Lobna Elsarafy, PT, DPT, PhD
The Programs in Physical Therapy is excited to welcome Lobna Elsarafy, PT, DPT, PhD to our team. Dr. Elsarafy is a Board Certified Neurological Clinical Specialist, and she will be serving as an Assistant Professor in our program. She began her journey at Ithaca College where she earned both her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees. Post-graduation, while studying for the licensing board examination, Dr. Elsarafy worked in Connecticut at a hospital-based outpatient clinic. In the 8 months she worked there, Dr. Elsarafy learned a lot about herself. One of them was her decision to work in neurology. She decided to apply to an opening she saw at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C. Dr. Elsarafy got the position and moved in 2013. She dedicated roughly 5 years as a full-time staff therapist and an additional 4 years as a per diem therapist. At National Rehabilitation Hospital, she gained extensive clinical experience while rotating through various units including traumatic, non-traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and different neuromuscular diseases and disorders. While there, she served as a clinical instructor to DPT students entering their final clinical rotation, led biomechanics education sessions for nursing staff and worked as Adjunct Faculty at Marymount University in the Physical Therapy department. These various experiences contributed to Dr. Elsarafy realizing her fondness for teaching and research which motivated her to complete her PhD in Rehabilitation Science at George Mason University. Dr. Elsarafy had to get creative with her doctoral dissertation as it was during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the help of her committee, she utilized an online, avatar directed video program that facilitated dual physical and cognitive training exercises to assess their effects on executive functioning, specifically in the domains of processing speed, attention and working memory.
Why Columbia University? Why the Programs in Physical Therapy? Dr. Elsarafy was prepared to answer this as she had a vast amount of knowledge about our program prior to joining. She was impressed with the variety of electives Columbia offers and faculty-initiated opportunities offered to the students. A goal Dr. Elsarafy is hoping to accomplish at Columbia is to develop a neurologic residency in our program to further contribute to the education and professional development of physical therapists.
Dr. Elsarafy was a student not too long ago, and it was something that she wanted our students to remember. During our sit-down she discussed relating to them in certain aspects, like pressure, stress and establishing a healthy school-life balance. She hopes that students will feel comfortable approaching her with questions across these areas and that she'll have the opportunity to help guide them when they make a career choice. Dr. Elsarafy touched on the common difficulty of translating academic knowledge into clinical practice and hopes to help students successfully navigate this challenge. Dr. Elsarafy wants students to know that they aren't alone, and many others go through it too.
Dr. Elsarafy is an avid runner who has participated in the Marine Corps marathon and the Cherry Blossom 10-miler, both of which were in D.C. She hopes to find some running buddies for future NYC Marathons. Along with being a runner, she also enjoys hiking, diving, and spending time with her dog. Dr. Elsarafy, despite never being a dog person, was quickly swayed by her corgi, Collin. She is an avid traveler who has been to Patagonia, Colombia, Egypt, Thailand, South Africa, Turkey, and all over Europe. If you need help planning your post-graduation vacation, you know who to look for!
