Inside Education and Health Sciences

By Mickey Drevline '27

Left: Steve Short working with a player from Germany's Men's National Basketball Team. 
Right: Anthony Iannarino with Phil Anloague, the founding chair and program director of UD's doctor of physical therapy program.

Steve Short '14 grew up playing football and basketball, and with sports comes injuries.

"I had some great therapists back in high school when I broke my leg," Short said. "They got me back on the field and the court and I was fortunate enough to play college sports.”

His personal experience with effective physical therapists piqued his interest to come to the University of Dayton's doctor of physical therapy program, and he has never looked back. Short is currently the vice president of sports medicine with the Denver Nuggets, part of the staff that helped the team win the NBA championship in 2023.

The DPT program gave him the perfect blend of sports, health, performance and faculty expertise, and the mentorship that came along with it.

"I think the things that stand out about UD's program itself were the people," Short said. "They set a standard of professionalism; people across the program were pushing you to be current and to be top notch at whatever your field was going to be."

The physical therapy program at the University of Dayton builds in opportunities for students to discern their vocation. The program has a track record of successful graduates in private practice, large medical systems and, of course, professional sport teams.

“I think the UD DPT program is uniquely positioned to prepare students for professional athletics," said Mary Fisher, department chair and program coordinator for physical therapy. "We have top-notch faculty with a high level of scholarship, and our students have a high level of interest in unique areas."

In addition to Short, there are seven other physical therapy alumni who work with elite athletes. Anthony Iannarino '13 '17 is a senior performance therapist for the Washington Wizards. While at UD for college and graduate school, the Marianist charism guided his desire to help people and work as a community toward common goals. 

"PT school helped drive my interest into the industry of professional sports," Iannarino said. "Being a physical therapist allows me to be a servant leader and try to help people who are in pain as well as trying to recover."

The physical therapy department has partnerships with a number of professional teams, and students who are interested in pursuing a career with professional athletes are competitively poised to win clinical and internship opportunities while still in school.

Fisher's advice for students who want to work with elite athletes is to set a goal, and then work backwards to figure out what steps to take now in order to achieve that goal.

"If your plan is to work in the NBA, find out what the requirements are for a physical therapist in the NBA," Fisher said. "Get the experience, the skill set, work hard, make connections with people who are in the field you want to go into and always go for it."

The DPT program is filled with passionate individuals who strive to do great things. You can see it through Iannarino and Short: through mentorship and experience, they passionately pursued this field and UD's physical therapy program helped push their careers in the right direction.

"It's really great to be a part of a community of something that is bigger than myself," Iannarino said. "You have to show up every day and provide value, and if opportunities arise you are in a position where you are prepared for them."