Barbara Goodhart

I live in a rural community on Colorado's western slope when I'm not in Denver for classes. It is a tight-knit community where people pitch in to help each other in times of need. This has been demonstrated over and over with the Novel Corona Virus and the expansive wild fires in 2020. With my physical therapy degree I intend to give back to this community in every way I can. I am already an active volunteer with the local food bank and a member of the Yampa Valley Well-Being Consortium which brings together medical and behavioral health providers to learn how to best serve the rural Yampa Valley community. I have learned so much about rural community life and the differences in health disparities since moving from Chicago. I want to work within the field of physical therapy to promote health and wellness throughout the Yampa Valley and other rural Colorado communities.

As a doctorate of physical therapy student, I have a wide range of interests. I am currently working on a home health research project with older adults and veterans after a stay at the hospital or a skilled nursing facility. The goal of this research is to see if increased intensity of physical therapy can create better outcomes for these patients. My research position has also afforded me the opportunity to work with a group studying long-term outcomes of patients with COVID-19. I am very interested in learning everything I can about best methods for healthcare delivery in the rural setting as I am hoping to return to my rural town to practice physical therapy for my final internship and after graduation. And the interest that brought me to physical therapy in the first place has not gone away, oncology rehabilitation will always be a passion of mine.

Health and Wellness,
Outdoor Recreation,
Swing Dancing,
Cooking,
Gardening,
Running,
Reading,
Learning new skills