sports medicine Archives | �鶹ԭ�� News

The Next Elite Sports Physical Therapists

Robert Stephens — Wed, 06 May 2026 13:30:23 +0000

Alvaro Zapata and Tsianna Barnwell have never feared the highest level of competition. They crave it. Growing up, soccer, track and football lit internal fires that burn to this day, which helps explain how they made it into an exclusive cohort: the �鶹ԭ�� and Orlando Health sports physical therapy residency. With just two residents accepted each year, Zapata and Barnwell made the cut from a list of 30 high-performing applicants, meaning they’re as elite as the athletes they work with.

“The residency accelerates clinical reasoning by three to five years, making [residents] more competitive candidates for the best jobs.” — Meredith Chaput, research coordinator and liaison for the �鶹ԭ�� and Orlando Health sports physical therapy�� residency program

“We look for people who thrive on rigor,” says Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Meredith Chaput, the residency’s research coordinator and liaison. The payoff is priceless. “The residency accelerates clinical reasoning by three to five years, making them more competitive candidates for the best jobs.”

Chaput’s sport-specific expertise, along with that of four of her colleagues in the �鶹ԭ�� Division of Physical Therapy who serve as didactic and clinical mentors, is an instant draw to the program. So, too, are �鶹ԭ��’s research labs, partnerships and the opportunity to teach students in the �鶹ԭ�� doctor of physical therapy program.

The residents are equally drawn to the opportunity to advance their skills alongside a seasoned clinical team at Orlando Health. They take on a caseload of sports and orthopedic patients, providing specialized care ranging from post-surgical rehabilitation to elite-level performance optimization, tapping into advanced rehabilitation technology to improve athlete recovery. Nearly 2 million people every year suffer sports-related injuries and receive treatment in emergency departments, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

With all of this in place, professionals are being prepared, two at a time, through a specialized 12-month program, to join the select group of 169 board-certified sports clinical specialist physical therapists in Florida. It’s a coveted residency and one designed to develop healthcare providers to better aid athletes of all levels. Central Florida is a premier sports destination, featuring a mix of professional franchises, elite collegiate athletics, large high schools and massive amateur complexes.

“When we started this program in 2020, our mission initially aimed to strengthen the rehabilitation services provided to the local sports-based community within Central Florida by producing highly trained and skilled sports physical therapists,” says Philip Agostinelli, residency program coordinator and rehab clinical operations manager with Orlando Health Sports Medicine and Rehab Center.�� “Now, currently, in our sixth cohort of residents, that mission evolved to encompass the needs of athletes on a national scale, with multiple past graduates working in professional or semi-professional sports across the country.”

Since entering the �鶹ԭ�� and Orlando Health Sports Physical Therapy program, Alvaro Zapata has accessed the inner circles of Orlando’s two professional soccer teams.

The Tireless Protege: Alvaro Zapata

Long days do not faze Alvaro Zapata, even as they turn into 60-hour weeks. To him, they’re part of the allure of the residency program.

“I ask myself, ‘When would I have this kind of opportunity again?’ and the answer is never,” Zapata says. “The program opens doors that would otherwise not be open.”

“I’m gaining all the knowledge I could possibly need to eventually be at the top of my profession.” — Alvaro Zapata

Since entering the program last August, Zapata has stretched his aptitude alongside clinicians at Orlando Health and Jewett Orthopedic. He’s worked with athletes in high schools and at �鶹ԭ�� and accessed the inner circles of Orlando’s two professional soccer teams.

As Zapata puts it, “I’m gaining all the knowledge I could possibly need to eventually be at the top of my profession.”

Zapata was poised to climb the ladder with his Doctor of Physical Therapy from Boston University when he heard about Chaput heading up the residency program at �鶹ԭ��. He knew of her published research and presentations to global audiences.

“She’s a big reason I wanted this residency so badly,” Zapata says.

At the 2026 Isokinetic Conference, Alvaro Zapata presented progress on a rehab model he co-developed, examining how ACL surgery can disrupt instinctive movement and coordination.

Here, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with Chaput and progress research on the “visual-cognitive control-to-chaos continuum” in rehab, a model for which Chaput is one of the original creators. After ACL reconstruction surgery, patients often develop inhibitions within the brain that limit the coordination of knee movement. Instead of movement in competition being instinctive, athletes are often consciously aware of deficiencies that were once automatic.

“If you can’t trust your knee, then you can’t get back to the top of your game,” Zapata says. “Rehab is typically done in a controlled setting. The real sports environment is chaotic. We’re finding ways to challenge people the day after surgery, so inhibitions don’t set in.”

