Acosta, Martha Marie

School of Health Professions
Physical Therapy
(210) 567-8753
acostamm@uthscsa.edu

SELF DESCRIPTION:
I received my 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, I went on to pursue a Masters degree in Healthcare Administration from Southwest Texas State University. I was awarded a PhD from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Preventive Medicine and Community Health (Rehabilitation Sciences). I have 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, I bring an abundance of expertise and clinical application to the academic setting to enhance student learning of clinical concepts. I have taught previously at the University of Texas at El Paso where the focus of my teaching responsibilities included management of the adult patient with neurological impairments. I also taught management of health care systems for Physical Therapists as well as geriatric elective courses and hippotherapy. I was awarded my clinical specialist certification by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) as a Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS). Subsequently, I served as the Item Writer Coordinator supervising the item writers and Content Experts who generate items for the Geriatric board certification exam. I then served as the Chairman of the Geriatric Council for one year. Subsequent to that, I served as the MOSC (Maintenance of Specialization and Certification) liaison for the Geriatric Council. My 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. With regards to my teaching philosophy, I strive to inspire students to have a curiosity about learning new information, empower students to feel ownership of professionalism and encourage students to value their role as a qualified, competent healthcare provider.