Everyone has heard the cliche “It’s the people that make the place” — a phrase repeated over and over to reflect the value human interaction has on experience. 

But, to Maya Gault, it really is the people that make the University of Iowa’s Physical Therapy program so successful. 

“On my interview day, I felt immediately welcomed, like [the faculty] all wanted to invest in my personal journey. And I feel like that [still] rings true,” Gault said. “I could go to any professor with a concern or an individual plan or problem, and they would sit down and work with me to make sure that my goals are something that’s achievable for me.”

Gault, originally from Moline, Illinois, is in her second year of the program — which comes in at third best nationally. She said the faculty have a unique willingness to prepare students for their life after graduation, including guidance on loan and financial management, how to save for retirement, what to expect for salaries, and salary negotiations. 

“Those are all things that I feel more prepared to tackle because the professors take the time to sit down with students and really piece through that individually,” Gault said. 

The Physical Therapy graduate program, or DPT program, at the UI’s Carver College of Medicine continues to excel, according to the newest Graduate School rankings from the  U.S. News and World Report, placing it third nationally. It is known for providing high level education to a limited number of students, as the program accepts just 50 people per class. 

Gault said the ranking is reflective of the level of education she has received at the university thus far. 

“The program just has such a strong commitment to advancing the profession, both on the clinical side and the academic side,” she said. 

She noted the hands-on experience, including a rural health clinical which provides care to underserved parts of the state, and the opportunity for full day clinical experiences after your first semester, as learning opportunities that will not be found in other programs. 

Gault attributed the successes of the program to chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Services, Richard Shields. 

“I think he’s key, honestly,” she said. “He has pushed the profession in general to reach new standards.”

Shields has been the chair of the department since 2006 but has been a faculty member in the program since 1981. 

Shields talked about the importance of providing the highest quality education at an affordable cost. He said overcharging students undermines the value of the degree — notably because the average physical therapy salary is lower than the average of other health professions. 

“If you undercut the value of a great profession, what a disservice to the community of people who need those services,” he said. 

Gault emphasized Shield’s unique transparency regarding the financial burden of tuition. 

“One of the big issues in physical therapy — especially graduate school right now — is that, like debt-to-income ratio and the financial burden that’s placed on physical therapy students,” she said. “He’s been uniquely transparent with us as students about, you know, freezing tuition, or what they’re going to do to kind of help us manage our financial burdens.”

Shields said while most other institutions are not as clear about their finances, he meets with each prospective student at their interview to make sure they understand what they would be paying for, pending their acceptance. 

Ruth Chimenti, a professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science, said Shield’s priorities allow students to feel like their degree is worth their time and money spent. 

“I think having our chair being, you know, focused on the quality of education, kind of helps us make sure that our graduates are doing well on their licensure exam and coming out feeling that they got what they paid for,” Chimenti said. 

Chimenti discussed how the program sets a national standard in many aspects.

“The program here really has deep roots in terms of research, excellence and innovation,” she said. 

She said the distinctive connection between the program and UI Health Care, or UIHC, allows students and researchers to more quickly translate their studies into clinical practice. 

Shields sets the program apart in other aspects, too. He pioneered and developed the PT-GQ, the national survey for all graduates of physical therapy schools. 

The survey asks graduates about their experience and quality of education from their respective institutions — assessing 297 items ranging from curriculum, burnout, mistreatment, and so on. The results are de-identified and aggregated and then published, but each school is also sent an individual report of their results. 

Shields said he developed the programming because he wants all physical therapy programs to excel. 

RELATED: Multiple UI online programs rank top in the country

“We want to see all boats rise,” he said. 

PT-GQ programming has also uniquely benefited the UI’s program because it was piloted here, and Shields has a rich data set beginning in 2009 where the faculty can look at trends among students and easily point to places in need of improvement. 

“It’s funny, because what gets all the attention is the national ranking, but honestly, they don’t get data like this to rank,” he said. “If they did, we’d probably be number one, but that’s OK.”

Shields said their focus is not on the national rankings, such as the recent data from the U.S. News and World Report but rather improving the level of education. He said that he does not worry if their rankings do not rise as long as they are advancing their curriculum.

“We never do stuff to try to get ranked. We do stuff to improve our quality,” Shields said. 

He said the program’s area of greatest development in recent years is recruiting classes of people from diverse backgrounds — not only diverse in race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation — but all experiences that bring different perspectives.

Shields mentioned having a mix of students who have different numbers of siblings, come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, are from different places, have different political affiliations, and are different spiritually each bring unique lived experiences that benefit the program. 

“I would say that’s where we’ve made the greatest strides, in recognizing how important building classes that have different positions,” Shields said. 

Shields, like Gault, said the people in the department are crucial in setting the program apart from other universities nationwide. Due to his long tenure as department chair, Shields has hired nearly all of the faculty members. 

“W​​e’ve been very fortunate to be able to put the puzzle together with people that are very different, but work together,” he said. “You know, the sum of the whole is better than any of our individual parts.” 

He said that the faculty and the people in the program set the department apart and make it an attractive place for prospective students.

“It’s because of the vast knowledge of our faculty, but it’s also the personalities. So, they’re great teachers, they’re great scholars, and they have great citizenship, and those are the factors that really permeate,” Shields said.

Katie Laubscher, a clinical specialist in physical therapy at UIHC and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Services, said the faculty in the department consists of a wide range of people who can provide a wide range of educational services, which combine to make the university stand out.  

“We have a really strong representation of people who do really high-level research. We have people who do really specialized and dedicated clinical work. You have people who do a mix of both,” she said. 

Shields said he plans on expanding the faculty in the coming years, as the department looks to move into the new Health Sciences Academic Building, located at 302 S. Grand Ave. in Iowa City, in Spring 2026.