PT faculty present at American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting
Department of Physical Therapy faculty presented at the American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) 2026, held in Anaheim, California, Feb. 12–14.
The meeting was an outstanding success for the department, said Department Chair and Associate Professor Bradley Tragord, PT, DPT, DSc.
“Our faculty not only shared innovative research and clinical expertise on a national stage, but also built strategic collaborations that will enhance our scholarship, expand professional partnerships and ultimately benefit the communities we serve,” Tragord said. “We are proud of the leadership and visibility our faculty continue to bring to UT San Antonio.”
Assistant Professor Anjali Sivaramakrishnan, PT, PhD, was a speaker for two well-attended sessions, including “Stimulating the Discussion: Physical Therapy after Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease” and “Maximal or Submaximal Exercise Testing? Finding the Right Fit for HIIT Prescription in Neurological Rehab.” She also served as co-speaker for “Innovation Meets Aging: Researcher Clinician Dialogue on Rehabilitation Technology for Older Adults with Neurological Conditions.”
Sivaramakrishnan and Doctor of Physical Therapy students Jamie Ambriz and Aixa Rojas-Bustamante presented a poster titled “Submaximal Recumbent Stepping for Estimating Peak VO2 in Parkinson’s Disease: Comparison with Predictive Equations.”
Other poster presentations included:
Associate Professor Gustavo Almeida, PT, PhD, and Doctor of Physical Therapy student Mark Miller: “Balance Changes in Adult Cancer Survivors in a 16-Week Therapeutic Yoga Program.” Miller is set to graduate this spring and is in the School of Health Profession’s Distinction in Research (DIR) program. Almeida is his research adviser, and the therapeutic yoga program is his research project for the DIR program.
Assistant Professor Bobby Belarmino, PT, DPT, PhD, CCS: “Association Between Changes in 6-Minute Distance and Gait Speed in Patients with Acute Heart Failure” and “Acute Physical Therapy Services for Patients Supported by Mechanical Circulatory Devices While Waiting for Organ Transplantation.”
Assistant Professor Selina Morgan, PT, DPT, NCS, PhDc: “Early Rehabilitation in a Unique Case of Neonatal Spinal Cord Injury: From the NICU to Outpatient Care.”
Tragord and Associate Professor Michael Geelhoed, DPT, OCS, MTC: “Our Students Have Imposter Phenomenon; Now How Do We Manage It?”
Also at the conference, Belarmino attended a ceremony recognizing his recertification as a cardiopulmonary clinical PT specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialty (ABPTS).