Facebook Instagram Linkedin
Donate to JHR

Author: Regina Kaufman, PT, EdD, MS, NCS

Regina Kaufman, PT, EdD, MS, NCS is Professor of Physical Therapy at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. She received her Bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Russell Sage College in 1984, an MS in PT from the MGH Institute of Health Professions, and an EdD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is an academician and clinician with a strong commitment to community-engaged education. For more than a decade she has partnered with community members living with chronic neurologic conditions to promote improvements in health and function while enhancing DPT student development through a variety of service learning initiatives. Long term relationships with community partners have prompted and informed deep introspection about what it means to provide authentic person-centered care as well as an evolving critique of some of the values and assumptions that drive traditional rehabilitation efforts.

Why Was I So Afraid?

In this thoughtful piece, Dr. Regina Kaufman tells of an encounter with a man in a checkout line who remembered that she was his physical therapist more than 30 years ago. Describing the man’s “relatively cool” demeanor, she expresses her fear that perhaps his memory of his treatment was not a completely positive one. She tries to recall the level of care she was able to provide as a novice, and notes that wisdom can only truly develop over time.

Lessons from the Lake

Through her description of a personal encounter with an acquaintance devastated by a stroke, Regina Kaufman, PT, EdD, MS, NCS, contemplates how personal connection during therapy sessions may enable patients to re-embody the world and social roles that they have lost.