Amy Yorke

Flint

Hero Story

Dr. Yorke has been instrumental in my academic and personal career by offering sound counsel and personal advice while gently correcting me when necessary. She inspires students, colleagues and community members with her passionate commitment to give-back and serve others in need. Dr. Yorke actively provides service to the Flint area with the pro-bono physical therapy treatment services (HEART, PWR! and Move More) that she either created in collaboration with others, or managed in a leadership role during her tenure at the University of Michigan-Flint. Her vision, inspiration and exceptional scholarly achievements have esteemed her to the highest regard and respect among the Flint community, including the University of Michigan-Flint campus. For these reasons, Dr. Yorke is most deserving of being named a Michigan Hero. The following nomination letter demonstrates Dr. Yorke’s genuine compassion and how she epitomizes the concept of “service above self.”

Dr. Yorke produces lasting change for individuals through her dedicated service in clinical practice, mentorship and leadership. Dr. Yorke has a profound impact on the lives of many individuals, including her patients and students. As a clinician, Dr. Yorke is recognized for her passionate inspiration to patients and students and challenges them to achieve their goals and attain more than they thought possible. She continues to encourage her patients even when they are suffering from significant neurological conditions. The most rewarding aspect is the poignant joy experienced by patients, caregivers, Dr. Yorke and the staff when patients achieve life-changing goals, such as walking.

"Dr. Amy Yorke has been a part of our lives for the last three years. We have worked with her and her students on campus during class and lab times as well as at HEART. Dr. Yorke has been an integral part of my husband’s progress after a massive hemorrhagic stroke in his brain. At the same time, she can be supportive and push him to reach higher goals. He spent many months at outpatient therapy, but his progress has been made at HEART. There are several events that come to mind when thinking of how inspiring Dr. Yorke is. First, she was [my husband’s] biggest cheerleader when she saw him walk into HEART the first time. Also, as a way to encourage him to keep pushing himself, Dr. Yorke and another instructor wrapped their arms around him, held on to his gait belt and ran with him down the hallway."1

Furthermore, as a clinician, Dr. Yorke was nominated for the “Outstanding Clinical Instructor Award” by the Michigan Physical Therapy Association (MPTA) in 1998, recognizing her commitment to teaching the next generation of physical therapists. As a faculty member at the University of Michigan-Flint, Dr. Yorke propels her DPT students to think critically and become expert physical therapist practitioners. She is genuinely excited to watch her students flourish and enthusiastically acknowledges their accomplishments.

"As an aspiring PhD student, Dr. Yorke volunteered her time to help mentor me in how to perform a national study and publish the data in an article. I was not enrolled in a class for this, nor paying tuition. Furthermore, she was not my teacher, formally. However, she dedicated one hour of her time every other week to guide me to success and learning."2

Furthermore, she is always present in-the-moment and provides much-needed support, encouragement and guidance, while offering beautiful and gentle correction when performance could be improved.

"As a Doctor of Physical Therapy Student in her neuroscience class, Dr. Yorke consoled me when I was going through a difficult time in my studies. She provided me strategies for stress management and helped me create personal goals, study strategies and test taking methods. She met with me consistently throughout that semester to check on my well-being and keep me accountable to my personal goals."2

Dr. Yorke produces lasting change for organizations through her exceptional scholarship and impactful involvement at the University of Michigan-Flint. Through her research and scholarship, Dr. Yorke is committed to advancing and improving both physical therapy and healthcare practice and she was awarded the prestigious Winegarden Professorship through the University of Michigan in 2021. This position provides her the opportunity to integrate the iKNOW Institute (Integrating Knowledge Translation) for improving healthcare practices through research, knowledge translation and clinical practice.

"Dr. Yorke, through the work of her iKNOW research lab, strives to increase the capacity of local-area clinicians to provide evidence-based care. On average it takes 17 years for research evidence to be implemented into clinical practice. Dr. Yorke’s knowledge translation research works to decrease that time gap. Knowledge translation is an iterative process that works to decrease time and knowledge gaps of quality care. She also recently began a webinar series for local physical therapists on areas of recent research that can be used to standardize and strengthen physical therapy care."3

Furthermore, Dr. Yorke serves on the faculty development committee for the Center for Interprofessional Education through the University of Michigan. This committee serves to advance Interprofessional Education in order to improve collaboration among multi-disciplinary healthcare providers.

