Get to Know: Dennis McCree

Q&A by Tori Serna

What made you want to pursue a career in physical therapy?

My journey to physical therapy is a long one. In 2006, I was active duty in the Navy, and they selected me to be the fitness leader of about 14 people for my squad. My job was to help them with their fitness assessment and coordinate a physical fitness and/or running program. That progressed from overseeing the fitness program of 14 members to 56 members. I did that for 3 years and then I changed jobs in the Navy. Although I was now a part of a different organization, I was still elected to be the fitness leader. I began to pay attention to how movement and fitness could be used to help people get better. I realized that it doesn’t have to be done in a brash or condescending way either; if you lay things out for them and find areas of improvement, they will usually feel supported to make the changes necessary to better their physical fitness. Because of the correlation I saw between physical fitness and better prognosis, I first went the personal training route in 2009. I got certified in that and nutrition and used it to benefit myself and the people under me in the Navy. Unfortunately, I didn’t like how you had to self-promote if you weren’t working for a specific company. There were also restrictions that came with working for a company as well. Although personal training didn’t work out, I knew I wanted a career that promoted fitness through movement. That’s when I did my research and found physical therapy. I also learned physical therapy was a field that had barriers including underrepresentation and lack of access and usage by minorities. It was a great time to make the switch. My career in the Navy was slowing down a bit and the military was downsizing at the time. I looked at senior leadership and decided I wanted something different for myself. Considering how difficult it is to be a full-time conventional student during active duty, I switched to active reserve to be able to attend school full time and get my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Since I went into the Navy right after high school, I had to fulfill undergraduate courses first prior to applying for a Physical Therapy program.

How has CU Anschutz Physical Therapy program allowed you to pursue your goals?

The CU Anschutz Physical Therapy Program has allowed me to pursue my goals by first accepting me into the program. Acceptance into post-professional/graduate school is a big barrier for people of color. Historically, graduate programs do a lot of lip service; verbally telling you about all the diversity, equity, and inclusion things they are currently doing without taking any action to do the things they discussed. Unfortunately, when a Black person shows up for an interview, you can feel like you’re being pitted against the other people of color in the room. It becomes “you vs. them,” before you’re even in the program. This all circles back to the low numbers of acceptance of people of color into these institutions. For every one person accepted, a door is opened for countless others to walk through.

Aside from that, CU Anschutz does a great job about providing tools to its students. The faculty offers support when needed. There are different groups and programs like community café, BIPOC, community outreach that allow students to come together. Knowing there are people in your corner that support you makes a huge difference, especially when in graduate school.

What is your “why”?

My “why” is so that people that look like me, people that come from similar circumstances as me, people who are considering a career change, can stand on my shoulders and reach for even higher. We must always continue to strive for higher. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel or progress. Those that come after me should be able to grab the baton and run with it. I not only want to show people it’s possible, but I want to show people how to get there.

February is a month to honor and celebrate Black leaders. What does this mean for you? What leadership role(s) have you taken up and what impact have they had on you and your time in the program?

For me, Black History Month is a time to reflect on what the Black leaders were fighting for and reflecting on the progress they made. Without discounting that progress, we should then be focused on how to progress even further. Too many times we forget the progress the previous generations have made. Because of this, violence can and usually will ensue. We need to do our research and understand what these leaders stood for. Society likes to freeze Black leaders in key events. For example, society freezes MLK on his “I have a dream speech,” when he encompasses so much more than that. Reflecting on a Black leaders’ mission, so that we can grab that baton and keep the progress moving forward. Something I picked up from Frantz Fanon, a prominent Black leader, is the importance of identifying your mission and either fulfilling it or betraying it.

Physical therapy is a career change for me, so I have a lot of leadership experience in the military. However, to be an effective leader, you must know how to follow just as well as you can lead. It’s important to remember that often, a leader doesn’t always have to lead from the front. Developing other people as leaders has been my focus in Physical Therapy school. Supporting them to become good leaders. Attending groups like community café and BIPOC and participating in the discussions. Sometimes things get misrepresented, and nobody is there or willing to correct it. I try to make it a point to challenge the “tough topics.” My leadership on campus is more so about being a good follower and helping other leaders to develop.

What words of encouragement do you have to share with future students of color pursuing careers in healthcare?

The words of encouragement I have would be to always show up as your full and authentic self. It doesn’t do anybody, neither the organization you work for, or your community, any good for you to show up inauthentically. It’s important to demonstrate the fact that professionals can come in many shapes and sizes. I also recommend finding a community of like-minded people. Once finding a community, it’s important to define what everyone stands for. Just because someone is from the same background doesn’t mean they share a similar mindset. As Black people, we assume that people who look like us are for us and stand for similar things. However, this isn’t necessarily true; “All skin-folk aren’t kinfolk.” Community and support are crucial in the healthcare community. It’s easy to feel alone often and you may find yourself taking on additional stressors that aren’t necessarily yours to take on. Finding a community alleviates some of this pressure.

Get to Know: Dr. Adedayo Balogun

What made you want to pursue a career in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation? 
As a medical student, I had a wide and varied interest in all of my different clinical rotations. I had a strong interest in the musculoskeletal system, and the neurological and neuroanatomy courses. When I was exposed to a PM&R rotation, it was the first rotation that I felt completely in tune with the physicians that were present. It helped address all of the most important aspects of a person’s healthcare, and took into account all aspects of a person’s experience when taking part in their care.  

How has the CU PM&R residency program allowed you to pursue your goals? 
This residency program has so far allowed me to cultivate my experience and independence in different rehabilitation settings and learn how to navigate the different barriers and challenges that patients face routinely. I've been exposed to many different versions of being a PM&R physician, and I have had the ability to explore these different areas in a way that I can prepare myself for life after residency.

What is your “why”? 
My “why” is always to bring the best care to as many people that I can first and foremost. I want to be able to deliver that same care to people that have historically been overlooked, and taken advantage of as well. I aspire to provide patients that may not always feel seen or heard to understand that I’m taking their concerns to heart, and I understand the perspective that many of their other care providers may not. I also strive to be a positive example for others who may look like me or identify with me. I want to be more than an example, but a support system for those coming after me.  

February is a month to honor and celebrate Black leaders. What does this mean for you? 
Black History Month is an opportunity to take a step back and reflect on the ways that black people have contributed to the world. We have been leaders for change and equity, leaders in science, health care, ingenuity and all aspects of life. Being a leader, to me is about being accountable. I think that having priorities, morals, and standards, and holding strong to those values is all that it takes to be a leader.  

What leadership role(s) have you taken up and what impact have they had on you and your time in medical school or residency? As a medical student I took part in my school's Student National Medical Association (SNMA) chapter. As president of this chapter, we had a hand in reaching out to the community for other people to understand that becoming a physician was attainable, finishing school and going to the college opened plenty of doors, and providing support and guidance for undergraduate students that had an interest in going to medical school.  

Being a physician inherently occupies a leadership role. As a physiatrist, we regularly take part in team meetings, where we discuss patients with PT’s, OT’s, RN’s, social workers, case managers, and speech therapists. Sometimes, being a leader is understanding how the team functions most effectively, other times it’s trusting your teammates to their expertise and simply providing an overall team goal for everyone to strive towards.  

What words of encouragement do you have to share with future students of color pursuing careers in healthcare?
The words of encouragement that I have for those students would be to always show up and be yourself. You have a unique experience and perspective that matters, and never let fear of failure keep you from trying something that you are passionate about. Do your best to surround yourself with people that you admire and have similar goals as yourself. Not competitors, but people who will lift you up with them. These are the people that you’ll grow the closest to both professionally and personally.