October 25, 2023

About 40 first- and second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students attended the Life Rolls On adaptive surfing event in Wildwood, NJ in early August. This annual event, that brings hundreds of volunteers, people of all ages with disabilities and entire families together for an incredible day in the ocean where they got a lot of hands-on practice with transferring and assisting people with various impairments.

Robert Hand, PT, DPT, a new assistant clinical professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, participated in Life Rolls On events previously and thought it would be a good experience for our DPT students. “It was a great blend of community-based wellness and experiential learning, specific to content within the neurologic curriculum,” he stated. “What a great way to introduce care for persons with spinal cord injury. The students not only demonstrated competency with hands-on skills, but also the ability to communicate within a team of providers, volunteers, families and athletes,” Hand added.

World and U.S. National Adaptive surfing champion, Jesse Billauer, founded Life Rolls On to inspire people living with paralysis to live beyond their disabilities. Caleb Fernandez, a DPT student in the class of 2025, decided to go to Life Rolls On because he was interested in seeing the impact that an event like this can have on the athletes, their families and friends. “Life Rolls On reiterated the importance of encouraging our patients to find supportive communities that emphasize meaningful and fun experiences with an aim to improve their quality of life,” Fernandez shared.

Hand hopes this can become a regular event for Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. “It’s a way we can serve the community and involve multiple cohorts, and maybe even other colleges at Drexel, to make it an interdisciplinary learning/volunteer event.” He continued saying he wants the presence of both the DPT program and the team of faculty and students to grow in the community. But ultimately, Hand sees how beneficial experiences like Life Rolls On are to our students. “Students who pursue these opportunities may not only find a passion that wasn’t previously known but also gain a new appreciation of their value as future medical professionals who influence patients’ lives beyond the clinical setting.”

In addition to Hand and Fernandez, participants included Mikaili Anderson, Amber Stephens, Mary Kate Palma, Nicole Kay, Jesse Sheaffer and Angela Tassi from the Class of 2024 and Cassie Woolley, Olivia Czelusniak, Ruth Boehling, Matthew Paradine, Ruth Skolnick-Schur, Ryan Hogan, Justin Stafford, Julia Chang, Josh Cunningham, Jemine Poon, Gabriella Evans, Alexa Brown, Mia DiGregorio, Nina Soffer, Kelsey Walsh, Cassie Kelly, Maddie Santoro, Jennifer Mach, Mina Lee, Sam Goren, Julia Ramos, Alexandre Boudazin, Vedant Patel, Brian Zabilski, Shane Angle, Matthew McPheron, Jeff Akibayo, Olivia Bradbury, Reanna Minto, Mia DiGregorio and Chelsea Weitz from the Class of 2025.

Written by Roberta S. Perry