CHS Welcomes New Faculty – Meet DPT Alum Dr. Levi Johnson
Published September 14, 2023 By Darlene Muguiro UTEP College of Health Sciences
This fall, the College of Health Sciences (CHS) is welcoming new faculty members across several departments.
We are pleased to present the second profile, featuring Dr. Levi Johnson, visiting clinical assistant professor of Physical Therapy and Movement Sciences. Johnson received his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees from UTEP.
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Long before Levi Johnson assumed the role of faculty member in the College of Health Sciences, he was a transfer student from El Paso Community College, eager to begin his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. Following graduation, he continued his education and, in 2017, received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. During that time, he says that his goal was always to become, and remain, a clinician.
However, after several years as a practicing PT specializing in sports medicine, he re-evaluated his core goal as a clinician – impacting as many patients’ lives as possible – and decided he could do that best through a new role in teaching future physical therapists.
“Through my role as a clinician, even in the role as a manager for a clinic, I felt like there was more I could be doing in terms of outreach and impact,” he said. “As a professor, I’m able to reach more clinicians, and the more clinicians I reach, the more quality practitioners are available to serve patients.”
Johnson began teaching this past summer as an adjunct professor for the Department of Physical Therapy and Movement Sciences’ introductory musculoskeletal courses. He recalled his first day in the classroom as being “nerve-wracking.”
“As a student, I came into the DPT program knowing that it was going to be intense, but not really knowing exactly what was expected of us,” he said. “And it’s interesting to note that as a professor, you feel the same kind of anxiety and excitement. So, I was nervous, but I also knew that I had really good co-teaching support from Dr. Michelle Gutierrez – she's a phenomenal physical therapist and professor.”
During the summer, Johnson had an opportunity to work with both first- and second-year students and says that he enjoyed watching students develop as they went through the degree program – so much so that he accepted the offer to become a full-time member of the faculty. He says that one thing that makes UTEP a great place to teach is the diversity of its students and their commitment to the region.
“At UTEP, and in our DPT program, students come from diverse backgrounds, and our community really benefits from having diverse healthcare providers,” he said. “They may be from disadvantaged backgrounds as well, which makes them more compassionate and understanding of patients, for example, when patients may be worried about their insurance not covering all of their treatment. In the program, we encourage our students to be providers to the whole person and not just to a diagnosis.”
Johnson says that he looks forward to collaborating with his PT faculty colleagues to explore his research interests, which focus on sports and orthopedic injuries and pain mechanisms after injury, specifically to the neck and back. He also plans to encourage his students to explore their research interests.
“I didn’t do a lot of research as a DPT student or clinician, but it was something that I wish I had done more of. So, this first year, I’ll lean into my fellow faculty in the DPT Program to begin that process,” he said. “I also really want to encourage our students to pursue research beyond the minimum requirements of the program, and to explore unique research topics that explore the boundaries of physical therapy.”
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Go Miners!
For more information about the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, please visit: utep.edu/chs/pt