Cherished PT Professor Babette Sanders Honored with New Scholarship

Former trainees, colleagues, and friends are recognizing the distinguished career and impact of professor emeritus Babette S. Sanders, PT, DPT, MS, FAPTA, with the creation of an endowed physical therapy scholarship in her honor.

The Babette S. Sanders PT Scholarship will support students in the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, ensuring Dr. Sanders’s influence will continue to be felt in the classrooms, clinics, and communities that train future physical therapists.

“I am passionate about physical therapy and want to help future physical therapists gain access to outstanding physical therapy education at Northwestern,” Dr. Sanders said. “This scholarship will help provide financial support for our smart and capable students, and I was excited to help establish it.”
Dr. Sanders began her 50-plus-year career in acute care practice in New York City after graduating from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 1972. She later earned advanced degrees from Long Island University and Simmons University, pairing her clinical expertise with a strong commitment to education.

When Dr. Sanders joined Northwestern’s faculty in 1989, she quickly became a cornerstone of the department. Over the years, she taught across the physical therapy curriculum and served in leadership roles that fundamentally shaped the program, including assistant chair for Curricular Affairs and assistant chair for Student Affairs. Known for her guidance and advocacy for students, she helped design academic programs and enhance the broader student experience until her retirement in 2022.

The department is one of the first in the U.S. dedicated to physical therapy, and it is consistently ranked in the top 10 programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for its Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program.

While at Northwestern, Dr. Sanders also served in key faculty governance roles, including president of the Medical Faculty Council and the Faculty Senate, earning the Linzer Award for Faculty Excellence in Service. Among many national accolades, she served in leadership positions at the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), including on its Board of Directors and the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

For many, Dr. Sanders’s most enduring impact is reflected in the people she mentored who went on to establish successful careers in physical therapy.

Nicholas Fendt, ’16 PT, DPT, who donated to the Sanders Scholarship, said he remembers arriving
at the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences after a career change from architecture.

“Babette opened my eyes to what leadership in physical therapy could look like,” he said. “Because of her mentorship, I’ve grown into managing inpatient rehabilitation, acute care, and outpatient clinics. Supporting a scholarship in her name felt like a meaningful way to honor the role she played in my journey.”

Kristin Greenwood, PT, DPT, EdD, MS, FNAP, described Dr. Sanders as a “hallmark” mentor and friend with whom she partnered through APTA on many acute care physical therapy and education leadership projects. Most memorably, Dr. Greenwood said, the two developed a system of guidelines to help entry-level physical therapists be safe and effective from their first day of practice onward.

“She represents the very best of physical therapy faculty,” said Dr. Greenwood, who serves as provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Mercy University in New York. “Her example has shaped my approach to leadership and education, and I remain deeply grateful for what I learned under her guidance.”

For more information about supporting the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, please contact Vic Maurer at victor.maurer@northwestern.edu or 312-503-2417.