THE HOGAN YEARS: - University of Massachusetts Lowell

FeatureStory
Joining Physical Therapy Department founder Joe Dorsey, fourth from left, at the department’s
25th anniversary celebration were, from left, Louis Coiro ’82 and Becky Meier Dempsey, Kathleen
Maffa-Krailo and Ginny LaFreniere, all from the class of 1981, PT’s first graduating class.
In addition to PT, the University
also offers an undergraduate program in
exercise physiology (EP), the study of
the influence of exercise on the functions
of the human body. Up to 60
percent of the students in physical
therapy come through the exercise
physiology program.
Steve Coppola, who completed both
undergrad EP and graduate PT, says, “I
got one of the best educations a student
could ask for, with the topping being
that it was affordable. I was able to pay
off my loans in five years when most of
my friends were still deep in debt.
“Professors like Susan O’Sullivan and
Barbara Cocanour and others gave me
tools beyond what an average graduate
physical therapist had. I felt prepared
going out into the real world and being
effective at making a difference in a
patient’s health and wellbeing.”
Coppolla opened a clinic in Concord,
N.H., in 2004 and a second one
18 months later in Manchester. He
named the “tremendously successful”
Concord clinic in honor of his late
brother Andrew, an electrical engineering
alumnus who “believed wholeheartedly
in what the University could help
one achieve” and who supported the
school financially.
In October, the Department of
Physical Therapy celebrated the 25th
anniversary of its first graduating class
with a reunion celebration at the
Brewhouse Cafe and Grill in Lowell.
In a letter of invitation, signed by all
10 faculty members, the department
announced the formation of the
“Professors like Susan O’Sullivan and Barbara Cocanour
and others gave me tools beyond what an average graduate
physical therapist had.” — Steve Coppola
Physical Therapy Alumni Scholarship
fund. The monies raised will be used to
support graduate education students in
the DPT program, with eligibility based
on need and the potential for leadership
in the profession.
Speakers at the event included
Professor Emeritus Dorsey, Prof. O’Sullivan
and Pauline Ladebauche, director
of Academic Administration in the
School of Health and Environment,
representing Dean David Wegman.
In discussing the program in the
weeks leading up to the celebration,
O’Sullivan pointed out that the program’s
development has matched
national trends, in that it has moved
from a bachelor’s to a master’s to a doctoral
level; that 98 percent of graduates
passed the national licensure exam in
the most recent three-year reporting
period; and that every student has
found employment within six months
of graduation.
“We have an excellent program here
and we have excellent students. And
we have a quality product that we, the
faculty, are very proud of,” she said.
Celebrants at the PT anniversary event included, from left, former Chairman Joe Dorsey;
Jan Stecchi, former dean of the College of Health Professions; Department Chair Susan
O’Sullivan and Pauline Ladebauche, director of Academic Administration in the School of
Health and Environment.
26 UMASS LOWELL MAGAZINE WINTER 2007