This means “visual-cognitive” challenges are added to rehab in the very early stages. For example, the physical therapists might have the patient look for colored lights on a screen. Red means squeeze the right leg. Blue means squeeze the left leg. Yellow means squeeze both.

The visual-cognitive control-to-chaos continuum calls for therapists to gradually make exercises more complex for the patient, from simple, controlled movements to more unpredictable, game-like situations. The goal is to better prepare patients to safely return to sports by training both the body and the brain.

“We want athletes to react instead of thinking first,” Zapata says. “It could be a game changer.”

Tsianna Barnwell is building her skill set through hands-on work with the Orlando Pride.

The Team Player: Tsianna Barnwell

At noon on a Monday, Tsianna Barnwell leaves Jewett Orthopedic Clinic, where she’s been broadening her skills since 7 a.m. She’ll now drive to a local high school to work with athletes across a range of sports. Barnwell thrives in the residency program because no two days are the same. She might work with the Orlando Pride or Orlando City, provide expertise for USA Track or binge on insights at Orlando Health.

Some people call the program challenging. Barnwell calls it “incredible.”

“I’m getting the best of all worlds,” she says. She even immerses herself in the world of Orlando Ballet, calling it “another unique experience to add to my toolbox.”

In the Cognition, Neuroplasticity and Sarcopenia Lab, Tsianna Barnwell (left), assisted by Alvaro Zapata (right), studies differences in hamstring muscles between men and women to inform rehabilitation, recovery and injury prevention.

Barnwell takes her toolbox into the Cognition, Neuroplasticity and Sarcopenia Lab, where she and Chaput are advancing research, which they recently presented in Athens, Greece, at the Isokinetic Conference. It started with a question Barnwell had from her days as a Division I soccer player: Why are female athletes two to six times more likely to suffer knee injuries than men? Through her sports residency, she’s discovered that females are more likely to be weaker in their hamstring muscles. Studying these anatomical and physiological differences can inform impactful changes in rehab, recovery and injury prevention, she notes.

“With this residency under my belt, my opportunities will be almost endless.” — Tsianna Barnwell

Barnwell knows firsthand what it’s like to suffer a torn ACL. She’s also known “the team” as her home away from home since leaving Qatar as an 18-year-old to study and play soccer at St. Bonaventure University. Ultimately, she wants to be part of a team again, perhaps as the director of rehabilitation for a professional women’s soccer team. That’s her preference, but when the residency ends, she’ll be prepared to work with any team — even a ballet company, Cirque du Soleil or the rehab team at Orlando Health.

“I’m fortunate to gain such a breadth of knowledge,” Barnwell says. “With this residency under my belt, my opportunities will be almost endless.”

Jeremy Wydra ’18 ’22DPT was among the presenters at the 2026 Isokinetic Conference in Athens, Greece.

The Empowered Graduate: Jeremy Wydra ’18 ’22DPT

Jeremy Wydra ’18 ’22DPT is where Zapata and Barnwell will soon be: residency complete, now pursuing a path to find more effective ways to help athletes and performers recover and raise the bar.

“That’s the great outcome for me: variety,” says Wydra, who finished the residency program in 2024 and is now practicing clinically, and working toward his doctorate in kinesiology at �鶹ԭ��, where he is collecting data on the recovery and return to performance after ACL reconstruction.

Wydra worked his way through �鶹ԭ��, first envisioning a career in mechanical engineering and ultimately earning a bachelor’s in health sciences. Along the way, he decided he wanted a people-facing profession and shadowed at a clinic, where he noticed physical therapists conversing with patients throughout treatment sessions, often for more than an hour. He saw it as personalized healthcare that he could optimize with physics and innovation.

Jeremy Wydra ’18 ’22DPT (right) works with a student-athlete in a training facility.

After finishing his doctorate in physical therapy at �鶹ԭ��, Wydra landed in a dream situation in Maryland, practicing as both a strength and conditioning coach and a physical therapist within sports performance centers. It begs the question: Why return for the residency?

“I wanted to work with mentors who would push me to be better,” says Wydra.

Unlike Zapata and Barnwell, Wydra had little soccer experience. Gaining it became part of the push he desired.

“… the value of the residency for me: having access to such diversified people and environments.” — Jeremy Wydra ’18 ’22DPT

“During my second week in the residency, I stepped into the Orlando City Academy training room to work with high-level athletes,” he says. “I also helped on the sidelines and talked with the medical staff about team-centered communication with coaches and players. That was the value of the residency for me: having access to such diversified people and environments.”

Wydra sees himself taking full advantage of the variety still in front of him, perhaps as a physical therapist and sports scientist, reforming best practices and helping others be their best.

