{"id":11563,"date":"2024-11-19T09:21:12","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T15:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=11563"},"modified":"2024-11-19T09:21:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T15:21:12","slug":"from-student-to-colleague-alum-nate-vannattas-career-strengthens-ties-between-uwl-and-gundersen","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/from-student-to-colleague-alum-nate-vannattas-career-strengthens-ties-between-uwl-and-gundersen\/","title":{"rendered":"From student to colleague: Alum Nate Vannatta\u2019s career strengthens ties between UWL and Gundersen"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Photo<\/a>
Nate Vannatta’s journey in physical therapy has come full circle\u2014now working alongside UWL faculty that he learned from as a student.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nate Vannatta\u2019s journey in physical therapy has come full circle.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vannatta graduated from\u00a0UWL\u2019s Physical Therapy (PT)<\/a>\u00a0program in 2014. As a student, Vannatta was most interested in orthopedics and research coursework, leading him to pursue clinical research at the\u00a0La Crosse Institute for Movement Science (LIMS)<\/a>\u00a0lab under the guidance of\u00a0Professor Tom Kernozek.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Today,\u00a0Vannatta<\/a>\u00a0serves as both a clinician and an associate program director for the Sports Physical Therapy Residency at Gundersen Health System, in addition to being adjunct faculty in UWL\u2019s PT program.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs part of my work in the residency, I am the primary research mentor for our residents,\u201d Vannatta says. \u201cI help residents identify their research question, develop a research plan and carry this out to completion throughout the year. Most residents complete their research projects in conjunction with the research efforts that are on-going at the LIMS lab.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The LIMS lab, founded in 2005, is an institute created by the UWL Physical Therapy program in the Health Science Center. It was created to bring together scientists and clinicians to study human movement and its role in injury prevention and rehabilitation. The lab\u2019s success is supported in part by philanthropy, including a gift from Ron and Jane Rada to the Gundersen Medical Foundation, which has allowed the lab to conduct advanced and collaborative research.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kernozek, Vannatta\u2019s former professor and current mentor, is the director of the LIMS lab.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNate has become a trusted colleague,\u201d says Kernozek, who continues to teach in UWL\u2019s PT program. \u201cHe\u2019s not just contributing to the field of physical therapy; he\u2019s helping shape the next generation of clinicians and researchers.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kernozek recalls his former student\u2019s curiosity and dedication.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"\"
\u201cNate has become a trusted colleague,\u201d says Kernozek, who continues to teach in UWL\u2019s PT program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cNate stood out due to his keen interest in understanding the \u2018why\u2019 behind physical therapy practices,\u201d Kernozek says. Their collaboration has resulted in numerous publications, including a study on knee joint loading in different running patterns, which has been widely cited by other researchers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Kernozek really pushed me to explore clinical research and biomechanics,\u201d Vannatta shares. \u201cHe\u2019s been a primary mentor throughout my early career and still plays a huge role in my development today.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on his time at UWL, Vannatta speaks fondly of the PT program.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUWL\u2019s program places a strong emphasis on clinically applied research,\u201d Vannatta says. \u201cWhat really stood out to me was how the curriculum was designed to integrate research into clinical practice. The research practicum allowed me to dive deep into real-world problems and develop solutions that I could then apply in a clinical setting.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vannatta\u2019s journey to UWL was influenced by several factors, including the connection to Gundersen\u2019s Sports Physical Therapy residency program, which aligned with his long-standing interest in sports medicine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was really drawn to UWL\u2019s partnership with Gundersen,\u201d Vannatta says. \u201cSports medicine was the direction I wanted to pursue, and I knew that connection would be invaluable in my professional development.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vannatta credits UWL with preparing him for the complexities of his current role.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe PT program at UWL really shaped the way I approach clinical care and research,\u201d he says. \u201cI was challenged to think deeply and critically, which has been invaluable as I mentor residents and work on solving the big questions in sports physical therapy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Vannatta continues to strengthen the UWL-Gundersen collaboration.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still actively involved with the campus,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cAs an adjunct professor in the LIMS lab, I help with student research projects and facilitate opportunities for our residents.<\/span>\u00a0Also,\u201d Vannatta continues, \u201cwe’re working on a research project in collaboration with the UWL men\u2019s and women\u2019s cross-country teams to provide preseason testing for the incoming athletes and track injuries each season.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vannatta says he feels fortunate to be in his position.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know of many positions that consist of dedicated time for research, teaching, clinical mentoring and clinical care all wrapped up into the regular duties of one job,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s incredibly fulfilling to give back to the program that helped me get to where I am today.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alumni in the workforce<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gundersen Health System is one of the top regional employers of UWL alumni, joining Mayo Clinic Health System, Kwik Trip, Trane Technologies, the School District of La Crosse, Optum, Fastenal and Organic Valley.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Written by UW-La Crosse<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwlax.edu\/news\/posts\/from-student-to-colleague\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nate Vannatta\u2019s journey in physical therapy has come full circle.\u00a0\u00a0 Vannatta graduated from\u00a0UWL\u2019s Physical Therapy (PT)\u00a0program in 2014. As a student, Vannatta was most interested in orthopedics and research coursework, leading him to pursue clinical research at the\u00a0La Crosse Institute for Movement Science (LIMS)\u00a0lab under the guidance of\u00a0Professor Tom Kernozek. Today,\u00a0Vannatta\u00a0serves as both a clinician […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[104],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-11563","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-la-crosse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/11563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11563"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=11563"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=11563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}