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This article appeared in the Fall 2024 Edition of Curry Magazine
Dr. Courtney James has always been committed to providing quality care. On paper, she’s an experienced physical therapist. But to her clients, she’s a compassionate healer.
After receiving her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Scranton, Dr. James entered the workforce in a clinical setting. From pediatric care to outpatient orthopedics, she saw countless patients in a day, often for only 30 minutes, due to the laws of insurance and strict appointment windows. At that point, it didn’t matter that her objective was to deliver quality care; she simply wasn’t afforded the time and space to do so. Things began to shift when the pandemic hit, and she began seeing clients through telehealth. She used this opportunity to start her own business via telehealth and give her clients the time and concentrated healing exercises they deserved.
CHECK OUT THE NEW EXERCISE SCIENCE LAB
Dr. James joined the Curry College faculty as an adjunct professor and helped launch the Exercise Science program this past fall.
Curry Magazine sat down with Dr. James to discuss the launch of the new major and the significance of healing through exercise.
Q: You were teaching at Curry before this new major was developed. How did Exercise Science come to the table?
A: I’d say it was mostly just talking with the students. I started to have more and more conversations with our students, and they were asking me about my Physical Therapy and Exercise Science background, and then they would say, “Actually, when I was first thinking about going to college, that’s what I wanted to study, but Curry didn’t have it, so I chose to study something else instead.” It was a story I was hearing a lot.
Q: You said you chose this field for your love of healing through exercise. Where does that come from and how do you implement that in your teaching?
A: That’s such a nice question. As far as where it comes from, there isn’t one moment of origin, it was just over time. Something that I became really passionate about is when I played very competitive basketball and started getting a couple different injuries, I started to figure out what my body really needed to not keep on getting injured and how to heal it on my own. I realized a huge component of that was how I was training and the methods that I was using through exercise, diet, and other different things like that. I got to a place where I felt great in my body, and that’s what I was looking for when I thought of a career.
At that point, I wanted to help people in this way where we can use exercise as a method to really look at the entire body and the entire person—not only the physical aspect, but that nutrition and psychology component. And that’s why I chose Physical Therapy, because it encompasses all of those things.
Q: What sets our Exercise Science program apart from other institutions in the area?
A: I’ve made the curriculum very practical based. So, anything that we’re doing in the classroom, we are meant to then go and practice. And that’s relatively unique. Many schools with a practical-based program, the undergraduates are still very much in the classroom where a student is sitting, listening passively to a PowerPoint presentation, and that’s not what this major is supposed to be. We also have two internship experiences built into the curriculum, which is relatively unique as well. Some colleges now have at least one, but to have two, sets us apart.
Q: The College recently built a state-of-the-art Exercise Science lab for experiential learning. Can you talk about the equipment?
A: The lab is a fantastic space for everything in that way. When you walk in, there’s a traditional small classroom setup right at the front. The rest of the space is all of the testing and strength and conditioning equipment. So, we use it for lab space, we use it for classroom space, and we use it for research.
Q: What is your favorite part about teaching? And similarly, what is your favorite thing about Curry?
A: Sparking curiosity in the classroom is definitely my favorite part about teaching —when we create really dynamic conversations, I don’t like just standing up there and being a talking head—that’s not something I ever aim to do. I try to make it collaborative and make it so students feel comfortable pausing me if I have to give more of a lecture on a topic.
As for Curry, something that stood out when I first started working here was the diversity of the student population, which I enjoy. It makes students aware of other ways of living, of thinking. It brings something totally different to the table, and in turn affects how they approach certain things.