Dennis C. Sobush, MA, DPT, CCS
Associate Professor

Schroeder Complex 346B

(414) 288-3379

Email

Education

Dr. Sobush graduated as a Physical Therapist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1974. Dennis joined the Marquette University faculty in 1977 as an Instructor and was certified by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as an Exercise Specialist in 1980. He received his Master's degree from Marquette University in Curriculum & Instruction in 1981 and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 1985. In 1997 Dr. Sobush was certified as a clinical specialist in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy (CCS) by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). More recently (2006) the DPT degree was conferred from Simmons College in Boston, MA.

Throughout his professional career in academia, Dennis has maintained a continuous active status in clinical practice. Most of his clinical practice experience has been in acute-care/trauma and geriatric rehabilitation, particularly with patients having advanced cardiac and/or pulmonary disease. He developed physical therapy programs for patients pre- and post- lung transplant, heart transplant, and heart failure at Milwaukee County, John Doyne and the Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospitals affiliated with the Medical College of Wisconsin.

As sole-proprietor (Eagle P.T.) since 1995, Dr. Sobush developed and continues to oversee a Physical Therapy clinic on Marquette University's campus for the Jesuit priests of the Wisconsin Province for the Society of Jesus.

Dennis is one of only 2 physical therapists in the state of Wisconsin with the CCS Clinical Specialist Certification.

"The certification process rewards my 30+ years of professional practice experience and guides me in providing rehabilitation intervention programs that impact on the quality of life for my patients. My clinical practice also enhances my teaching activities as I prepare graduate students and colleagues in physical

therapy to apply what lessons my patients have taught me".

Teaching Responsibilities
Since his initial faculty appointment at Marquette, Dr. Sobush has had a variety of teaching responsibilities. Early in his teaching career, Dennis was responsible for teaching courses on Measurement (ex. Manual Muscle Testing, goniometry), Therapeutic Exercise(ex. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation), and Progressive Mobilization(ex. Bed mobility, assisted ambulation) in addition to his specialty interest & practice area of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy. Later on, he was assigned to teach Prosthetics & Orthotics.

Currently, Dennis serves the Department as the chairperson for Admissions and was formerly the chairperson for the Promotion and Tenure Committee. His teaching responsibilies include the following:

• HESC 001: Introduction to the Interdisciplinary Delivery of Health Care
     *Emphasis on Wellness and Quality of Life outcomes;
• PHTH 512: Culture and Disability
     *Emphasis on Cardio-Psycho-Neuro-Immunology (ie. CPNI);
• PHTH 482: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy
     *Emphasis on influencing Oxygen Transport by applying a "Menu" approach of evidenced-based treatment within the framework of the American Physical Therapy Associations's (A.P.T.A.) Guide To Physical Therapist Practice;

According to Dennis,

"My past and present teaching assignments have paralleled and

reinforced my professional clinical philosophy of incorporating

a 'generalist' approach within a 'specialist' area of practice".

Research

Dr. Sobush's clinical research has been and continues to be related to documenting and predicting functional activity performance in patients with end-stage heart and/or lung disease. In specific, Dennis's work is presently involved with several areas of inquiry:

• the reliability and predictive capacity of extremity muscle torque values (Hand-Held Dynamometry), normalized by body weight, for outcomes in areas of functional mobility;
• the Functional Status of 'adult survivors' with Cystic Fibrosis;
• Tolerable Work-to-Rest Ratios for patients with severe cardiopulmonary compromise;
• Empowerment strategies (ex. Controlled Breathing , Relaxation Training) for avoiding anxiety & panic;
• Breathing mechanics in respiratory distress (ex. Inspiratory Paradox); and,
• Training strategies for the skeletal muscles of the ventilatory muscle pump (ex. Threshold Resistive Inspiratory Muscle Training, Resisted Diaphragmatic Exercise).

Dennis is a past recipient of a Foundation for Physical Therapy research grant. His research has been funded primarily by private Foundations including the Hazel Mae Mayer Trust for Emphysema Research and the Dorothy Klugiewicz Fund for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy Research.

Professional Awards

Dr. Sobush is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA ­ Cardiopulmonary & Geriatrics specialty sections), the American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), the Wisconsin Society for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (WISCVPR) and the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). He has been appointed to the AACVPR and AARC national committees on Pulmonary Rehabilitation as well as Clinical Practice Guidelines for Respiratory Care.

Dennis was awarded the Mary Pat Murray Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice in 1994 by the Southeast District of the Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association.