At a key transition point in their studies, occupational therapy students across all USAHS campuses participate in a meaningful ritual, witnessed by family and friends. The OT pinning ceremony marks the end of the classroom portion of their studies and the beginning of their fieldwork. For Residential MOT and OTD students, this happens in their fourth term, and for Flex, in the seventh term.
A longstanding tradition in OT practice, the pin celebrates the diversity of practice areas, the client-centered nature of our practice and the values of our profession.
“It’s an opportunity for faculty to acknowledge our students’ transition from classroom learning to clinical learning,” says Mary Zadnik, ScD, MEd, OTR/L, director of the entry-level OT programs on Read more
DHSc in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy - University of Indianapolis
Adv. MSc - Orthopaedic Physical Therapy - University of Pittsburgh
BS Physical Therapy - Daemen College
Research Interests
Dry needling effects on peripheral and central sensitization
Clinical Reasoning in PT professional and post professional
education
Psychosocial considerations for dry needling
Areas of Expertise
Myofascial pain and dysfunction
Dr. Joe Donnelly received his Doctor of Health Science Degree in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy from the University of Indianapolis, and his Master of Science in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Daemen College in Buffalo, NY.
He has over 30 years of clinical experience in the area of orthopaedics and manual physical therapy. He has been a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (OCS) for 28 years and has worked in a variety of practice settings. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT HON).
Dr. Donnelly’s areas of interest in teaching include Musculoskeletal Dysfunction, Clinical Reasoning, Pain Sciences, and Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction. He also lectures and teaches the skill of trigger point dry needling. His scholarship efforts are focused in the area of myofascial pain and dysfunction’s effect on movement impairments and dry needling.
He is the Editor of the third edition of the Travell and Simons’ Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual. He has presented nationally integrating clinical reasoning, pain sciences, myofascial pain and dysfunction and dry needling. He is active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and in 2020 he received the highest honor of the profession by being named as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA (FAPTA). He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists and is currently the President of the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, APTA.
