Leanna Blanchard, DPT ’15, could be considered an overachiever.
After earning her Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), Blanchard attended an orthopedic residency offered by GW and Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH). A fellowship in orthopedic manual PT followed at the University of Illinois in Chicago. The Chicago native went on to receive board certification in orthopedic PT, and in 2018 was recognized as a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists.
Today, she’s a certified lymphedema therapist at University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System in Chicago, where she is helping to build the hospital’s oncology rehabilitation program. Additionally, Blanchard writes on the effects of graded manual therapy on kinesiophobia and function and the importance of differential diagnosis for appropriate referrals. And in her spare time? She became a certified indoor rowing coach and has started coaching a team of breast cancer survivors.
“I have a tendency to stay busy. I've been called an overachiever, but I've always felt like I was really just doing what I needed to do to learn more, help more people, and be the best therapist that I can be,” Blanchard notes.
It was her experience as a high school and collegiate club-level gymnast that set her on her path to physical therapy. Various injuries she suffered as an athlete led to rehab with physical therapists, and that instilled in her a desire to pursue PT as a career and to become the best therapist she could.
Blanchard attributes a great deal of her success to what she learned during her time in the JHH/GW residency program. “I knew I wanted to be the best orthopedic therapist that I could be, and I felt that having high quality, consistent mentorship was the best initial step toward that,” she said. “I wanted to be challenged to think outside the box, to be better, and to learn more. That’s what our residency mentors did for us every day.”
During the 13-month JHH/GW program, residents work as physical therapists in JHH clinics, receive clinical mentorship, and participate in didactic coursework, journal clubs, skills labs, and other research projects. Residents also have the opportunity to teach at GW.
“This orthopedic residency program is unique because it offers participants the opportunity to teach future physical therapists within the GW DPT program,” said Dhinu Jayaseelan, PT, DPT, OCS, assistant professor in the SMHS Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences and co-academic director of the residency program. “Teaching requires the individual to have a substantial level of content comprehension, which also assists the residents in improving their expertise even more rapidly.”
Blanchard recently became an American Physical Therapy Association credentialed clinical instructor, and she said the teaching experience she had during her residency influences how she educates students. “I’ve learned how to give positive and constructive feedback in ways that foster growth and keep students interested in learning more,” she said. “I also think it’s made me more aware of the different learning styles that exist. No two students are the same.”
She credits her JHH/GW residency with shaping her career today as a clinician and teacher. “My experience during the orthopedic residency turned me into a clinician that enjoys thinking critically, considers patients holistically, has a strong passion for education, and actively participates in the advanced education of student PTs and aspiring orthopedic specialists.”
More information on the JHH/GW residency program can be found here.