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The 2025 Lynda D. Woodruff Lecture 
on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Physical Therapy
Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 7 pm ET - Contribute Today

This annual lecture, a collaborative effort by the Physical Therapy Learning Institute (PTLI), American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the American Academy of Physical Therapy (AAPT), the National Association of Black Physical Therapists (NABPT), the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT), and the APTA Academy of Education, is held annually on or around Juneteenth in honor of Dr. Lynda D. Woodruff, a co-founder of PTLI and a pioneer in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in physical therapy education and practice. Our intent is to ensure that her legacy lives on in a format that ignites action, innovations, and solutions on issues related to DEI and social justice. Importantly, we hope to create a platform to address systemic barriers to opportunity and access for underrepresented minorities (URMs) in our profession.

Presented By:  Didi Matthews, PT, DPT

Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 7 pm (ET)

Discussion Panel:

  • Dawn S. Brown, PT, DPT, EdD, OCS, (moderator), serves as the assistant chair of curricular affairs and assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences at Northwestern University. She is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy.

  • Uchenna Ossai, DPT, PT, WCS, CLT, serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Utah and is also a faculty member for the University of Michigan School of Social Work’s Sexual Health Certification Program. She is a board-certified women’s health clinical specialist, board-certified pelvic floor physical therapist, and certified sexuality counselor.

  • Kristin Rice, PT, DPT, DHSc, CEEAA, is an assistant professor and admissions coordinator in the Department of Physical Therapy at Hampton University. She holds a doctor of physical therapy degree and a doctor of health science degree, with a concentration in health professional education, from Nova Southeastern University.

  • Moyo B. Tillery, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, serves as core faculty and director of admissions at Tufts University’s DPT Program. Her clinical background is in adult outpatient orthopedics, specifically in the management of musculoskeletal occupational disorders. She is a board-certified orthopaedic clinical specialist and fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists.

Lecture Information:

The 2025 Lynda D. Woodruff Lecture will be hosted on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 7 pm (ET). The link to the lecture will be uploaded to the 2025 Lynda D. Woodruff Lecture page.  We recommend adding a reminder to your calendar to check for the link prior to the lecture at 7:00 pm ET.


Registration Fee:
We continue to welcome donations to the LDW Professional Development Sponsorship Fund on JEDI in PT so that we may continue to promote and grow researchers from historically marginalized and minoritized groups or others that are looking to conduct health disparities research. PTLI's goal is to raise a minimum of $2,000 per year to fund at least one sponsorship to a PT educational research workshop (GAMER or TIGERR). Please contribute towards our sponsorship efforts as part of the LDW Professional Development Sponsorship Fund on JEDI in PT using the PayPal Contribute button below. This contribution will be in lieu of registration for the LDW Lecture (live and recorded). For your tax records, please print the PayPal transaction receipt.

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