Shenandoah University’s Division of Physical Therapy has renamed its service award in memory of Kelly McGaughey Roseberry ’10, D.P.T., an SU alumna and former adjunct professor. Dr. Roseberry and her infant child passed away unexpectedly during childbirth in October 2023.
Chris Roseberry presents Shenandoah University student Ryan McGinness with the Kelly McGaughey Roseberry PT Service Award.
The renaming was announced prior to the award’s presentation during the Division of Physical Therapy’s Class of 2025 White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, March 23. Roseberry’s family – including her husband Chris Roseberry and daughter Emma, parents Jim and Kam McGaughey, and sister Stacey McGaughey ’20 – was in attendance.
The Kelly McGaughey Roseberry PT Service Award recognizes a second-year physical therapy student for their outstanding commitment to helping others in their internal and external community, with a preference given to those passionate about supporting adaptive sports or serving the needs of military service members and veterans. Shenandoah student Ryan McGinness ’25 was the 2024 recipient of the award.
“Kelly was an extraordinary student who went on to become an extraordinary physical therapist, a champion for our military service members and their families, and an inspiring educator. Renaming this service award honors her commitment to excellence in physical therapy practice and compassion for those who ever find themselves in the care of a physical therapist,” said Melissa Wolff-Burke, Ed.D., adjunct associate professor of physical therapy and coordinator of adaptive sports in clinical education at Shenandoah University.
Roseberry’s upbringing in a military family instilled a profound appreciation for veterans and their families, and her clinical experiences at SU sparked her interest in adaptive sports within military settings. After earning her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Shenandoah in 2010, Roseberry gained extensive experience at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where she focused on amputee care and the adaptive community.
She was a physical therapist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center during the height of the United States’ military involvement in Iraq and was instrumental in providing rehabilitation care for service members who received amputations and other life-changing injuries. She later joined the Travis Mills Foundation, which helps post-9/11 veterans who were injured as a result of their service and provides them and their families with an expenses-paid, barrier-free experience where they can take part in adaptive activities and more.
Roseberry’s contributions extended to teaching in Shenandoah’s Division of Physical Therapy and involvement in veteran-centered nonprofits and adaptive sports.
As a Shenandoah student, Roseberry was a recipient of the SUPT Service Award and the university’s Wilkins Award, and she was nominated for the K. Madison Smith Award. She received the SUPT Alumni Service Award in 2013.
