New York Institute of Technology

In January, more than 10 students enrolled in the Physical Therapy, D.P.T., and Exercise Science, B.S., programs traveled with Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Mark Gugliotti, D.P.T., and Professor of Physical Therapy Rosemary Gallagher, D.P.T., to Costa Rica. Here, the students (all aspiring physical therapists) shadowed healthcare workers in clinical and community settings. Along with accompanying local patients through rehabilitation activities, performing assessments and training, and learning medical Spanish, the students visited Central America's top trauma center, the Hospital Clinica Biblica in San Jose, where they learned about Costa Rica's universal healthcare system.

Sixteen New York Institute of Technology exercise science students gained hands-on learning experience as they personally trained university faculty and staff in the Long Island campus's fitness center. For three weeks, students worked with their clients to create healthier habits, build muscular strength, and increase cardiorespiratory endurance. Each student maintained a logbook of their client's exercises, repetitions, and how many sets were performed. Assessments of flexibility, body composition, blood pressure, upper and lower body strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness established benchmarks for each client and trainer to create an individualized program to maintain or improve upon.

During summer 2024, a group of students from the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) and School of Health Professions traveled to Costa Rica with the Center for Global Health to learn about healthcare systems and provide meaningful and sustainable change to the Costa Rican communities they visited. The Center for Global Health is a collaboration between NYITCOM and the School of Health Professions that is dedicated to developing healthcare professionals who are empathetic leaders and change agents, ready to tackle the global burden of disease and health disparities at home and abroad.