Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program

The University of Miami, Department of Physical Therapy – Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program is a fully accredited, year-long program, offering physical therapists the ability to gain a variety of structured experiences in sports and outpatient settings. Residents will have live didactic education in the Department of Physical Therapy’s Coral Gables campus, blocks away from their clinical practice at the Lennar Medical Foundation and their sports affiliations with the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Our Residency also partners with UHealth Sports Medicine Institute, the Miami VA Adaptive Sports Program, and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Pediatric Sports Medicine Program. Additionally, we share parts of our didactic curriculum with our other University-based residency programs, primarily with our partners in the Orthopaedic Residency.

The program is designed to provide residents with intensive study of sports physical therapy, preparing them to sit for (and pass) the Sports Physical Therapy Clinical Specialist Exam offered by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. Opportunities with other community providers are also available (Miami VA SCI Adaptive Sports, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine).

We are looking for honest, hard-working, committed, mature, resilient, inquisitive, team-oriented physical therapists, who fit the personality of our program. Additionally, a background in sports (athletic trainer, former student-athlete, strength & conditioning coach, relevant clinical experience) is preferred. The resident will be a part of an inter-professional, collaborative team with athletic trainers, dietitians, mental health practitioners, sports scientists, physicians, and strength & conditioning coaches.

Resident Education

Residents will receive live didactic courses on topics related to sports physical therapy, including all of the expected knowledge areas published in the current Description of Specialty Practice for Sports Physical Therapy. The content will be taught by expert faculty and clinicians from the University of Miami Department of Physical Therapy and expert clinicians in the community.

The sports resident(s) will share didactic learning experiences with other residents from our physical therapy residency programs, especially with our Orthopaedic Residency colleagues. The Orthopaedic Residency faculty will play a major role in didactic instruction with modules related to pain science, primary care, the spine, and peripheral joints. Modules or units will be taught weekly throughout the year. The curriculum is structured so that content related to the fall sports seasons (football, soccer, volleyball, cross country) is covered first (i.e., acute sports injury and illness, concussion, environmental, spine). Residents will be expected to complete a capstone research project to be presented at the end of the program.

Residents have also been privileged to attend the MSK Ultrasound modules with the UHealth Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship team. The MSK Ultrasound modules are held at the Lennar Medical Center and will typically be scheduled on Friday mornings. The residency class start times are adjusted to accommodate any potential time conflicts with the MSK Ultrasound modules. Residents will also work closely with the UHealth Orthopaedic Sports Medicine fellowship.

Work Hours

A typical week includes 28 hours of out-patient care at the Lennar Foundation Medical Center (Monday-Saturday), 4-6 hours of live class (usually on Thursday afternoons or Friday mornings) and working with our D1 Athletics programs. Our residents will on average have 1000+ hours working with our D1 athletes.

Historically, two residents (A and B) are scheduled for the morning shift in Athletics, which begins when the scheduled football activities start. Although the morning shift is football-intensive, student-athletes from other sports will also receive rehabilitation. After the morning shift, these two residents (A and B) complete their day at the Lennar outpatient clinic. The third resident (C) has a reverse schedule, starting their day at the Lennar outpatient clinic and transitioning to Athletics in the afternoon. Additionally, this resident (C) participates in the morning strength and conditioning sessions with the track and field program; on those days, they begin with the weight room session, then proceed to Lennar, and return to Athletics in the afternoon. The afternoon shift (C) is focused on track and field, but student-athletes from other sports are also seen. All residents (A, B, C) work together on Friday afternoons at Lennar.

Sport Coverage

All our residents will all get the opportunity to work with our football program and provide home-game sideline coverage and potentially travel to away games. Residents will also cover a minimum of 3 home games in: men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. Additionally, all residents will cover home track & field meets. Opportunities for coverage in our other sports are also available (baseball, dive, swimming, and tennis).

Mentoring

Mentoring will either be scheduled or occur organically based on the circumstance. In Athletics, the resident’s primary mentor on a case will be the full-time team physical therapist for their sport. Mentoring in the outpatient center will be done based on needs or predetermined days/times.

Teaching

Our residents do not serve as teaching assistants in the DPT program because our residency program aims to develop sports rehabilitation clinicians. We also believe that the additional cognitive burden of teaching activities, on top of the residency workload, could contribute to burnout-related challenges.

Interview Dates: TBD

Interview Details: As we receive completed applications on RF-PTCAS we will look to begin the process with our admissions committee. There will be opportunities to meet current and former residents, as well as program faculty through virtual information sessions (late summer and fall), phone calls (October-January), in-person meetings at Combined Sections Meeting (February), and eventually for a select group on the University of Miami campus (January - February)

Selection Process: Sports residency programs nationwide are collaborating with standardized offer dates for applicants. The proposed official offer date would be on the first Monday in March.

• Social Life: https://med.miami.edu/miami
• Domestic Considerations: https://med.miami.edu/miami
• Instagram Account: @umptsports
• Case-Diagnosis Listing: https://abptrfe.apta.org/globalassets/abptrfe/for-programs/clinical-programs/residency-practice/drp_sports.pdf (p. 11-12)

Association Links

• American Physical Therapy Association
• American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy

Journal Links

• International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy
• Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy
• Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
• Sports Medicine

ABPTRFE: https://abptrfe.apta.org/
RF-PTCAS: https://rfptcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login

First Goal

Develop clinicians for advanced sports proficiency and that are prepared to pursue the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties certification through a comprehensive didactic curriculum and in instruction and testing of psychomotor skills.

Second Goal

Promote the use of critical thinking, metacognition, research, and clinical decision-making as it relates to the intra-/inter-professional delivery of care in sport.