Dr. Yorke produces lasting change for the Flint community through her leadership of Health Equity, Action, Research, Teaching (HEART), Parkinson’s Wellness Recovery (PWR!), Move More and Community Partners (see Appendix A). Dr. Yorke generously volunteers her time every Friday to facilitate and mentor physical therapy, occupational therapy and nursing students as they work with patients during HEART, PWR! and Move More activities. HEART is a student-run pro bono clinic that provides healthcare services to the residents within the Flint community. Many patients who attend have exhausted their healthcare insurance benefits and rely on HEART for valuable physical therapy and occupational therapy services. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, HEART physical therapy services continued to be offered via telehealth. PWR! is an exercise class for patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, focusing on gross motor movements to slow the progression of the disease. Move More is an exercise class for stroke patients encouraging them to develop their walking abilities. Both PWR! and Move More are supported by external research funding. The three offerings – HEART, PWR! and Move More – were created in collaboration with others, whereby Dr. Yorke either helped develop them or assumed a leadership position after they were established. All three programs continue to grow and flourish. These weekly activities have become communities that provide patients and their caregivers a welcoming environment to engage in exercise and support one another during difficult and challenging situations. She consistently looks for ways to celebrate (e.g. holding a pizza party) in order to build a sense of community among the participants and students.

"Dr. Yorke embodies a genuine community activist. She was an inspiration throughout my education in graduate school and now a strong mentor in my professional career. She is the gentle push that we all need to continue giving back in a time and area of such great need. Not only is she paving the path for access to health and wellness for our underserved residents, but she is inspiring all of those around her to join in making our community a better place."4

Additionally, Dr. Yorke frequently volunteers her time by speaking with support groups for Parkinson’s, stroke, traumatic brain injury and balance screenings around the Mid-Michigan region. Lastly, “community partners” is a way to involve individuals from the community in physical therapy courses taught by Dr. Yorke. It is part of the pedagogy that she utilizes and is well-received by both the students and community members who volunteer their time as patients.

"…Dr. Yorke guided us as students in treating her community partners. This allowed her to mentor us in treatment strategies whilst, at the same time, increasing community access to physical therapy for underserved populations."2

Her tireless efforts and investments with organizing these opportunities yield extraordinary dividends to students, clinicians and the community. Students are provided a platform to experience and treat a variety of health conditions which boosts their confidence and enables them to give back to the community.

"Dr. Yorke is a dedicated and deeply passionate practitioner and professor. I have been lucky enough to work beside her in one of her many research undertakings which involved coaching 10 community dwelling participants with Parkinson's disease through a high intensity exercise class. Through the 8 weeks of the exercise course, as well as the many weeks prior and post, Dr. Yorke consistently strove to make the opportunity as meaningful and immersive for the participants as possible. Not only did this program positively impact the individuals who were a part of the study, but as a student, I got to witness what a difference can be made when you dedicate your time and best efforts to a greater end goal; be that improved physical fitness, creating an inclusive environment, or enhancing overall quality of life. Now, being in my final clinical rotation, I often think of how salient and instrumental this experience was in my development as a clinician. Dr. Yorke has helped me to become a more confident, competent and compassionate health care provider and human being."5

2. How has the Nominee been an inspiration for others to volunteer/serve/give?

Dr. Yorke is an inspiration for others to volunteer, serve and give back to the community through her unwavering support of patients and their families with their difficult health journeys. The HEART pro bono clinic, PWR! and Move More exercise classes are organized and managed under Dr. Yorke’s leadership. PWR! (established in 2016) is an exercise class for patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Research evidence proves that exercise and gross motor activities are crucial to help Parkinson’s patients maintain function and slow disease progression. Similarly, Move More (established in 2022) is an exercise class for stroke patients to help them restore the ability to walk. While both classes provide an opportunity to exercise, they also provide patients with a community of individuals with similar struggles. Dr. Yorke is highly motivated to “give-back” to the community, especially since she understands how many individuals are suffering from neurological conditions and need help restoring function.

