IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--West Coast University has named Stan Hartgraves, PT, Ph.D., as Founding Dean and Program Director to develop and head the university’s new Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Hartgraves’ wide-ranging career in the field of Physical Therapy includes research, clinical practice, academic faculty work, and education administration.
For the past 17 years, Dr. Hartgraves served in academic administrative roles ranging from faculty to program director, associate dean, dean, and vice president of academic affairs. He has held positions at universities in states spanning the country including Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and California, as well as internationally in Puerto Rico.
Dr. Hartgraves also has extensive experience in clinical practice as a physical therapist and as a research scientist. Most recently, he served as adjunct faculty and professor of Physical Therapy at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (Provo, Utah) and Hardin Simmons University (Abilene, Texas).
“It’s exciting to find someone with the breadth and depth of experience that Dr. Hartgraves brings, coupled with his commitment to outstanding student outcomes,” said Dr. Barry T. Ryan, President of West Coast University. “The university is expanding the breadth of our health care academic disciplines, and the Physical Therapy program is a natural extension of this programmatic growth.”
The Doctor of Physical Therapy program is one of a trio of new programs being introduced by West Coast University which also include a Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. All three programs are pending accreditation approvals and will be housed at a new Los Angeles campus being designed specifically for these programs.
Dr. Hartgraves, who will also teach neuroscience and pharmacology courses, is looking forward to building a Physical Therapy program that incorporates evidence-based learning both in and out of the classroom, with interdisciplinary training and real-world internships. As Director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, he will be responsible for program administration, hiring the school’s inaugural faculty team, and helping to develop the planned, onsite clinic to serve the needs of the community.
Dr. Hartgraves is a licensed physical therapist in six states, including California. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, books and papers, and is a member of both the American Physical Therapy Association and the California Physical Therapy Association.
About West Coast University
West Coast University is one of Southern California’s leading health care educators, offering programs in nursing, health care management and dental hygiene at campuses in Los Angeles, Orange County and Ontario, and nursing programs at its new campus in Dallas, Texas. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) awarded programmatic accreditation to WCU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs in October 2009 and its Master of Science in Nursing program in May 2012. WCU’s Dental Hygiene program at the Orange County Campus is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association to offer the only Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene (BSDH) in the County. It is one of only four BSDH programs in California. West Coast University is regionally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC - www.wascsenior.org). Dr Barry Ryan is the President of West Coast University.