The Doctor of Physical Therapy program in the College of Health Professions and Sciences has reached a new milestone, with a record number of graduating students accepted into post-professional residency programs. This year, 14 members of the Class of 2026 earned residency placements — representing 38% of the 37-student graduating class and marking the highest residency placement rate in program history.
Physical therapy residencies provide advanced, specialty-focused training for clinicians who want to deepen their expertise beyond entry-level practice. Residents receive structured mentorship, advanced coursework and guided clinical experiences that help prepare them for board certification in specialty areas such as orthopedics, sports, neurology, women’s health, geriatrics, and more.
“Residency education fosters advanced clinical expertise in specialized patient populations, preparing clinicians to provide high-quality, evidenced based care to the patients and communities they serve,” says Clinical Associate Professor and Division Chair Laurie Neely. “We are proud to see our graduates seeking these advanced educational opportunities.”
The record number of placements reflects both student ambition and the strength of the program’s preparation. Since welcoming its first doctoral cohort in 2010, the DPT program has consistently performed above state and national averages on the National Physical Therapy Examination and graduates posted a 100% overall pass rate in 2024-25. The achievement adds to another banner year for the program which climbed to No. 34 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings, its highest ranking ever.
Among the students advancing to residencies is Ymani Latty ’19, who will pursue women’s health physical therapy at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Her path to a physical therapy career began after watching her older brother recover from a traumatic brain injury.
“I used to go to his physical therapy appointments with him, and the way his PT pushed him was inspirational,” Latty says. “They showed a lot of care and a desire for my brother to recover. Through their dedication, I wholeheartedly believe they were responsible for my brother’s recovery.”
Latty, who also earned a bachelor’s in sports and exercise science (now kinesiology) with a minor in the health sciences pre-clinical track at UCF, says she discovered pelvic health physical therapy during her first year in UCF’s program and immediately recognized it as a way to combine her interests in maternal health and rehabilitation.
“The more I learned about the specialty and how vastly it can be applied outside of just maternal health, the more I started to consider seeking out a residency program,” Latty says. “I wanted to ensure that I had as much knowledge, mentorship and experience to be the best clinician I could be for my future patients.”
Latty credits UCF faculty and alumni mentors for helping her become a competitive residency candidate and says she hopes to one day return to teach in UCF’s program.
Also joining the residency ranks is Mirella Gatterdam, who will begin a sports physical therapy residency at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. A former collegiate volleyball player, Gatterdam first encountered physical therapy while recovering from a shoulder injury that threatened her athletic career.
“After completing a period of physical therapy, I was not only able to return to the sport, but went on to have a successful collegiate career,” she says. “In that moment, I knew I wanted to pursue a career where I could help individuals find strength, purpose and resilience through movement.”
She says mentorship from faculty and clinical instructors at UCF helped shape her decision to specialize in sports physical therapy and credits the program’s many opportunities for volunteering, shadowing and clinical rotations for setting her apart as a competitive applicant.
“My experience in the UCF DPT program has strongly prepared me for this next step by fostering a culture of lifelong learning and professional growth,” Gatterdam says. “The faculty consistently emphasized critical thinking, adaptability and the importance of evidence-based practice.”
Gatterdam’s long-term goals include working with volleyball athletes while contributing to research and teaching in the profession.
According to the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education, there are 9,841 physical therapists who are residency program graduates from 478 accredited residency programs nationwide.
The Class of 2026 students entering residency programs include:
- Nicole Anderson — University of California San Francisco Women’s Health Residency Program in San Francisco, Calif.
- Cody Byerly —AdventHealth Orthopedic Physical Therapy Program in Orlando, Fla.
- Kaitlyn Campbell — UCF and Orlando Health Neurologic Physical Therapy Program in Orlando, Fla.
- Cory Collins — Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program at Orlando VA in Orlando, Fla.
- Babi Galdamez — Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Fla.
- Mirella Gatterdam — Creighton University Sports Physical Therapy Residency in Omaha, Neb.
- Ymani Latty — Johns Hopkins Women’s Health Physical Therapy Residency in Baltimore, Md.
- Austin Plymill — Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program at Orlando VA in Orlando, Fla.
- Brisilda Rebol — ATI Sports Residency Program in Greenville, S.C.
- McKenna Reedy — UCF and Orlando Health Neurologic Residency Program in Orlando, Fla.
- Christian Rodriguez-Rolas — Geriatric Physical Therapy Residency Program at Orlando VA in Orlando, Fla.
- Carlie Rucks — UCF and Orlando Health Neurologic Residency Program in Orlando, Fla.
- Jacklyn Silkes — Geriatrics Physical Therapy Residency Program at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Fla.
- Evan Walker — Physical Therapy Orthopedic Residency at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla.