Third Goal

Exemplify the professional core values of the APTA by providing a curriculum focused on patient-centered care that emphasizes compassion, integrity, professional duty, accountability, social responsibility, and the pursuit of excellence as integral components of physical therapy.

Fourth Goal

Provide the surrounding community and beyond with residency-trained physical therapists who excel in the practice of sport.

• Residents are guided through the research process by Michele Raya, Ph.D., PT, SCS, ATC (Assistant Program Director, Academic and Research Coordinator). Original case reports or participation in ongoing studies are acceptable.
• Residents will present their work at the annual Resident Research Symposium along with all our University of Miami residency programs.
• Residency faculty have research interests in the following areas: ACL injury, adaptive sports, autoimmune disorders, biometrics, bone stress injuries, differential diagnosis, external and internal load monitoring, higher education, injury risk assessment, performance-based outcome measures, return to play/sport testing, smartphone goniometry/inclinometer, sports science, technology, throwing, upper extremity treatment paradigms.

Please visit the Sports Health and Human Performance Sciences webpage.

• Badawy, C. 20-Year-Old Division I Collegiate Female Sweep Rower: Return-to-Sport Rehabilitation Following Six Rib Stress Fractures.
• Brooks, R. Laparoscopic Bilateral Sports Hernia Repair and Adductor Tenotomy in a Division I Collegiate Track Athlete: A Case Report.
• Burnett, K. Delayed Rehabilitation Following Calcaneal Fracture and ORIF in a Middle-Aged Female Runner: A Case Report.
  Cobb, A. Effects of Vitamin C-Enriched Gelatin and Blood Flow Restriction on Muscle Atrophy Post-Achilles Tendon Rupture.
• Coleman, K. The Clinical Utility of Performance-based Outcome Measures and Sensor-Based Metrics in Collegiate Cheer and Dance Athletes: An Exploratory Study.
• Espinosa, F. Staged Revision of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery in a High School Soccer Player: A Case Report.
• Franciosi, B. Distal Triceps Tendon Rupture Repair in a Male Professional Body Builder: A Case Study.
• Galasso, P.  Cooling the Boiling Pot: The Implementation of a Five-Minute Rest Period and its Effects on Baseline Heart Rate in Division I Football Players.
• Glick, S. A Multifaceted Approach in the Healing of a Stress Fracture in the Female Endurance Athlete.
• Hobbs, M. Return to Running Following Bilateral Popliteal Artery Decompression: A Case Study.
• Maye, T. Heterotrophic Ossification after Distal Biceps Tendon Repair: A Case Report.
• Misenheimer, A. Conservative Management of a Posterolateral Elbow Dislocation in a Division 1 Football Player: A Case Report.
• Padro, L. Posterior Shoulder Instability in a Division I Cheerleader: A Case Report.
• Rapicavoli, J. The Association of Foot Posture and Prior Injury History in Division I Collegiate Pitchers: A Pilot Investigation Using the Foot Posture Index-6.
• Rivera, J. The Association Between Pre-Season Measures of Scapulo-Thoracic Muscle Strength and Inspiratory Muscle Performance on Injury in Division I Baseball Pitchers.
• Schipfer, S. Comparison of Heart Rate Variability Measurements Using Tiger Tech Technology with Subjective Clinical Reports Following a Concussive Episode in a Division I Collegiate Football Player.
• Seki, B. Sartorius Sprain in a Division I Track & Field Jumping Athlete.
• Szczyglowski, M. Rehabilitation of a Maters Powerlifter with Adhesive Capsulitis and Glenohumeral OA: A Case Study.

The mission of the University of Miami Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program is to immerse practicing clinicians into advanced sports didactic and clinical instruction to develop clinicians who provide exceptional patient care, promote the core values of the American Physical Therapy Association, and are equipped to be leaders, mentors, and educators for the public and within the health care community.

• Julia Rapicavoli, PT, DPT, SCS, LAT, ATC (Associate Program Director, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Coordinator) 
• Kyle Burnett, PT, DPT, SCS
• Joe Girardi, PT, DPT, CSCCa
• Tommy Otley, PT, DPT, SCS
• Julian Rivera, PT, DPT, SCS, LAT, ATC, USA-W
• Jeffrey Ruiz, PT, DPT, SCS, OCS, CSCS, USA-W
• Samanda Vasquez, PT, DPT, ATP, KTCC

• Jessica Bolanos, PT, DPT
• Jeffrey Fernandez, PT, DPT, OCS

Current Residents (2024-2025)

• Allie Boudreau, PT, DPT, CSCS, USA-W
• Mike Boykin, PT, DPT, CSCS
• Jessica Fritson, PT, DPT, ATC/L

Residency Alumni

• Charles Badawy, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS, USAW
• Ryan Brooks, PT, DPT, SCS, MA, CSCS, USAW
• Kyle Burnett, PT, DPT, SCS
• Aijalon Cobb, PT, DPT, ATC/L
• Keairez Coleman, PT, DPT, CSCS
• Fernando Espinosa, PT, DPT
• Bryan Franciosi, PT, DPT, ATC/L
• Pete Galasso, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, USA-W
• Sarah Glick, PT, DPT, SCS, OCS
• Matt Hobbs, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS, USAW
• Tiffany Maye, PT, DPT, SCS, MA, CSCS
• Abbey Misenheimer, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC/L
• Lil Padro, PT, DPT, ATC/L
• Julia Rapicavoli, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC/L
• Kurtis Rayfield, PT, DPT, CSCS
• Julian Rivera, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC/L, USA-W
• Brenden Seki, PT, DPT, CSCS
• Samantha Schipfer, PT, DPT, ATC/L
• Marcin Szczyglowski, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS