A new women’s health residency program launched in conjunction with Orlando Health is preparing more physical therapists to offer specialized care in an emerging area — giving practitioners advanced training, education and clinical practice to help improve the reproductive health of women across the lifespan.

“There’s definitely a need,” says Clinical Associate Professor Carey Rothschild, one of the UCF faculty who instructs in the program and aided in its development. “Interest in this area is growing, and a 12-month program allows new graduates to get advanced training so they can effectively treat and manage patients with a wide range of concerns.”

The residency program focuses extensively on pelvic and obstetric physical therapy and delivers training in pelvic and breast oncology, lymphedema, menopause management, and women’s neuromusculoskeletal health.

One third of women in the U.S. suffer from some kind of pelvic floor condition, according to the American Physical Therapy Association’s Academy of Pelvic Health. Conditions can include urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and bowel dysfunction.

Residency programs enable physical therapists to advance their knowledge and clinical skills, preparing healthcare professionals with highly specialized training and increasing the pool of competent and compassionate healthcare providers for the community.

While physical therapy residency programs in orthopedics and neurology are more common, the UCF and Orlando Health Women’s Health Physical Therapy Residency Program is just the second in Florida and one of only 22 in the country. The program is currently pursuing accreditation through the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency & Fellowship Education.

Residents in the program receive training and mentoring from Orlando Health physical therapists as well as physical therapy faculty clinicians at UCF’s Division of Physical Therapy in the College of Health Professions and Sciences.

The yearlong program, which began this fall with two residents, calls for a combination of clinical practice, didactic training and mentoring. Residents spend 32 hours a week at Orlando Health, working with healthcare professionals in a specialty women’s hospital acute care setting and in outpatient rehabilitation service.

“Our residency program aims to provide a unique experience of clinical training and mentoring in both acute care and outpatient settings,” says Beth Northrop, the program coordinator for Orlando Health. “Women’s rehabilitation needs are often not prioritized in hospitals, particularly after childbirth, which can lead to a sequelae of chronic conditions. Our residents are prepared to be experts in caring for women across the continuum of care and providing early, evidence-based interventions for this population.”

Residents spend time each week in a didactic training and academic environment alongside UCF faculty. They learn instructional techniques, lecture and present to physical therapy students, and conduct a literature review that culminates in a research report.

Additional hours each week are dedicated to one-on-one formal mentoring by board certified specialists — both UCF faculty clinicians and Orlando Health professionals who have extensive expertise in women’s health treatment. Following completion of the program, residents sit for a national certification exam.

The program marks the second successful physical therapy residency partnership between UCF and Orlando Health. A neurological residency program has been in place since 2017, with program residents attaining a 100% first-attempt pass rate on the board specialty examination. UCF and Orlando Health are also collaborating on a sports residency program which is expected to employ residents starting in July 2025.

Meet the Residents

Laura Arboleda ’13 earned a bachelor’s in health sciences from UCF and her DPT at the University of St. Augustine. She’s been a physical therapist for almost five years, serving primarily in outpatient orthopedic practices. After completing the residency program, she aspires to specialize in the treatment of obstetric and oncology patients.

“When I was treating back pain patients, I don’t think I was thinking about the connection to the pelvis,” Arboleda says. “Now with the additional knowledge I’m receiving, I can put those pieces together and really help patients get better. I think I was missing this piece when treating orthopedic patients. I didn’t have advanced knowledge. Now I’m starting to notice this would have been helpful back then.”

Arboleda intends to include men among her patients when she returns to practice following completion of the residency.

“Our discipline is giving more importance to treatment in the pelvic region, both in women and men. In orthopedics, patients were asking me how I could help with pelvic floor weakness issues, like pain and urinary incontinence. There was a high demand, and they need to be seen by the right specialists.”

Melinda Honore is a graduate of Florida A&M University where she earned a bachelor’s in health science and earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2024.

“This program is important because there are so many individuals who have pelvic and women’s health concerns and they see them as silent issues,” Honore says. “Other areas of physical therapy cover what you can physically see — the physical dysfunctions. This area is powerful because you can give patients the tools they need to deal with their silent dysfunctions, and they don’t have to harbor the burden of handling that anymore.”

As a new graduate and clinician, Honore is benefitting from the close connections to UCF and Orlando Health practitioners.

“I believe what’s been most helpful has been the mentorship and the one-on-one approach to provide guidance in working with the patient,” Honore says. “We’re working together to evaluate and apply different treatment options and different techniques and I’m looking at it through a different lens.”