Terminal Degree Pathways Panel
Hosted by the Early-Professional Special Interest Group (EPSIG)
Join the Early Professionals Special Interest Group as they explore the different terminal degrees available for pelvic health professionals. From PhD to EdD and beyond, there are a number of ways to continue your education or get involved with research. We look forward to hosting a diverse panel of professionals in this 'Back to School' event!
Panelists will be asked to share their experiences on a variety of topics, including:
- What are the different types of terminal degrees available?
- What is the journey and timeline for each pathway?
- How to choose which terminal degree will help you achieve your goals?
Following a series of pre-selected questions, there will be live Q&A for audience member participation.
Speakers
- Stephanie Weyrauch, PT, DPT, MSCI
- Kayla Koren, PT, DPT, EdD student
- Cassie Young, PT, DPT, DSc (c)
- Darla Cathcart, PT, DPT, PhD, Board-Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist
- Andrea Wood, PT, DPT, PhD, Board-Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist, Certified Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner
About Our Speakers
Darla B. Cathcart, PT, DPT, PhD
Board-Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist, Certificate of Advanced Practice in Physical Therapy in Pelvic Health and Certificate of Advanced Practice in Physical Therapy in Obstetric Health
Dr. Darla Cathcart (she/her) graduated from Louisiana State University (Shreveport, LA) with her physical therapy degree, performed residency training in Women’s Health PT at Duke University, and completed a Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences. Her dissertation research focused on using non-invasive brain stimulation to augment behavioral interventions for women with lifelong vaginismus, and her ongoing line of research focuses on painful intercourse and post-Cesarean rehabilitation.
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Dr. Cathcart’s certifications and training include Women’s Health Certified Specialist (WCS, board certification through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties); Certificate of Achievement in Pelvic Physical Therapy (CAPP-Pelvic); Certificate of Achievement in Pregnancy & Postpartum Physical Therapy (CAPP-OB); and Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT).
Dr. Cathcart is the Director of Clinical Excellence and Education at Pelvic Health Solutions, overseeing clinical performance, education, and mentoring of pelvic health physical therapists. She has worked in hospital-based outpatient pelvic/perinatal clinics and has worked in and owned a private outpatient pelvic and perinatal clinic. Darla has served as a full-time faculty member in the physical therapy programs at the University of Central Arkansas and at Graceland University.
Dr. Cathcart has several peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed scientific publications, including: The Physical Therapist’s Guide to Women’s Pelvic, Perinatal, and Reproductive Health (Taylor & Francis, 2025); “Clinical Summary: Urinary Incontinence” for PTNow.org in April 2015; the chapter titled “The Female Hip and Pelvis” in Orthopedic Management of the Hip and Pelvis (S Cheatham, M Kolber, Elsevier, 2015). She chaired the Certificate of Achievement in Pregnancy/Postpartum (CAPP-OB) committee. Darla has spoken and instructed many courses in local, national, and international settings on a variety of pelvic, pregnancy/postpartum, and other women’s health physical therapy topics. She currently serves as the President for the Academy of Pelvic Health of the American Physical Therapy Association and has previously served as the Director of Education (2011-2014) and as Vice President (2015-2016). She also served as a technical expert panel member on Treatments for Fecal Incontinence, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2014-2015. She volunteered as a Women’s Health Certified Specialist Exam Standardization Task Force member in May 2013. Darla received several awards from the Section on Women’s Health: CAPP-OB Instructor of the Year (2017); Course Site Hostess of the Year (2018); and Volunteer of the Year (2015). She also received Clinical Instructor of the Year while serving as a clinical instructor a pelvic health physical therapy student from Elon University in 2011.
On a personal note, Darla has teenaged twin boys. She is a lifelong runner and exerciser who loves dark chocolate, craft beer, and her four dogs.
Andrea Wood, PT, DPT, PhD
Dr. Andrea Wood is a passionate physical therapist specializing in pelvic health disorders for all genders. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in the departments of physical therapy and urology. She is also a Board-Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist through the American Physical Therapy Association. She has over ten years of experience in treating patients with pelvic health and orthopedic-related conditions. She graduated with her doctorate in physical therapy from Columbia University in New York in 2013 and her PhD in Physical Therapy from the University of Miami in 2025.
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She has lectured both nationally and internationally on pelvic health-related conditions to a variety of audiences, including the general public and other healthcare-related professionals. She remains actively involved in patient care at the University of Miami Health System and continues to strive for evidence-based, high-quality care for the patients she treats..
Stephanie Weyrauch, PT, DPT, MSCI
Dr. Stephanie Weyrauch is a pelvic health physical therapist at MovementX in Billings, MT. She earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and Master of Science in Clinical Investigation from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Weyrauch is a highly sought-after speaker and consultant specializing in burnout, generational issues, pelvic health, and injury prevention programs within the workplace. Her clinical expertise has been featured in various media outlets, including NPR, Kaiser Health News, Glamour, Life Hacker, and NBC News. Dr. Weyrauch has served in many leadership roles throughout the American Physical Therapy Association and its components, including as past Chair of the American Physical Therapy Association Nominating Committee. She has performed scientific research through grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation at institutions including Stanford University and Washington University in St. Louis. Her research examining movement patterns and outcomes in people with and without low back pain has led to numerous local, regional, and national presentations and a peer-reviewed publication in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a top journal in rehabilitation.
Kayla Koren, PT, DPT, Certificate of Advanced Practice in Physical Therapy in Pelvic Health, EdD Student
Kayla graduated from A.T. Still University in 2023 with her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Health Professions (EdD) from A.T. Still University. She has been involved with the Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy since her SPT years, serving as a Student SIG Director and a member of the digital media committee for the JWPHPT. She is a CAPP-Pelvic Faculty, serving as a teaching assistant for PH1 and two courses. Kayla is currently the Director of Physical Therapy for Arizona Center for Chronic Pelvic Pain under the direction of Dr. Michael Hibner.
Moderators
- Raquelle Hafen, PT, DPT
- Melissa Hemphill, PT, DPT
- Sha'Rose Erion, PT, DPT
- Mikaili Anderson, PT, DPT
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