Clare Safran-Norton, PT, PhD(c), MS, MS, OCS

A hands-on vocation for helping others

Growing up as a young girl in Greenwich, Conn., Clare Safran-Norton witnessed first-hand the benefits of good physical therapy. "My grandmother had a stroke and came to live with us," she explains. "I would watch the visiting physical therapist work with her and see the results of their efforts. By the time I reached high school, I was volunteering in the PT department at the local hospital. I just loved the notion of working with people to help them get better."

As an assistant professor at Simmons, Safran-Norton does more than simply teach her students about helping people get better. She teaches them about giving back to the community in which they live and work.

"My life is about more than just the work I do. Wanting to help people is what pointed me in the direction of physical therapy as a profession. I enjoy using my PT training and skills in volunteer service efforts, as well."

In addition to serving on countless committees, councils, and commissions at Simmons and its School of Health Sciences, Safran-Norton has spearheaded the physical therapy component of the Boston Marathon Finish Line Medical Team. As part of her efforts there, she has been organizing a contingent of physical therapy students from Simmons who volunteer to work in various capacities and the marathon finish line since 1996.

"It's an outstanding opportunity for students to witness exactly what happens to the human body after running 26 miles. First- and second-year students help transport runners who have collapsed, and advanced students are paired with experienced physical therapists to provide hands-on care to runners who have completed the marathon or who have been injured. This kind of service learning is an extraordinary complement to what we teach them in the classroom."

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