Dr. Jill Black, EdD, PT

Powered by three degrees from the University of Delaware, Dr. Jill Black has taken her passion for physical therapy and education everywhere from Delaware classrooms, to homeless shelters in Philadelphia, to remote Mexican villages.  Jill began her career at the University of Delaware as a physical therapy student and earned a Bachelors of Science degree in 1987.  In addition to keeping up with her studies at that time, she also performed with the Golden Girls twirling team.  Jill remained active with the team after graduation by serving as a coach for ten years.  Although she is no longer involved with the UD twirling team, she remains active as a coach with the Milford High School team.  She also continued her education, earning a Masters in Exercise Physiology in 1992 and a Doctor of Education in 1999.

Jill has put her degrees to good use.  She has worked as a physical therapist as well as an administrator for Southern Delaware Physical Therapy, an outpatient clinic, for the past five years.  Her special interests include spinal cord injury and cancer.  A particular interest in breast cancer has led Jill to acquire a specific certification in the treatment of breast cancer lymphedema.  

In addition to practicing in Delaware, Jill has  taken her physical therapy skills to Mexico while working with Mission to the World, a medical mission arm of the Presbyterian Church.  She has made 26 trips over the past 13 years.  Over that time she has taken 16 students and 10 physical therapists to work with her, many of whom were University of Delaware students or graduates.  The trips usually last one week, during which she works with many different kinds of patients, often outfitting them with medical or exercise equipment.

Jill's degrees have also come in handy in her role as an educator.  For the past 10 years, she has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Delaware while assisting in the instruction of Physical Therapy in the Acute Care Environment, as well as other courses.  She also has worked with PT students at Thomas Jefferson Univeristy, conducting qualitative research on these students as they worked and interacted with people who came to a homeless shelter in Philadelphia.  This past fall, she was recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association when she received the Stanford Award, which is given to the author of the most influential and innovative article appearing in the Journal of Physical Therapy Education, for her article chronicling this research.   "Hands of Hope": A Qualitative Investigation of a Student Physical Therapy Clinic in a Homeless Shelter was featured in the Fall 2002 issue of the JOPTE.  

Since last November, Jill has switched to a part-time therapist at Southern Delaware PT in order to devote time to her new position as Director of the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at Delaware Technical and Community College.  In addition to serving as director, she also instructs courses in orthopedics, patient management, and administration.  Her enthusiasm for physical therapy and energetic teaching style both stimulate and inspire her students, who come away from her courses with a new outlook on the field.