Ullucci Named DPT Program Director
Photo: Office of University Relations/UNCW
The College of Health and Human Services at UNC Wilmington has named Paul A. Ullucci, Jr., PT, DPT, ATC, PhD as the founding program director of its developing Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program.
The UNC Board of Governors has authorized UNCW to offer the DPT program. Ullucci will work with the university and external partners to develop a needs assessment as part of the accreditation process as delineated by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education with expected completion by November 2025.
“We are incredibly excited Dr. Ullucci has joined the College in creating a physical therapy program,” College of Health and Human Services Dean Jack Watson said. “He has served in many interprofessional roles in his career and was recognized for this work by being named to the National Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2023. Under his leadership, our graduates will be fully prepared for contemporary practice as part of today’s interdisciplinary healthcare teams.”
The College of Health and Human Services is making significant renovations and extensions of physical facilities to house the DPT program, which will feature cutting-edge equipment that will prepare students for modern day practice.
“We’ve also been building significant partnerships with area healthcare employers and involved representatives of those employers in every step of program creation process,” said Chris Lantz, associate dean of academic affairs. “Our local partners are essential for providing clinical placements that support our students and their skill development.”
“Our vision is to enroll about 40 students per cohort,” Watson said. “We are particularly interested in students with a passion to live, work and improve health and wellbeing in southeastern North Carolina.”
Ullucci previously served as physical therapy program director and associate professor at Johnson & Wales University and as the associate dean for the College of Health & Wellness. He also served as an associate professor and program director for Bryant University's School of Health Sciences’ physical therapy program. Prior to working at Bryant, Ullucci acted as the semester 1 coordinator and director of the Human Anatomy Lab at Sacred Heart University. His research interests focus on the evaluation and treatment of concussion, whiplash injuries, chronic headache, TMJ, spine, manual therapy, injury prevention and reducing workers compensation costs for businesses.
Prior to entering academia full time, Ullucci was the president of Ullucci Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy where he provided physical therapy and sports medicine services.
Ullucci earned a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Northwestern University and his DPT and Ph.D. degrees from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.
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Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states. Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT; www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT's website.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, in November 2029. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional/technical phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional/technical courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.
The UNC Board of Governors has authorized UNCW to offer the DPT program. Ullucci will work with the university and external partners to develop a needs assessment as part of the accreditation process as delineated by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education with expected completion by November 2025.
“We are incredibly excited Dr. Ullucci has joined the College in creating a physical therapy program,” College of Health and Human Services Dean Jack Watson said. “He has served in many interprofessional roles in his career and was recognized for this work by being named to the National Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2023. Under his leadership, our graduates will be fully prepared for contemporary practice as part of today’s interdisciplinary healthcare teams.”
The College of Health and Human Services is making significant renovations and extensions of physical facilities to house the DPT program, which will feature cutting-edge equipment that will prepare students for modern day practice.
“We’ve also been building significant partnerships with area healthcare employers and involved representatives of those employers in every step of program creation process,” said Chris Lantz, associate dean of academic affairs. “Our local partners are essential for providing clinical placements that support our students and their skill development.”
“Our vision is to enroll about 40 students per cohort,” Watson said. “We are particularly interested in students with a passion to live, work and improve health and wellbeing in southeastern North Carolina.”
Ullucci previously served as physical therapy program director and associate professor at Johnson & Wales University and as the associate dean for the College of Health & Wellness. He also served as an associate professor and program director for Bryant University's School of Health Sciences’ physical therapy program. Prior to working at Bryant, Ullucci acted as the semester 1 coordinator and director of the Human Anatomy Lab at Sacred Heart University. His research interests focus on the evaluation and treatment of concussion, whiplash injuries, chronic headache, TMJ, spine, manual therapy, injury prevention and reducing workers compensation costs for businesses.
Prior to entering academia full time, Ullucci was the president of Ullucci Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy where he provided physical therapy and sports medicine services.
Ullucci earned a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Northwestern University and his DPT and Ph.D. degrees from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.
------------
Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states. Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT; www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT's website.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, in November 2029. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional/technical phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional/technical courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.
This article has the following tags: School of Health & Applied Human Sciences Academics College of Health & Human Services