EPSIG x Research Panel: Diverse Pathways to Pelvic Health Research

Join the early professional special interest group as we discuss the diverse paths to pelvic health research. We will be interviewing a variety of researchers as they share their journeys into expanding the field of pelvic health and how you can get involved at any stage of your career.

The EPSIG will be hosting a panel of researchers in the pelvic health field. they will be discussing how they got into research, whether it be through formal academic training or mentorship. We will be interviewing a variety of researchers who took different paths towards their involvement in academic and clinical research.

• Participants will learn about the diverse pathways into pelvic health research (spoiler alert: you do not have to get a PhD!)
• Participants will be exposed to practical application of how to get involved with academy research
• Participants will learn more about how research is conducted and published to better understand clinical application of evidence-based practice

Speakers

• Rachel Worman, PT, DPT, PhD
• Jenny LaCrosse, PT, DPT, PhD, WCS, ATC
• Laurel Proulx, PT, DPT, PhD
• Andrea Wood, PT, DPT, PhD(c) candidate, Board Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist (WCS)

Laurel Proulx , PT, DPT, PhD Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist 

Laurel Proulx received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Regis University and her PhD focusing on musculoskeletal impairments of persistent pelvic pain from Texas Woman’s University. Proulx is also a Board-Certified Orthopedic Specialist and is certified in Applied Functional Science and dry needling. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor at Baylor University. Clinically, her passion is exploring the biomechanical link between the hip, lower extremity, and core canister to the pelvic floor while also implementing pain science principles for those with complex pelvic pain presentations. She loves getting people back to what they love without pain, leakage or fear. She prioritizes functional movement assessment and patient-centered goals whether that is getting up from a chair with your new baby or max deadlifting without leakage. She has a vested interest in improving the gap between pelvic health research and clinical practice for her patients, physical therapists, and all health professionals.

Andrea Wood, PT, DPT, PhD(c) candidate, Board Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist (WCS)

Andrea Wood is a Board Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist (WCS) with 11 years of clinical experience treating individuals in pelvic health. She is currently a PhD candidate in physical therapy at the University of Miami, FL where she is focusing her dissertation on physical therapy treatment for chronic constipation. She has presented on the role of physical therapy in various gastroenterology-related disorders to the University of Miami medical residents and fellows. Additionally, she has presented on pelvic health considerations internationally for individuals with hypermobility spectrum disorders through the Ehlers-Danlos Society and optimizing pelvic health along the Ovarian cancer continuum through the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. She lectures on pelvic health to the doctorate of physical therapy students at the University of Miami and is excited to launch her course, "Foundations of Inclusive Pelvic Health' for graduate students this summer. She is an active member in the section on pelvic health, serving as an item writer for the ABPTS board specialty exam and case reviewer for WCS applications. Her primary career goal is to advocate for the importance of physical therapy to the public and other medical providers and stakeholders through evidence-based research demonstrating improved patient outcomes. She also aims to continue to bridge gaps between active clinical care and research.