UTHSCSA Faculty Profiles v1.0
Acosta, Martha Marie
School of Health Professions
Physical Therapy
(210) 567-8753
acostamm@uthscsa.edu
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Dr. Acosta received her Bachelors degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas after receiving a Bachelors degree in Pre-Medicine from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. After working several years as a clinician, she went on to pursue a Masters degree in Healthcare Administration from Southwest Texas State University. She was awarded a PhD from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Preventive Medicine and Community Health (Rehabilitation Sciences). Dr. Acosta has worked in a variety of settings including acute care, rehabilitation, out-patient, long-term care, skilled nursing facilities, psychiatric hospital, and home health. With approximately 35 years of clinical practice, she brings an abundance of expertise and clinical application to the academic setting to enhance student learning of clinical concepts. She has taught previously at the University of Texas at El Paso where the focus of her teaching responsibilities included
management of the adult patient with neurological impairments. She also taught management of health care systems for Physical Therapists as well as geriatric elective courses and hippotherapy.
Dr. Acosta also has been awarded clinical specialist certification by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) as a Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS). She also is an item writer for the board certification exam and is a member of the APTA Specialization Academy of Content Experts. Her current teaching responsibilities include topics of clinical foundation skills for first-year physical therapy students and aging across the lifespan for third-year physical therapy students.
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| 8/2007 - Present |
Assistant Professor |
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Physical Therapy, San Antonio, TX |
Content Expert -
Appointed by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists (ABPTS) upon the recommendation of the Specialty Council in Geriatric Physical Therapy, for another two-year term -- Charged with writing items for the National Geriatric Board examination (for Physical Therapists) |
Geriatric Clinical Specialist -
On August 3 and August 23, 2011, I met with Ms. Helen Sorensen to share information and expertise on the upcoming presentation that she and I do for the Emergency Health Services Department. The level of information and the topics on age-related changes pertinent to this discipline were examined for needed revisions to our presentation. |
Geriatric Clinical Specialist -
Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist; certification awarded by the American Physical Therapy Assocition |
Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS) -
As a Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS) in the American Physical Therapy Association, I consulted with Ms. Helen Sorensen (Respiratory Therapy faculty member) regarding a question from a local community member seeking expertise from geriatric specialists. This was a follow-up to a previous educational session I conducted about one month prior where older adults had an opportunity to phone in questions related to Geriatric issues. One of those callers was following up on his question about oxygen tanks in the home. Ms. Sorensen and I consulted with each other and provided an answer to a holding strap for the tank which this gentleman was trying to find. |
Graduate faculty appointment -
On September 11, 2012, I received notification of my appointment to the Graduate faculty Committee for Dr. Myla Quiben, a full-time faculty member in our Physical Therapy Department. Being a Geriatric Clinical Specialist, I was appointed to Dr. Quiben''s committee as a content expert for her research with the older population. |
IRB alternate -
As an IRB alternate I am required to complete CITI training which provides the expertise necessary to complete the role as an IRB member. The total amount of time spent completing all the modules was approximately 12 hours. |
Physical Therapist -
Licenced Physical Therapist in the state of Louisiana from 1973 - 1974. |
Physical Therapist -
Licenced Physical Therapist in the state of Texas |
| Date |
Description |
Institution |
# Students |
| 2/2012 - Present |
Individual Instruction |
UTHSCSA |
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| 4/2009 - Present |
Invited Speaker for Geriatric Symposia |
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio |
40 students |
| This Geriatric Symposia was developed by myself and Ms. Helen Sorensen, Respiratory Therapy faculty. As co-presenters, we provided information to the Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) students on the impact of aging and age-related issues within healthcare environment. Topics included biological and cognitive changes in older adults with aging, as they pertain to the CLS member of the healthcare team. An informal quiz on aging was done initially to start the conversation among participants about myths and beliefs of age-related topics. Pre- and post-test questionnaires were administered to the audience to confirm that new knowledge was attained. This presentation is done every year to date. |
| 2/2008 - Present |
Invited Speaker - PHYT 7019 |
UTHSCSA |
40 students |
| I was invited by Dr. Yolanda Rangel, Course Director for Neuroscience II (PHYT 7019), to do a presentation to first-year Physical Therapy students on the examination of cranial nerves. The presentation was both didactic and experential, with students actively participating in the assessment with a role-play situation. We supplied the diagnostic tools used for this type of assessment, then had the students assess each others cranial nerves. This clinical applicability built in to the didactic course helps with bridging science information to actual patient application. This presentation is done every Spring semester in the Neuroscience II class. |
Book Chapter |
| Acosta MM. Frailty in Older Persons. In: Kauffman, Timothy L.
Barr, John, O.
Moran, Michael L. Geriatric Rehabilitation Manual. London, England: Elsevier; 2013. p. 1-25.
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Abstract |
| Burns, Cheryl A
Smith, Linda A
Sorenson, Helen M
Acosta, Martha M. A Novel Approach to Addressing Geriatrics in the Clinical Laboratory Science Curricululm; 2010 Jan. (Cilnical Laboratory Science; vol. 23, no. 2).
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Not Specified |
| Sorenson H, Acosta M. The Development and Implementation of Symposia to Increase Knowledge of Geriatrics/Gerontology in Allied Health Students TSAHP 32nd Conference and Annual Meeting 2009 Sep;.
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Other |
| Acosta MM. Course Portfolio - Faculty Learning Community Faculty Learning Community 2010 Sep;N/A:N/A-N/A.
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Federal |
| Funding Agency |
Allied Health Research Institute |
| Title |
Allied Health Research Institute fellowship |
| Status |
Active |
| Period |
9/2009 - 9/2010 |
| Role |
Principal Investigator |
| Grant Detail |
This fellowship will provide funding for research on frailty in elders. With access to thousands of patient records from two major rehabilitation organizations, I will examine the referrals and interventions (among other variables) of patients >60 years of age. |
Private |
| Funding Agency |
Allied Health Research Institute |
| Title |
Allied Health Research Institute |
| Status |
Active |
| Period |
10/2009 - 10/2010 |
| Role |
Principal Investigator |
| Grant Detail |
This grant is awarded by the Allied Health Research Institute (AHRI) to university faculty interested in conducting research using patient data bases. AHRI is the result of an industry-academia collaboration that supports research efforts in areas of healthcare. The Institute provides the investigators with non-identified patient-based data sets from in-patient rehabilitation hospitals for advancing research efforts. |
| Funding Agency |
Allied Health Research Institute |
| Title |
Health Service Demographics and Service Utilization Among the OLDER-Old . I presented the results of this research in Louisville, Kentucky in June 2011 (9th - 10th) at the Allied Research Health Institute (AHRI). |
| Status |
Complete |
| Period |
6/2008 - 6/2010 |
| Role |
Principal Investigator |
| Grant Detail |
This grant is the result of collaboration between the private healthcare industry and academia for the purpose of encouraging and supporting research efforts. I was awarded funding for a frailty research project in June 2008. This month I had several meetings with the Biostatistician working with me on this project. We are finalizing work on the final aim of my grant which involves FIM outcomes (Functional Independence Measures). |
State |
| Funding Agency |
N/A |
| Title |
Strategic Planning |
| Status |
Complete |
| Period |
12/2010 - 12/2010 |
| Role |
Principal Investigator |
| Grant Detail |
This Strategic Planning session was a designated 2-day time period where faculty of the Physical Therapy Department outlined its goals and outcome criteria for the upcoming years. The meeting was the first of its kind for this department where long-range vision and short-term planning were the foundational components driving the discussion. The outcome of the session included a written plan with a framework and specific strategies for acheiveing departmental goals. |
