August 1, 2012

On July 6, a group of eight Doctorate of Physical Therapy students performed in a dance concert fundraiser called “We Dance for Research” in the Geary Auditorium of the New College Building. Melanie Carminati ‘14, Alexis Dispenziere ‘13, Megan Doyle ‘14, Rohini Ghatge ‘13, Stephanie King ‘13, Danielle Monaco ‘14, Disha Patel ‘14 and Jocelin Thau ‘13 performed in modern, tap, and fusion numbers that they choreographed themselves.

In addition to the student lineup, several faculty members also contributed their time and talents to the concert. The performers included Dean Donnelly, Maria Benedetto, DPT, David Ebaugh, PhD, Jane Fedorczyk, PhD, Kevin Gard, DPT, Noel Goodstadt, DPT, Robert Maschi, DPT, Jan Meiers, DPT, Margo Orlin, PhD, Robert Palisano, ScD, Joseph Rubertone, PhD, Patricia Rubertone, and Sarah Wenger, DPT.

Melanie Carminati, Doctorate of Physical Therapy ‘14, organized and directed the concert, which raised $1,700 for the Marquette Challenge. The Marquette Challenge was started in 1989 by Marquette University physical therapy students to raise awareness around the importance of PT research funding. Since that time, the Marquette Challenge has become a fixture and one of the most significant campaigns for the Physical Therapy Foundation, with all funds raised entirely by students. “We Dance for Research” is the first large-scale creative event for the Marquette Challenge that has taken place at Drexel University. “Being the directing force behind that historical moment is really exciting,” Melanie said.

Perhaps equally as impressive as the sum of money that these eight students were able to raise for the Marquette Challenge is the amount of hard work and effort that they put into orchestrating the concert on top of their other commitments. “I spent many hours planning and organizing this event so that we could choreograph and perform for this cause. All of the work was completed on top of a full graduate course load,” Melanie explained.

She left us with this insightful consideration: “I feel that ‘We Dance for Research’ really demonstrated how multi-faceted the field of physical therapy is. We all have different passions and backgrounds, but we have found the same profession to call our own.”