Service Learning Clinics

Service-Learning Clinics: Integrated Clinical Education and Community Engagement 

Bellarmine University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program provides students with hands-on, real-world experience through a variety of physical therapy service-learning clinics. These clinics, offered in collaboration with local healthcare organizations and community partners, give students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways while serving diverse populations. Under the guidance of expert clinical faculty, students work with individuals facing musculoskeletal, neurological, developmental, and chronic health conditions.

From diabetes management and pediatric care to oncology rehabilitation and sports therapy, clinics foster professional growth, interprofessional collaboration, and a commitment to community health. Explore the unique experiential learning opportunities available through Bellarmine’s physical therapy service-learning clinics below.

 

Michael E. Hobbs Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic

Established in 2003, the service-learning clinic (SLC) was developed to provide physical therapy, rehabilitation, and consultative services to the Bellarmine University community and surrounding areas. In 2004, the on-campus flagship clinic—now known as the Michael E. Hobbs Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic—was launched and later endowed in October 2013 through a generous gift from Michael E. Hobbs (BU ’71, ’83, ’24 Honorary Doctorate). The Hobbs Clinic is one of the first endowed physical therapy service-learning clinics in the nation and serves as an innovative teaching and learning space for graduate physical therapy students.

The Hobbs Service-Learning Clinic is a free clinic for those in the Louisville community that have a need for physical therapy services. We use this facility to serve the people in our community and train physical therapy students under the supervision of expert clinical faculty. The clinic primarily treats people with orthopedic conditions ranging from neck and back pain to ankle sprains, as well as individuals with balance problems and some neurological conditions.

Location
2120 Newburg Road, Room 110, Nolen C. Allen Hall (NCAH), across from the university’s main entrance on Newburg Road. Shuttle service is available between NCAH and the main campus. For directions, visit our Campus Directions page. 

Hours of Operation
Fall and Spring Academic Semesters 
Tuesday: 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 
Thursday: 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 

Schedule an Appointment
When the clinic is accepting new patients, a link will be visible here. Typically, the link will be active the last week of August and the first week of January.  

 

Active Steps for Diabetes Clinic at Park DuValle Community Health Center

In collaboration with Park DuValle Community Health Center and Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness, the Bellarmine University Doctor of Physical Therapy program developed the Active Steps for Diabetes Clinic in 2006. Active Steps for Diabetes is an interprofessional clinic serving individuals who have diabetes mellitus and co-morbidities, serviced by physical therapy and nursing students and faculty and a certified dietician. Housed in a federally-qualified health center, Active Steps for Diabetes empowers individuals to manage their diabetes instead of having their diabetes manage them. Participants engage in age- and mobility-appropriate exercise, learn how to manage blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose numbers, and learn the importance of healthy nutrition.

 

Neurologic Partnered Dance Program: “Let’s Dance!”

Let’s Dance! is a Bellarmine University service-learning clinic that provides partnered dance and therapeutic movement for individuals with neurologic conditions, with a focus on balance, mobility, and participation. Bellarmine DPT students partner with participants throughout the class, providing hands-on experience working with individuals with a variety of neurologic diagnoses. The program is led by Dr. Sonja Bareiss and Dr. Nancy Urbscheit and is offered in partnership with Louisville Ballet at the Louisville Ballet School. 

 

 

Oncology Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic ("FitLou")

The Oncology Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic started in 2024 under the name of FitLou, led by Dr. Chris Wingard and Dr. Audrey Stockwell. This service-learning clinic developed from several community-based research projects and a recognized need for such a program by so many living with various types of cancer. The program helps community members manage their cancer diagnosis before, during, and following chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery by promoting, improving, and maintaining physical health and mobility. Oncology physical therapy/rehabilitation is a new specialty area added by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). The important role of physical therapists is increasingly recognized as critical to recovery and improving quality of life for those living with cancer.

 

 

Pediatric Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic

This specialty clinic has received support from the WHAS Crusade for Children Grant since the summer of 2015. The grant provides necessary resources to the Bellarmine University Doctor of Physical Therapy program to extend pro bono services to infants and children up to eight-years-old with developmental delay and a variety of neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Additionally, this work includes reaching families through the iCanBike program.

 

 

Norton Cressman Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic

In August 2015, the Bellarmine University Doctor of Physical Therapy program entered into a collaborative partnership with the Norton Cressman Center to provide Bellarmine Doctor of Physical Therapy students with opportunities to provide therapeutic intervention to adults with neurological disorders such as stroke, Huntington’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease. Students are mentored by board-certified clinical specialists in neurological physical therapy. 

 

 

Bellarmine Sports Rehabilitation Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic

In October 2015, the Doctor of Physical Therapy program established a collaborative partnership with the university’s athletic training staff to deliver interprofessional clinical services for Bellarmine student-athletes experiencing a wide range of musculoskeletal and overuse injuries. This clinic is supervised by faculty who are board-certified clinical specialists in sports physical therapy, ensuring a high level of expertise and evidence-based care. Within this setting, DPT students play an active role in the evaluation and treatment of Bellarmine’s Division I athletes, working closely with an integrated sports medicine team that includes team physicians, orthopedic surgeons, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, and sports psychologists. This unique learning environment provides students with hands-on experience in sports medicine while exposing them to the complexities and demands of caring for high-level student-athletes. Students gain valuable skills in interdisciplinary collaboration, clinical decision-making, and performance-focused rehabilitation. 

 

Physical Therapy Service-Learning Clinic at THRIVE Center, Inc.

In cooperation with the Thrive Center, Inc., faculty and students of the Bellarmine University Doctor of Physical Therapy program offer community-based programming for aging adults and their families. Students and faculty are also involved in collaborative applied clinical research projects around falls prevention, awareness, and mobility training using innovative technologies, and a “high-tech high-touch approach.” One of the signature programs includes a fall awareness and prevention program called Strive to Thrive. Older adults are assessed for fall risk and participate in a fall prevention program aimed at mitigating falls and injury due to falls. Innovative technologies and learning approaches are used to engage participants and students. These technologies are not only therapeutic but engaging for all. Students are trained in some of the most innovative technologies on the market and receive hands-on learning with older adults.

Learn more: Strive to Thrive Program

 

Service-Learning Program Mission and Core Values 

Rooted in the Catholic liberal arts tradition, the Doctor of Physical Therapy rogram’s service-learning clinics offer students the opportunity to provide compassionate and ethical care to the surrounding community. Through mentoring, cooperative learning, and intellectual reflection, students gain professional development, clinical application experience, and a commitment to community service. 

The service-learning clinics uphold the core values established by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and adhere to the APTA Code of Ethics. The Bellarmine University Doctor of Physical Therapy program proudly supports the vision of the APTA.