Florida Southern is excited to welcome Dr. Maria Torres-Palsa to the Doctor of Physical Therapy team. As an assistant professor within the School of Physical Therapy, she will teach our anatomy and clinical skills course series.
In addition to her clinical experience treating patients in acute, neuro inpatient, and orthopedic inpatient/outpatient settings, Dr. Torres-Palsa also brings extensive academic and research experience. She holds two doctoral degrees from the University of Toledo: a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and a Ph.D. in Exercise Science. As a former international student (she is originally from Ecuador and immigrated to the U.S. in 2005), Dr. Torres-Palsa will blend the Latin and American cultures into a transformative experience for all of our students.
One of the many exciting things about the future DPT program at Florida Southern is the use of plastinated anatomical models. Dr. Torres-Palsa worked with the renowned Dr. Carlos Baptista (University of Toledo Plastination Laboratory) to implement these models into both our coursework and future research endeavors as well.
Additionally, Dr. Torres-Palsa has supervised several medical mission trips to serve the underprivileged in Leon, Nicaragua, along with medical school students, physician assistant students, and dentists. She has also served as a Spanish translator and physical therapist for the Lake County Free Clinic in Painesville, Ohio. We are all excited to have Dr. Torres-Palsa as part of our team!
If you have any questions about the opportunities at Florida Southern, we encourage you to reach out to our Admissions contact, Dr. Alex Siyufy by email at asiyufy@flsouthern.edu.
Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states.
Florida Southern College is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the Pre-accreditation stage, on December 1, 2018. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.