颁补谤濒辞飞&苍产蝉辫;鲍苍颈惫别谤蝉颈迟测鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;Doctor of Physical Therapy program has been granted full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, marking a major milestone for one of the University鈥檚 most important new academic programs.
The program received the expected five-year accreditation, the maximum period a program can receive during its first accreditation review. The decision was granted April 28, 2026, just as Carlow celebrated the graduation of its first DPT cohort.
For the students, faculty and staff who helped build the program from its earliest days, the timing carries special meaning. Carlow鈥檚 first Doctor of Physical Therapy students entered a new program before its first accreditation decision had been made. They chose Carlow, trusted the faculty, and helped shape the culture of the program from the ground up.
This spring, they crossed the commencement stage as the program鈥檚 first graduates.
One of them, Dr. Yousef Tamimi, stood at Commencement and offered words shaped by a life that began in war-torn Iraq and continued through profound loss, responsibility and perseverance. 鈥淗ardship does not define your future,鈥� he said. 鈥淵our response to it does.鈥�
Closing the Circle
Dr. Tamimi sat classmates who had completed the rigorous work of becoming physical therapists while helping carry a new program through its first chapter. Their graduation, paired with full accreditation, brings that chapter into full circle.
Dr. Kunal Bhanot, founding director of the program, said the milestone belongs in a special way to those first students. Their belief in the program helped carry it to this point. Their persistence helped shape its identity. Their success now becomes part of the foundation for every cohort that follows.
Dr. Bhanot鈥檚 own path to physical therapy began in India, where physical therapy was still an emerging profession and access to healthcare education was limited. During a visit to a spinal cord rehabilitation hospital, he watched therapists help patients begin to move again, sometimes for the first time in months. 鈥淭hat day opened a whole new world to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know this profession existed, but I knew immediately it fit who I am.鈥�
Head, Hand, and Heart
That sense of calling helped shape Carlow鈥檚 DPT program, which was designed to prepare physical therapists who bring knowledge, skill and compassion to the work of healing. The curriculum emphasizes evidence-informed practice, critical thinking, interprofessional collaboration, leadership, community health, and the role of the humanities in understanding pain, suffering and recovery.
At the center of the program is Carlow鈥檚 鈥淗ead, Hand and Heart鈥� approach: the knowledge to make sound clinical decisions, the skill to provide excellent care and the compassion to honor the dignity of every patient.
Carlow鈥檚 Doctor of Physical Therapy program now moves into its next chapter with full accreditation, its first graduates and a clear mission: to prepare聽ethical聽leaders who serve with clinical excellence,聽compassion聽and a commitment to strengthening the communities around them.聽