Speaker: Rick Pezzullo, Physical Therapist
Rick Pezzullo: Hi, my name is Rick Pezzullo. I'm from Westchester, New York and I'm excited to be starting Ivy's sports residency program.
Where did you go to school, and how long have you been with Ivy? We'd love to hear what initially brought you to join the Ivy team!
Rick Pezzullo: I received my Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Columbia University and I've been with Ivy Rehab for a total of a little over four years. I initially joined Ivy because when I met my director, Chris, we instantly connected and I could tell he was someone who forges really meaningful relationships with his patients. And as a young clinician, that was something that I really want to learn how to do in order to make my patient's experience the best it could be. Also, I could tell that one thing that Ivy really values is investing in their employees and helping them grow both clinically and through leadership opportunities. So I felt that that was something that I really valued when looking for an employer.
What are you most excited about as you begin this residency program? What do you hope to accomplish during your time here?
Rick Pezzullo: I'm so excited to start this sports residency because growing up, I was always a huge sports guy, I watch almost every sport. I played soccer, tennis, basketball, you name it. And I find that, you know, as a young clinician, I connect a lot with high school athletes or people that are super active, that kind of like emulate the lifestyle that I want to live. And, you know, I want to be that guy that can kind of help them get back to, to the activities and the sports that they love. And I feel that this program will really help me learn everything I need to know to help those people, but also enhance the knowledge that I have of, you know, more common orthopedic conditions to help my population as a whole. And I think, you know, learning from HSS and you know, the mentors that I'll have along the way, doing coverage with, you know, some athletic trainers, all of that will be so valuable, I think for me and I hope that at the end of this, I become kind of that premier sports physical therapist in our area. And that's something that I've always dreamed of and that's always been my goal as a, as a PT and why I kind of got into the profession.
