"Walk with a Doc" starts second year

Youngstown State University’s “Walk with a Doc” program starts its second year at Southern Park Mall in Boardman.

The free program, conducted by the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at YSU and designed to encourage healthy physical activity in people of all ages, takes place at the mall’s center concourse on the last Thursday of every month at 9 a.m. (Note: The Jan. 31 program has been cancelled due to frigid temperatures throughout the region.)

Each session includes a brief educational talk by a featured expert on a relevant health topic. The expert will then lead the group in a walk, at their own pace, for about 45 to 60 minutes while interacting with and answering any questions the participants may have. The YSU DPT students and faculty physical therapists also join in on the walk, offering insight around physical therapy and overall wellness.

All participants receive blood pressure and heart rate checks pre- and post-walk. There will also be giveaways, music and light refreshments.

For more information, contact Cara Berg-Carramusa, instructor and director of Clinical Education in the Department of Physical Therapy at YSU, at 330-941-1963 or cacarramusa@ysu.edu. 

YSU’s DPT is the world’s first Doctor of Physical Therapy program to launch the “Walk with a Doc” model.

Dates for the walks: Feb. 28, March 28, April 25, May 30, June 27, July 25, Aug. 29, Sept. 26, Oct. 31 and Dec. 2.

For more information on the “Walk with a Doc” program, including top 100 reasons to walk, visit https://walkwithadoc.org/join-a-walk/why-walk/.

The YSU DPT is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. One hundred percent of graduates pass the PT certification exam. Graduates have go on to work at healthcare facilities and providers across the nation, including Texas Physical Therapy Specialists, University Hospitals of Cleveland and Valleycare/Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital.