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New York Medical College’s 156th Commencement Exercises Set for May 21

A leader in physical therapy education, Dr. Richardson was one of the early proponents of the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in the United States.

Date: May 18, 2015
Media Contact:

Jennifer Riekert, M.B.A.
Vice President of Communications
New York Medical College
(914) 594-4552
Jennifer_Riekert@nymc.edu

NYMC Commencement Exercises will be held on May 21 at 5:00 p.m. in Carnegie Hall in New York City. 

Valhalla, N.Y. – May 18, 2015 — A pioneer in physical therapy practice, education, and research, Jan K. Richardson P.T., Ph.D., OCS, FAPTA, will deliver the Commencement address to graduates of New York Medical College on May 21 at 5:00 p.m. in Carnegie Hall in New York City. The College will award 205 doctor of medicine (M.D.) degrees, 31 doctor of physical therapy (D.P.T.) degrees, 9 doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, 74 master of science (M.S.) degrees, 104 master of public health (M.P.H.) degrees and 6 doctor of public health (Dr.P.H.) degrees to the Class of 2015.

Dr. Richardson holds the titles, professor emeritus, Duke University School of Medicine, past president, American Physical Therapy Association, past president, Association of Rheumatology Professionals of the American College of Rheumatology and past president, Physical Therapy Fund. She and her co-investigators pioneered the establishment of valid and reliable scales for pain and disability. They investigated the dimensionality and internal consistency of instruments to quantitate low-back and cervical pain. They also examined the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of neck pain and disability scales. Dr. Richardson’s research has also addressed the validation of an item bank for community-dwelling survivors of stroke, meta-analyses of HIV treatments, and investigations into the use of physical therapy in patients hospitalized with generalized weakness.  She is the primary author of the highly regarded textbook, Clinical Orthopaedic Physical Therapy.

A leader in physical therapy education, Dr. Richardson was one of the early proponents of the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in the United States. She was the founding chair, professor, executive director and chief executive officer for the Institute for Health Care and Research, Graduate School of Physical Therapy at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.

At Duke University School of Medicine she served as professor of community and family medicine and was founding chief of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, and executive director of the Department of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy at Duke University Medical Center. In 2006 Duke University established the Jan K. Richardson Excellence in Teaching Award in her honor.

Dr. Richardson has held leadership, consultant and advisory positions as chief medical officer for Priority Care Solutions and chief clinical officer for Universal SmartComp. Currently, she is chief medical officer for Medical Rehab Affiliates. An orthopedic certified board physical therapist and specialist in rheumatology and fibromyalgia, she served as a board member for the United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) representing the American College of Rheumatology in 2012 and 2013.

Dr. Richardson received a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University, a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and a certificate in physical therapy from the University of Pennsylvania. 

About New York Medical College
Founded in 1860, NYMC is one of the oldest and largest health sciences universities in the country with more than 1,400 students, 1,300 residents and clinical fellows, nearly 3,000 faculty members, and 15,000 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers advanced degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, and the School of Health Sciences and Practice. The College manages more than $36 million in research and other sponsored programs, notably in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, kidney disease, the neurosciences, disaster medicine, and vaccine development.

With a network of affiliated hospitals that includes large urban medical centers, small suburban clinics and high-tech regional tertiary care facilities, NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities throughout the tri-state region for medical students, residents, and other health providers.