide two unique connections: First, we can link patient care with student education through students in the clinic and patients in the classroom. Second, we can link patients with researchers in the School’s labs and research centers, where highly specialized equipment can enhance both patient care and research results.”

Open to anyone needing physiotherapy service, the clinic will have a focus on meeting the needs of the Dal community.

“It is exciting for the Department of Athletics and Recreation to collaborate on this important initiative,” says Tim Maloney, Executive Director, Athletics and Recreation. “Working closely with the Faculty of Health to provide experiential learning and research opportunities, while delivering outstanding care to our students allows us to deliver on a number of important strategic priorities for Dalhousie.”

The Dal PT Clinic is expected to open December 4^th. More information will be shared over the coming weeks and can be found at www.dal.ca/physiotherapy/clinic.

Media Contacts:

Laura Hynes Jenkins

Faculty of Health

Dalhousie University

Laura.Hynes.Jenkins@dal.ca

902-494-2594

Angela Barrett-Jewers

Varsity Marketing & Communications

Dalhousie University

Angela.Barrett@dal.ca

902-494-2574