DHSc Alumni, Dhinu J. Jayaseelan, DPT, had an article published by BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders that explores perceptions and the use of clinical pain mechanism assessment strategies by physical therapists managing musculoskeletal pain.
Alongside David Scalzitti and Carol Courtney, the authors address a key issue in the implementation of suggested mechanism-based approaches with clients. Surrounding the evaluation and management of pain, the authors explain that despite understanding of usefulness, physical therapists in the orthopedic setting do not perform the assessment often.
Throughout the DHSc program, there are the two in-person residency weekends held to discuss scholarly and research projects. Reflecting on this program feature, Jayaseelan said, "residency weekends were helpful for me in providing real-time personal interactions and feedback. For me, learning is both an independent and communal process. Having other individuals constructively identify gaps in my knowledge and troubleshoot opportunities to close and reinforce those gaps was essential."
Dr. Dhinu Jayaseelan is an assistant professor within the physical therapy program. He is a board certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists. He serves as the co-academic director of the GW Orthopedic Residency, held in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
"This is my second degree from GW. When I tell people I graduated from GW, I can tell the name carries a sense of excellence. More than the reputation though, I’m proud to have learned from and worked along-side expert faculty and lifelong learners. I’m hopeful that by becoming more of an expert, I can become a better educator. I’m confident that I accomplished this goal at GW," said Jayaseelan.
Read more from the final DHSc project, here.