Alumni

Celebrate your fellow alumni by sending in a nomination for one of our four annual awards, celebrating achievements in the field, community service and research efforts.

VIEW AWARDS

Alumnus of the Year

Jennifer Gilbertson (Class of ’87)

Jennifer Gilbertson is this year's recipient of the NUPTHMS Alumnus of the Year Award. Since graduating from NUPT, she has continued her education, culminating in receiving her DPT and Orthopedic Clinical Specialty certification. She has served as the Assistant Director of Outpatient Therapy services at UChicago Medical Center, improving the interdisciplinary relationship of healthcare professionals and fostering a supportive, respectful, compassionate and empathetic team environment.

In summing up her qualifications for this award, Dr. Gilberton's referee writes, "Jen deserves the NUPT Alumnus of the Year award because she went above and beyond her role as an Assistant Director, supervisor, and physical therapist to make sure that her team and her patients received the best possible care during a year of chaos and uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic."

Young Alumnus of the Year

Kristen Tinlin (Class of '13)

Kristen Tinlin is this year's recipient of the NUPTHMS Young Alumnus of the Year Award. Since graduating from NUPT, Kristen has specialized in treating patients with burn injuries. She has provided education on burn rehab to hospitals and rehab facilities in Indianapolis to optimize patient recovery outcomes. While working in the Outpatient Burn Clinic, Kristen was chosen to present her research poster: "Heterotopic Ossification Related Contractions: Success with Bodyweight Exercises" at the American Burn Association Conference in 2020. She has impacted many lives with her burn rehab therapy skills; her success with treating Kenyan Conservationist Harry Dyer, led to media coverage and the development of a burn center in Kenya, Africa. Kristen has earned additional certifications including: Certified Lymphedema and Wound Therapist and Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist. Kristen has a passion for dogs and in 2020 she started her own canine rehabilitation company, Paws Rehab, that provides physical therapy for dogs. While balancing her work with humans, her success with canine rehab has led to the opportunity to expand and open a new facility in 2022.

Research Achievement Award

Jonathan Tsay (Class of ’18) 

Jonathan "JT" Tsay is the recipient of the Research Achievement Award. He is pursuing his PhD in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at University of California, Berkley. He has seven publications, 5 upcoming and has been a peer reviewer for several medical journals in the areas of neuro-rehabilitation, motor learning, proprioception, cerebellar ataxia and Parkinson's Disease.

"I believe this award will be the first of many, and it should be seen as a wise investment in the career development of a promising clinician-scientist. If I could look into the future, I would bet that JT’s basic and clinical research will have a tremendous impact on the field of physical therapy and more specifically, neurorehabilitation." - Carolee Winstein, PhD, PT, FAPTA, FAHA, FASNR

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Achievement Award

Dawn S. Brown (Class of ’99) 

Dawn S. Brown is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Education at the Northern Illinois University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, with over 21 years of clinical and educational experience. She completed a Bachelor of Psychology degree and Master of Physical Therapy degree from Northwestern University, a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Alabama State University, and is currently completing her dissertation in the Doctor of Education Program in Higher Education Administration at Northern Illinois University. She earned board-certification in orthopaedic physical therapy from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists and uses this content expertise in her teaching and clinical practice.

It is our great professional honor to award Dawn S. Brown with the Northwestern University Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Achievement Award.