In partnership with the Homewood Community Engagement Center (CEC), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) are working with neighbors across the lifespan through two thriving programs: Homewood Community Sports Strength and Conditioning, and Homewood House and Bennett Place Chair Fitness. Both programs are led by Pitt DPT students, with support from the Pitt DPT Student Service Board, a student leadership team focused on community engagement and social responsibility which helps connect peers to these types of opportunities.
These programs give students a chance to take what they’re learning in the classroom about social determinants of health, community engagement and person-centered care, and put it into practice alongside the Homewood community. Student leaders coordinate peer involvement and model responsible, community-engaged practice grounded in listening, adapting and meeting the community where it is, with support from CEC staff whose partnership and community knowledge make this work possible.
Homewood House and Bennett Place
At Homewood House and Bennett Place, DPT Class of 2026 Student Directors Erin Andris, Greg Jacobs and Juliana Van Loo lead chair fitness classes with older adults in the community. Andris reflected on what the experience has taught her about the profession she’s stepping into.
“Being a leader at Homewood Chair Fitness has shaped me as a future physical therapist by reinforcing the importance of showing up for those in need and listening to what matters most to them. While we always had a plan for each session, we often adapted it to better meet the needs of the participants by making the exercises more accessible or modifying them to be more enjoyable.”
Jacobs echoed that sense of reciprocity, sharing how the class became something he looked forward to even on his busiest weeks as a DPT student.
“When we first started, I worried about having enough energy to lead an exercise program in the middle of our busy class schedule, but the chair fitness class with the community members at Homewood House and Bennett Place was so much fun, that I ended up leaving each class feeling reenergized!”
Homewood Community Sports Strength and Conditioning
Across the neighborhood, Homewood Community Sports Strength and Conditioning brings a different energy through partnership with Homewood’s youth athletes, their coaches and their families. DPT Class of 2026 Student Directors Jada Stith and Aliyah Hunter have helped grow the program into one of the most meaningful experiences of their DPT journey.
“Homewood Strength and Conditioning has been the most meaningful part of my time in Pittsburgh and I am incredibly grateful to have been part of building such an impactful program,” Stith shared. “While I hope I made a difference in the lives of the kids, coaches and families, the hugs, laughter and sense of community impacted me just as much, if not more.”
Hunter pointed to the relationships built beyond the workouts themselves. “Beyond trying to make the kids as strong as possible for their sporting activities, Homewood Strength and Conditioning has taught me how to build trust within a community and create lasting relationships. It’s been rewarding to see the impact of this program both on the lives of the children and in the way it fosters mutual respect between the university and the local community.”
Meaningful Community Impact
Programs like these reflect community engagement’s place as a milestone in the Pitt DPT plan of study. Bonnie Virag, assistant professor and director of community engagement, SHRS, expresses, “Students share what influences a person’s health in class discussions and assignments, but the real learning happens when they’re working alongside people in the community.”
Students are learning to build trust, adapt to real needs and show up consistently for people whose lives may look different from their own. It’s a foundation that shapes how they’ll practice as clinicians, seeing patients not just as diagnoses to treat, but as people whose health is shaped by their families, their neighborhoods and their communities. More than 90% of Pitt DPT students report they are likely to continue community engagement after they enter practice, carrying that fuller view of patient care with them well beyond graduation.
These two community programs represent only part of the bigger picture. Across the country, all Pitt DPT students are engaging meaningfully with community members in their local areas throughout their time in the DPT program. We’re proud of Pitt DPT students and the commitment they bring to supporting the health and well-being of the communities where they live and learn.
