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Northern Virginia Campus Update

Shenandoah University and Inova will collaborate to bring graduate programs in occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT) and physician assistant (PA) studies to the university’s Northern Virginia Campus, near Inova Loudoun Hospital in Loudoun County, Va.

The university, which currently offers programs in nursing and respiratory care, pharmacy, teacher education and organizational leadership in Loudoun County, will renovate additional space on the Northern Virginia Campus to house the new programs.

For its part, Inova will provide $3.2 million in seed money to start up the programs, building a six-table cadaver lab and leasing space for up to two years. It will also provide clinical and rotational experiences for students enrolled in these programs. Through this partnership, the two organizations will seek to create a pipeline for allied health students at Shenandoah’s Northern Virginia Campus directly into employment – including jobs within Inova’s integrated network of hospitals and outpatient care facilities.

The Physical Therapy program will offer 15 seats at the Northern Virginia Campus starting Fall of 2014. Dr. Ruth Maher and Dr. Megan Bureau will join the faculty in August of 2013 with primary appointments at the NVC.

New PT Faculty

Ruth MaherShenandoah University Division of Physical Therapy is excited to announce the appointment of 3 new faculty members. Dr. John Hunt will join the faculty at the Winchester campus while Dr. Ruth Maher and Dr. Megan Bureau will join the faculty at the Northern Virginia Campus in Leesburg.

Dr. Hunt and Dr. Bureau are graduates of Shenandoah University’s inaugural Doctor of Physical Therapy class (’04). Dr. Hunt was also the first graduate of the dual degree program in which he earned a DPT and a Masters of Science in Athletic Training at the same time. Dr. Hunt has been on faculty at SU in the Division of Athletic Training since 2007. Dr. Bureau has been employed as an outpatient physical therapist with Valley Health Systems here in Winchester, VA. She recently earned her board certification as a sports clinical specialist and was named an Emerging Leader by the American Physical Therapy Association in 2011. Dr. Hunt will be teaching in the areas of musculoskeletal physical therapy, therapeutic exercise, and anatomy. Dr. Bureau will serve as the Associate Director of Clinical Education and will teach in the professional issues course series.

Dr. Maher joins the faculty from the University of North Georgia. Dr. Maher received her BS in Exercise Science and her MPT from Georgia State University. She received her post professional clinical doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) from Simmons College in Boston, MA and earned her PhD in Public Health Physiotherapy & Population Science from University College Dublin, Ireland. Dr. Maher is a board certified specialist in Women’s health physical therapy. She will serve as the Associate Director for the Northern Virginia Campus and will teach in the areas of musculoskeletal physical therapy, physical agents, research, anatomy, and women’s health.