“That’s what my mentors in the residency have done for me: made me a better person and professional,” he says. “I wouldn’t trade those 12 months for the world.”

Med Students Host Sports Medicine Forum

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 20:10:06 +0000

�鶹ԭ�� medical students wanting to learn more about one of the fastest growing specialties – orthopedics and sports medicine – will have the opportunity to connect with leading specialist in the practice to hear about their experiences, innovative technologies and advancements in the field.

The ’s Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Interest Group will host the first “Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Physician Forum” on Wednesday, November 14 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Werner Auditorium at Florida Hospital Orlando.

A panel will include a talented group of orthopedists and sports medicine specialists who will share their personal experiences with sports injuries, training, and answer questions from the audience. They include Dr. Gideon J. Lewis, �鶹ԭ�� alumnus, sports medicine physician and foot and ankle surgeon; Dr. Sean Keyes, pediatric orthopedic surgeon, and Dr. Brian White, a sports medicine physician and hand surgeon.

Dr. Lewis, a College of Medicine volunteer faculty member and adviser for the student group, hopes to use this collaboration to expand sports medicine interest and awareness in the Orlando community and beyond.

“This involves forming connections with other sports medicine and orthopedic specialists, as well as professional sports teams in Orlando,” he said.�� “Our goal is to host many more events in the coming future to spark interest in orthopedics and sports medicine, promote healthy living strategies, and contribute to the �鶹ԭ�� community and greater Orlando area.”

The student group’s mission is to inform students interested in pursuing a career in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery on current topics, medical practices and physician lifestyle related to practicing in this field.

�鶹ԭ�� medical student Amelia Winter, the student group’s president, says she hopes to get fellow medical students excited about the field as its wide variety of career options means “sports medicine has something for everyone.”

“You can be a surgeon or a clinician, specialize in knees or elbows, work with high-profile athletes or just anyone who wants to improve strength or mobility,” she said. “Additionally, there are so many opportunities for research as well as advancements in technology.”

��Meet the Panel

Dr. Gideon J. Lewis is a Board Certified Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgeon and a world-renowned sports medicine physician. As the Director of the Foot & Ankle Sports Medicine Institute, he treats professional athletes from the NBA, NFL, MLB, X-Games and The Olympics. Dr. Lewis is also the Chief Sports Medicine Faculty Advisor for the Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Interest Group.

Dr. Sean Keyes is an orthopedic surgeon with advanced training in pediatric orthopedic surgery and pediatric sports medicine. He completed extensive fellowship training in pediatric orthopedic surgery, with a special focus on sports injuries, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. An active researcher and presenter, Dr. Keyes is a member of the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America and the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine.

Dr. Brian White was raised in Orlando and attended medical school and residency at the University of South Florida. Dr. White completed a residency in Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine participating in the care of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dr. Brian White is board certified by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

Donations Support Athletic Training Program

Fri, 30 Aug 2013 13:33:11 +0000

More than a million students, faculty, staff and alumni worked out or participated in an event at the �鶹ԭ��’s Recreation and Wellness Center in 2012. As an unprecedented number of people continue to use the RWC, the need for quality care after an injury also rises. With that in mind, the RWC and are proud to announce an extension of a partnership which will now go through the 2018-19 school year. Jewett Orthopaedic is donating $190,000 to the center to help support the facilities growing Athletic Training program. The partnership began back in 2006.The Jewett Orthopaedic gift makes it possible for the RWC to employee athletic training professionals including Gaby Bell, Athletic Training and Risk Management coordinator. Bell, who oversees two graduate assistants and seven other part-time athletic trainers, says the partnership is ‘unique’ in campus recreation: “The student’s may not realize how fortunate they are to have open access to certified athletic trainers five days a week for injury assessments, rehabilitation programs and injury prevention tools.”

The RWC’s athletic trainers offer free open clinic hours during the week for students and are on hand for special events, Intramural Sports league and tournament play, and higher risk Sport Club events. The need is great. In 2012-13, Bell’s staff treated more than 240 injuries an 84 percent increase from the 2011-12 academic year. The athletic trainers refer injured students to the �鶹ԭ�� Health Center’s Sports Medicine Program and Dr. Douglas Meuser, M.D. and Dr. Ashlee Warren, M.D.

Additionally Bell has easy access to Jewett and ., who is the medical doctor of record for the �鶹ԭ�� RWC Athletic Training program. The clinic specializes in arthroscopy, hand and foot deformities, spine reconstruction and joint replacement and has served the Central Florida community for 75 years.

The RWC is funded by the Student Government Association. Its continuing mission is to enrich campus life through efficient services, comprehensive programs and high-quality facilities programs that foster healthy lifestyles.

The RWC is a department in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.