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
DPT, MGH IHP
EdD, Oklahoma State University
MS in Advanced Physical Therapy, Medical College of Virginia
BS in Physical Therapy, University of Kansas
Research Interests
Physical Therapy Education
Clinical Reasoning
Orthopaedics
Management of Spinal Dysfunction
Wound Care
Areas of Expertise
Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
Dr. Manuel (Tony) A. Domenech is the Program Director of and a Professor for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. He attained a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Kansas, 1976, Master of Science in Advance Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Virginia, 1982, Doctor of Education degree from Oklahoma State University, 1985, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, 2008. Dr. Domenech is an American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) certified specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists.
Previously, he served as Regional Dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences and Assistant Program Director/Associate Professor of the DPT program for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center; Physical Medicine Chair of the Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Orthotic Clinics at Travis Air Force Base; Director of Physical Therapy Clinic at Lackland Air Force Base; Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Education of the US Army-Baylor Graduate Physical Therapy program; Program Director of the Air Force’s Physical Therapy Assistant program; and Director of the Physical Therapy Clinic at Tinker Air Force Base. He served twenty-two years in the United States Air Force and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, June 2004.
His research has been published in professional journals such as Physical Therapy, USAF Medical Service Digest, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and PM&R. He served as an ABPTS Board/Orthopaedic Specialty Council member and a Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) Examination Development Committee member. Presently, he serves as an onsite-reviewer for the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), a FSBPT Education Committee member, and a Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners board member.
