Faculty Spotlight: Meet Dr. Gretchen Seif, CARES Therapy Clinic faculty volunteer

Get to know Gretchen A. Seif, PT, DPT, MHS, OCS, FAAOMPT, Professor and Assistant Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education for the Division of Physical Therapy

Why did you choose physical therapy as your career?
"I wanted to be a PT after babysitting a young man with autism and cerebral palsy and also having experienced PT as a patient. What I found when I got to college was that PT blended my nerdy ‘science’ brain and my social extroverted personality. "

Why did you choose to work at MUSC?
"I began working at MUSC as adjunct faculty when I completed my Master’s degree. I like to think of it that 'MUSC chose me'! When a full time position opened I was asked to apply and while I thoroughly enjoy patient care it was ‘worth a shot’. It was a ‘leap of faith’ at that time as I was not sure if I would miss the every day interactions with patients. What I gained was an everyday interaction with students and the joy of seeing when things ‘click’ for students."

What drove you to get involved with the MUSC CARES Therapy clinic?
"I began volunteering at the CARES Therapy Clinic in 2005 when it opened. I initially started as a monthly volunteer. When CARES Therapy moved to be on campus in the MUSC clinic space, I began volunteering weekly. As a physical therapist, I believe that we should all give back to our communities. CARES is my way of giving back and helping individuals that do not have access to care get back to doing what brings them joy."

What are you looking forward to most with CARES?
"Seeing students apply what we are learning in the classroom to real patients which then hopefully leads to our patients reaching their goals. "