Get to Know the New Chair of the SHSP Alumni Leadership Council, Bryan Kist, M.S. ’01, D.P.T., PT, OCS, FAAOMPT

The SHSP Alumni Leadership Council is an advisory group to the dean of SHSP and the NYMC Office of Development and Alumni Relations on matters relating to alumni engagement. The purpose of the council is to strengthen the bond between the School and its alumni, create programs that match the interests and needs of alumni and students and develop a culture that gives back to further the mission of the School and College.

During the reunion planning process, Dr. Kist was approached by Jerry Volk, director of philanthropic initiatives, and Amy Ansehl, D.N.P., RN, FNP-BC, associate dean for student experience, SHSP, who were impressed with the turnout he garnered for the event. Dr. Kist was able get 28 out of the 48 students from his graduating class to convene. “I don’t know if it was as much what I was doing or if people were just eager to get out and socialize post-COVID-19,” Dr. Kist explained. He had an interest in reconnecting with his classmates before the pandemic, so he created an NYMC physical therapy (PT) Class of 2001 Facebook group, igniting the spark for a reunion in 2021. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic however, the event took place in 2022. The group met at a restaurant in White Plains, New York, before rendezvousing at an establishment they frequented as NYMC students.

Dr. Kist led the planning for his class reunion and that go-getter approach bleeds into his professional life. Now a senior physical therapist for the Christiana Care Health System in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, he employs the methods of care that initially interested him in physical therapy as an undergraduate student. “I think the thing that really caused me to focus more on PT was the fact that I was able to spend more time with my patients and I was able to be a little more hands-on,” he said. The problem-based physical therapy curriculum at NYMC was appealing to him because it allowed him to face real-life situations he could expect to see as a physical therapist. “I really felt like this profession was compatible with what I wanted,” he said.

He currently splits his duties between an outpatient clinic and an emergency department of a level one trauma center at Christiana Care Health System. Dr. Kist was brought into the emergency department during the height of COVID-19 to develop its physical therapy wing. “A lot of the skills I learned at NYMC are skills I have applied over the last 22 years and skills that I use every day,” he said. Dr. Kist explained further that he enjoyed being taught the skills to actively think through problems rather than being fed information and regurgitating it. Though there were times of frustration as a student, he understood that the teaching method of the NYMC physical therapy program would benefit him in the long term.

In his new role as the chair of the SHSP Alumni Leadership Council, Dr. Kist aspires to grow the group. “What I’m most interested in doing is getting more people involved,” he said. “We have many things in place to make alumni communication easier, like the NYMCConnect website.” Dr. Kist plans to implement a grassroots effort by reaching out directly to colleagues to generate interest and he will also utilize the resources of the Council and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to organize events and other initiatives aimed at building a strong alliance with the current SHSP community.

“Bryan is one of the most impressive graduates of the NYMC SHSP physical therapy program. He has great energy and dedication to NYMC and the SHSP Alumni Council. We are fortunate to have his leadership,” said Dr. Ansehl.