Associate Professor Neeti Pathare’s Impactful Teaching and Research at Tufts DPT

Neeti Pathare, PhD, MS, is a faculty member in the Tufts accelerated, hybrid DPT Boston program. She was recently recognized with an “Excellence in Online Teaching Award.” Professor Pathare cites her training in Social-Emotional Learning and Universal Design of Learning as part of what has led to her effectiveness in the online classroom. She has integrated these principles to make classes interactive, relevant to learners of diverse backgrounds, supportive, and safe.

“That is my motivator in the classroom,” she says. “Teaching is a very reciprocal process. It’s the energy that students bring to the classroom that allows faculty to go that extra mile.” 

Considering Emotional Health Alongside PT Management

It’s no surprise, then, that Pathare has published research that considers PT management alongside emotional health. For example, in her paper, “Physical therapy management of an individual with post-COVID fatigue considering emotional health in an outpatient setting: A case report,”¹ Pathare and colleague Dylan MacPhail provide a plan of care “with an emphasis on patient education and consideration of emotional health for a patient with post-COVID fatigue in an outpatient setting.”

Their 50-year-old, female patient with ten-weeks post-COVID syndrome participated in an examination that revealed deficits in exercise capacity, strength, breathing pattern, mild depression, emotional breakdown, and mild anxiety accompanied by “brain fog” with activity. The patient’s main complaint was fatigue that prevented her from returning to work.

The patient participated in 20 biweekly sessions with a focus on “patient education, supporting 
emotional health, aerobic training, strengthening exercises, breathing exercises, and home exercise program.” At completion of the treatment period, the patient’s “exercise capacity, muscle strength, dyspnea, and depression improved,” and the patient had no anxiety with activity and was able to return to work safely.

Pathare’s work highlights the importance of psychosocial wellbeing in a plan of care for this population. 

The Tufts DPT Coaching Model

Pathare values the social-emotional health of patients and students alike. She notes that connection, collaboration, and mentorship are a big part of what makes the Tufts DPT program special. The coaching model is a key piece of the puzzle.

Each faculty member coaches 7-9 students each year, depending on which students show alignment with faculty based on a strengths finder assessment. This provides rich opportunities for mentorship and collaborative research, Pathare notes. 

Award-Winning Collaborative Research with Students

Recently, two of Pathare’s students worked with her on a research project that received the New York Physical Therapy Association Robert Salant Research award for poster presentation: “Effect of inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation on pulmonary outcomes in individuals with COVID-19: A systematic review.”²

Pathare and her students determined that while there is much research around Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR), there is a lack of concrete information on inpatient PR specifically. To address this gap, DPT students worked with Pathare to synthesize studies on the efficacy of inpatient PR on pulmonary outcomes in individuals with COVID-19. Using PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase, the researchers screened 474 articles for eligibility with relevant search terms. The pooled sample consisted of 718 participants (F 5 35.2%, age 5 36-71 y).

While the researchers flag that findings should be interpreted with caution due to the high 
heterogeneity, sample sizes, and quality of designs of the included studies, the review found that inpatient PR was safe, feasible, and induced large improvements in exercise capacity in individuals with COVID-19. In fact, their study provides valuable evidence that inpatient PR is not only safe but may actually accelerate improvement in exercise capacity in individuals with COVID-19.

Student Teams and Other Methods for Creating a Collaborative Environment for DPT

Pathare notes that Tufts DPT works to build a sense of belonging with the support of student leadership. Many activities have grown out of this work throughout the duration of the program, from pre-orientation to orientation and throughout the hybrid, accelerated DPT program.

Each semester, for example, students are grouped into teams of 3-5 students that work together during sessions, breakout rooms, assessments during class, and even in integrated interprofessional education activities with peers from the Tufts Physician Assistant (PA) program and Occupational Therapy (OT) program. Student teams change every semester to give students a diverse network.

Tufts DPT Students Benefit From Collaboration Across Disciplines

Pathare notes that collaboration across the disciplines is a big part of Tufts DPT. “We are fortunate to have very talented faculty in the Tufts PA and OT programs to collaborate with. It is inspiring to work with people who elevate your knowledge.”

Pathare points out that all Tufts School of Medicine programs emphasize interprofessional collaboration. This helps students practice using their strengths while working with professionals with complimentary areas of knowledge to provide the best plan of care possible for patients. This reflects contemporary practices in the field. 

Studying the Value of Interprofessional Education

Virtual interprofessional education (IPE) is reported to facilitate clinical decision making and teamwork in students. However, limited studies exist on its effectiveness. Therefore, faculty from the PA and DPT programs, including Pathare, conducted a study³ of this approach within the Tufts DPT and PA programs to evaluate its effectiveness for Tufts student teams. The guiding question was: “does a case-based, virtual interprofessional education (IPE) experience improve students’ knowledge and attitudes of collaborative team skills”?

Faculty used the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Scale (ICCAS) to assess effectiveness. Tufts students surveyed included those in first-year PA and DPT programs (n = 130, PA = 48, DPT = 82). Students completed the ICCAS survey before and after attendance of a mandatory virtual IPE event. The virtual IPE session centered on “designing a collaborative plan of care for an individual with congestive heart failure in an outpatient setting.”

Ultimately, 122 students (PA = 46, DPT = 76) provided complete survey data. Statistically significant improvement was noted for all 20 questions (P < .001), without any statistically significant differences noted between the 2 disciplines.

The study found that virtual IPE experiences may help improve students’ attitude and knowledge related to IPEC during the initial year of PA and DPT programs. This is a benefit to Tufts DPT and PA students in developing teamwork competencies in healthcare programs.

Setting Up DPT Students to Succeed 

From her award-winning teaching, to her collaborative research with students and beyond, Pathare’s work helps build a welcoming and collaborative learning environment for Tufts DPT students. She notes that while the accelerated nature of the program is challenging, “students know they have a lot of support from faculty and program administrators: faculty mentors, student teams, one on one tutoring, group tutoring, learning specialists, and more. Our culture of belonging, engagement, and collaboration make learning at Tufts DPT enjoyable.”

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¹ Neeti Pathare & Dylan MacPhail (15 Jun 2023): “Physical therapy management of an individual with post-COVID fatigue considering emotional health in an outpatient setting: A case report,” Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, DOI: 10.1080/09593985.2023.2225185 

² Pathare N Harrod Clark H, Marks K. “Effect of inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation on pulmonary outcomes in individuals with COVID-19: A systematic review,” New York Physical Therapy Association, Oct 2023. 

³ Pathare, Neeti PT, MSPT, PhD; Loder, Rayne MHS, PA-C; Washington, Rosanne MHS, PA-C. "Building interprofessional competency through a virtual cardiopulmonary case collaboration," The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, April 30, 2024, DOI: 10.1097/JPA.0000000000000588