The Physical Therapy Learning Institute was proud to host the
2026 Disruptive Innovation in Physical Therapist Education Virtual Summit:
​“Rethinking Return on Investment, Access, Affordability,
and Abundance in DPT Education"
hosted on April 10-11, 2026
Keynote Speakers: Dr. Michael D. Smith and Dr. Todd Telemeco
Friday, April 10, 2026 4:15-6:15p ET
The first of our two keynote speakers is Michael D. Smith, PhD. Dr. Smith is the J. Erik Jonsson Professor of Information Technology and Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Public Policy and Management and the author of The Abundant University. Dr. Smith believes our current system of higher education is financially and morally unsustainable and proposes the creative implementation of digital technologies for enrollment, instruction, and credentialing of students as the solution. While acknowledging the understandable self-preservation instinct of our current system of residential education, Smith makes a case for how technology can engender greater educational opportunity and create changes that will benefit students, employers, and society as a whole.
Michael D. Smith, PhD
The second of our keynote speakers is Todd Telemeco, PT, DPT, PhD. Dr. Telemeco was recently installed as the president of Mary Baldwin University. Dr. Telemeco most recently served as the Vice President for the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences and has 20+ years of professional higher education experience including extensive experience as a clinician, private practice owner, faculty member, founding program director, dean, and vice president prior to his installation as a president. Dr. Telemeco will discuss both the challenges facing health professions education and university leadership as well as how he leverages the listening, analysis, and diagnosis he honed as a physical therapist and clinician in problem solving, decision making, and strategic planning.
Todd Telemeco, PT, DPT, PhD
Topic Session Facilitators
Saturday, April 11, 2026 11:00a-1:00p ET
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Mary Tischio Blackinton PT, EdD, GCS (Emeritus)
Mary Blackinton currently serves as the Director of enTandem DPT at Rehab Essentials, Inc. As a recognized academic leader with over 30 years of experience in physical therapist education, Dr. Blackinton brings both passion and deep expertise in contemporary curricular design and delivery, faculty coaching/development, accreditation readiness, and program assessment. Having led the creation of the first fully hybrid entry-level DPT that was designed to increase access for non-traditional students who needed flexibility because of family, work, or geographic demands, she is passionate about the role of abundance in transforming physical therapist education.Dr. Blackinton served on the ACAPT Board of Directors (2017–2020) and as Program Committee Chair (2016–2017) and has been an active member of the Physical Therapy Learning Institute (PTLI) since 2017.
Kendra Gagnon, MPT, PhD
Kendra Gagnon, PT, PhD, is Director of Rehabilitation Science Education and an Associate Professor in PM&R at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. With nearly two decades in physical therapist and rehabilitation science education leadership, she has built and led hybrid programs and advises universities nationwide.
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Her work is published and presented nationally and internationally, spanning curriculum design and delivery, hybrid program strategy, competency frameworks, and faculty development. She recently co-authored “Beyond Scarcity: Reimagining an Abundant Future for Physical Therapist Education,” a position paper that challenges legacy assumptions in PT education. She also writes Big Plans Only, a newsletter that translates strategy into action for health professions educators and leaders. Her aim is to advance the health professions by helping institutions unlock supply, scale quality, and engineer affordability—putting abundance into practice.
David A. Schankweiler, Interim President of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
David Schankweiler brings a distinguished record of visionary leadership, entrepreneurship, and public service in his role. As the University’s Founding Chairman (2001–2007), he helped shape its original mission and now returns to advance its technology-driven educational impact. Schankweiler founded and led, as CEO, Journal Multimedia (1984–2016), expanding it into a multi-platform media enterprise. He serves on the boards of Warden Asphalt, Letort Trust, and Woodward Communications Inc., and remains deeply engaged in philanthropy through leadership roles at King’s College, Theatre Harrisburg, and numerous civic organizations. A graduate of King’s College with a B.S. in Accounting, Schankweiler’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to innovation, community development and educational excellence.
Tonya Miller, PT, DPT, PhD
Dr. Miller is an Associate Professor and serves as the Academic and Program Lead in the hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. With over 25 years of Healthcare Leadership Experience and doctoral studies in Leadership, Tonya blends her academic knowledge with real-world application. Her leadership spans from coaching and mentoring front-line healthcare providers to interacting with the Board of Directors in large healthcare systems. Academically, Tonya teaches coursework in healthcare leadership, professionalism, and health equity. Her research interests span health equity for marginalized populations, including women experiencing homelessness and the LGBTQIA+ communities, and professionalism in healthcare. Tonya believes in social responsibility and is an active member of several community volunteer organizations where she serves as a board member and in leadership roles.
Topic 2: Access and Equity in the Current Political Climate
Saturday, April 11, 2026 1:30p-2:50p ET
Andy Hogan, PhD
Dr. Hogan is a professor in the departments of History and Medical Humanities at Creighton University. Hogan’s research examines efforts to increase accessibility and participation in American health professions since the 1960s. He draws on professional newsletters and magazines, archival sources, and oral history interviews to explore the evolving ways in which health fields have described and conceptualized marginalization among disabled students and practitioners, as well as those from less elite and geographically underrepresented backgrounds. Amidst recent efforts to increase accessibility and participation for marginalized populations in professional fields, little attention has been given to the strategies, accomplishments, barriers, and shortcomings of past initiatives. Hogan analyzes the ways in which clinical fields’ perceptions and assessments of competence and capability have been used to exclude individuals from less elite and underrepresented backgrounds from careers in medicine and other health-related professions.
Topic 3: The True Cost and Value of a DPT Degree
Saturday, April 11, 2026 3:00p-4:30p ET
Rick Shields, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Dr. Shields is Professor, Chair, and Department Executive Officer (DEO) of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science in the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. Dr Shields has contributed to the physical therapy profession as a clinician, scientist, and academic leader. Dr. Shields’ experience in acute inpatient care to individuals with spinal cord injury prompted him to pursue a research career exploring the adaptive plasticity of the human neuromusculoskeletal systems. As a scientist and laboratory director, he developed a team of professionals who understand the entire disablement model, from molecular signaling to the psychosocial factors that impact health-related quality of life. His laboratory has been continuously funded by the National Institutes Health since 2000 with more than $15 million in total investigator-initiated support. A past president of the Foundation for Physical Therapy, Dr Shields is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and has been honored with APTA’s Marian Williams Research Award, the Charles Magistro Service Award, and the Maley Distinguished Research Award. He also received the University of Iowa's Distinguished Mentor Award, Collegiate Teaching Award, and the Regents Award for Faculty Excellence.
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Simon Hargus, PT, DPT, OCS, MBA
Dr. Hargus owns and operates FSPT, an outpatient physical therapy company with 50 clinics and 300 employees across OH and WV that has been in operation for 25 years. Since taking over his family’s company in 2016 Simon has tripled its size with zero debt/backing. Simon has his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Ohio University and a Masters Business Administration with an emphasis on Healthcare Administration from Western Governors University. He is married with two children and resides in Parkersburg WV.
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Questions? Please contact Summit Organizers Karen Abraham at kabraham@su.edu.
