By Jacqueline Arroyo / The Jambar
Nancy Landgraff, professor and department chair of graduate and rehabilitation sciences at Youngstown State University, was recently inducted into the National Academies of Practice.
NAP is a collaboration of 17 different health professions that work together to advise governmental bodies on the healthcare system.
The NAP ceremony took place in Washington, D.C., and included an advocacy day and a two-day forum with an induction curriculum. Landgraff, who has previously advocated for physical therapy in Columbus, used the advocacy day to visit Capitol Hill and meet with local representatives.
“I was assigned to an interpersonal team of people from Ohio … [I] went to some of our local representatives in the House of Representatives,” Landgraff said. “To discuss with the legislators why it’s so important for them to consider the legislation to healthcare that relates to interdisciplinary actions in a professional collaboration.”
In addition to the advocacy day, the induction curriculum included meetings and presentations where speakers shared what and how they are teaching in their respective fields, as well as strategies for fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
From attending these meetings and presentations, Landgraff said she learned that YSU is ahead of the curve in integrating students across disciplines. The department provides an online, case-based, problem-solving activity that engages students in collaborative learning.
After returning from the ceremony, Landgraff brought back new ideas and activities to further enhance student learning at YSU.
“It’s called ‘Friday Night in the ER’ — it’s a game — and getting our students together to play this game, where it’s not really about what their role is in the ER, but it’s about them learning to problem solve together, be a collaborative team, negotiate, be thinking about what’s next,” Landgraff said.
Landgraff believes one of the biggest challenges in healthcare is insurance and payments. She emphasizes the importance of advocacy, ensuring that policymakers understand what healthcare professionals do, who they are and how they improve patients’ lives.
As a physical therapist for 43 years, Langraff has spent most of her career in rehabilitation. She said working in rehabilitation reinforced the value of teamwork, as multiple professionals collaborate to address patients’ needs.
For students looking to advance their careers, Landgraff advises academics as a top priority, as a physical therapy school is rigorous. She also stresses the importance of passion for the profession.
“For students that think they want to do this and don’t know anything about the field, they need to go shadow,” Landgraff said. “You can’t be tunnel visioned, you have to have good exposure to the whole field to understand the field.”