The UDPT Difference
Photos by Ashley Barnas Larrimore and courtesy of University Archives and Record Management, Beth Ackerman, Darcy Reisman, Katie Blair and Kathy Nguyen via MarathonFoto October 19, 2026
UD Physical Therapy celebrates 50 years of education, research and service
When Bill Records graduated a Blue Hen from the University of Delaware's first physical therapy class in 1976, the fledgling program was still finding its wings.
Records remembers rushing from anatomy class in the basement of the A.I. DuPont mansion straight to the football field for practice.
Then, there were only three UDPT faculty members. Records’ education came largely from guest lecturers, including neurologists from Jefferson and orthopedists from the A.I. duPont Institute, now known as Nemours Children’s Hospital.
“The program wasn’t accredited until after we graduated and passed our licensure exams, so it was a real leap of faith and a bonding experience for the 20 of us who started in the program,” said Records, who went on to run his own private PT practice for decades and watch UD’s program fly.
As UDPT celebrates 50 years, the #1-ranked, fully accredited program now boasts 17 faculty, a public-facing clinic where students get hands-on experience, a renowned research program and highly competitive sports and orthopedic residencies where graduates go on to help elite athletes and people with orthopedic injuries.
“At UDPT, we really value research, education and the community,” said Darcy Reisman, professor and chair of UDPT. “The expectation as a healthcare professional is to treat patients, but also to engage with the population through volunteerism and service learning, and that’s what sets UDPT apart.”
The Department of Physical Therapy invites you to campus on Homecoming Weekend to celebrate 50 years of excellence in teaching, research and clinical care. See how UDPT has grown over the years and enjoy the opportunity to connect with alumni, current and former faculty/staff and friends of the department. Join us on Nov. 13, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Nov. 14, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more and register in advance.
Records recently toured the state-of-the-art Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus, which former College of Health Sciences Dean Kathy Matt — a classmate of Records at Newark High School — helped build into a hub for health sciences education, innovation, research and clinical care.
“It’s like night and day,” Records said. “Going from a singular first classroom to a first-class program that emphasizes interdisciplinary research and a collective brainpower that rivals any program — it’s just amazing.”
Never be the status quo
For Beth Ackerman, a 2015 UDPT graduate who stayed at UD to complete a physical therapy sports residency in 2017, the program’s impact went beyond the classroom.
Today, she works with young athletes at a clinic in Virginia Beach. She credits UDPT with instilling a commitment to lifelong learning and service.
“It’s a built-in expectation that you must keep learning to grow as a clinician,” she said. “UDPT taught me to never be the status quo and never become complacent.”
The program also taught her the importance of giving back. Ackerman’s class was the first to compete in the Foundation for Physical Therapy’s Marquette Challenge, which raises money for PT research. They finished second, but the effort sparked a tradition that continues today.
Last year, UDPT students raised more than $26,000 and earned co-naming rights for the 2026 Delaware-Marquette Challenge.
“We have an amazing PT research program at UD that improves the profession and patient care,” said Nicole Fredricks, fundraising co-chair for second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students. “UDPT faculty and students receive foundation funding, so there’s a direct impact that makes our efforts so meaningful.”
This year, UDPT students took that commitment a step further with a 24-hour cardiac compression challenge sponsored by First State Orthopaedics. They completed 144,000 continuous cardiac compressions and raised $5,000 for PT research.
DPT students have also run the Philadelphia Marathon to raise money for WeRunWithYou, a local nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors of brain injuries overcome perceived limitations and return to doing what they love while raising funds for brain aneurysm research.
WeRunWithYou is also raising money through the Run4Rehab campaign, associated with the Philadelphia Marathon, in partnership with UDPT students and stroke survivors participating in the study and the marathon. Nguyen praised UDPT students for choosing a path of service.
“From day one, we talk about the profession being nothing without evidence,” Reisman said. “The research builds the evidence, so whether you’re a researcher or not, you need to support that, and our students are an amazing representation of our values.”
Those values continue to shape UDPT graduates long after they leave campus.
Ackerman gives back through an annual guest lecture and by hosting UD students for clinical rotations.
“The caliber of UDPT students is next level,” Ackerman said. “But they’re not just intelligent; they’re good humans.”
A responsibility beyond the classroom
Service-learning has also remained central to the UDPT experience, giving students opportunities to work directly with the community.
As a student, Ackerman worked with a man who had ALS. The experience taught her success isn’t always measured by clinical outcomes.
“Our visits kept him stable and happy,” Ackerman said. “He felt like he got so much benefit from it, even if it didn’t show clinically. And that’s what UDPT taught us: If it’s important to the patient, it’s important to you.”
For current students like Fredricks, those experiences can even change their career direction.
Fredricks entered UDPT planning to become an orthopedic sports physical therapist. But after helping athletes with disabilities modify their fitness programs at Arena Adaptive and working on UD stroke research, she began considering a different path.
“I may want to work with patients with neurological diagnoses,” Fredricks said. “Working with these different populations and giving them opportunities has taught me to treat them like athletes and not by their disability.”
For Reisman, that shift is part of what makes the program’s mission so meaningful.
“These are 22- and 23-year-old students who really get it. They know this is more than a job,” Reisman said. “Working with people who may be at one of the worst points in their lives, showing them that you’re there for them and caring for them as a whole person matters.”
Support UDPT
The 50th Anniversary Fund for Clinical, Education and Research Excellence was established to continue the department’s legacy of leadership by ensuring that students, faculty and clinicians have the resources to provide world-class clinical care, education and research that impact patients throughout the state of Delaware and beyond. Click here to make a gift.
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