"Amy Yorke is an angel to all of her Parkinson's patients. Amy holds specific exercise classes for people with Parkinson's Disease, called PWR! She has an army of students who work with the individual patients… In addition to the exercise classes, Amy has her students paired up with individual patients to administer physical therapy to them."6

"… Dr. Yorke gives to those who cannot give back, such as persons with physical, cognitive and financial limitations. Many of these people cannot advocate for themselves on a private level, let alone at a state level…"2

"Dr. Yorke has been an inspiration to me because she can see the potential for greatness in people, organizations, events and communities, even at their lowest points. She doesn’t stop pushing until she knows that maximum potential has been reached."7

"Dr. Yorke's dedication to serve others is contagious and she inspires faculty and students alike to give their valuable time to volunteer at HEART every week. In the words of another current DPT student, “leadership skills and the concept of giving back to my community through pro bono services are two of the many things I have learned from Dr. Yorke.”8 Furthermore, Dr. Yorke visits former PWR! patients, even when they are in the hospital and are unable to participate in class. In Dr. Yorke’s own words, “what drives me is knowing how many patients are struggling and that they can benefit from my help.”9

"Amy makes it a point to know each patient, their individual symptoms, problems and difficulties they may be experiencing. For instance, once my husband was having a reaction to a new medication. Amy helped me with suggestions on how to handle this problem, sat with me while I called the doctors and was a great comfort to me, as it was evident, I was stressed out over this situation."6

Dr. Yorke’s vision, leadership and commitment to serve the Flint community, while providing students a place to learn and practice their skills, are inspiring and priceless to all stakeholders.

3. What is unique about the Nominee’s service that is deserving of recognition?

Dr. Yorke’s lifelong passion for caring about her patients and students makes her uniquely deserving of being named a Michigan Hero. Her deep commitment to help patients and her genuine caring about their well-being is extraordinary. Patients and their caregivers are openly grateful for Dr. Yorke’s encouragement and expertise in the clinical setting. Dr. Yorke goes above and beyond in the care of her patients, such as visiting them in the hospital when their health declines. Furthermore, Dr. Yorke equally cares as much about her students and looks for ways to help them succeed. From making the extra effort to quickly learn everyone’s name to taking an interest in their personal lives, she is a true inspiration and embodies what it means to be a high-quality educator who makes a difference in the lives she touches.

"As a recipient of and a witness to Dr. Yorke’s generosity, I highly recommend her for this award. She is well known statewide for her hard work, intelligence and volunteerism. Dr. Yorke’s receiving of this award would add statewide credibility to the award, as she is more than worthy of it."2

These stories are not unique, as evidenced by the quotes documented in Appendix C.

Dr. Yorke’s deep commitment to teaching the next generation of healthcare providers is profound and deserves the recognition of becoming a Michigan Hero. Her nomination for Outstanding Clinical Instructor from the MPTA is a testament of her lifelong commitment to education. During her tenure at the University of Michigan, Dr. Yorke has been significantly involved with interprofessional education initiatives, teaching students of various healthcare disciplines to work together and solve complex patient cases. Her passion for this is evidenced by the iKNOW Institute, which is her dream of contributing to improving the US Healthcare system by incorporating research into clinical practice. The iKNOW Institute works to translate knowledge from research into clinical practice with the goal of advancing the healthcare system. Furthermore, providing a pro bono facility is beneficial to both students and the Flint community. Students have the opportunity to gain valuable experience and serve their community while patients are provided healthcare services they could not otherwise afford.

"It is also evident that she cares about her students and has them very well trained. Her caring attitude shows through them, as the students are also very caring, gentle with the patients, who are mostly elderly. The students also make it a point to get to know their patients and their background. This is important to treating people with a degenerative disease."6

On a personal note, Dr. Yorke was incredibly patient with me while struggling with the decision to move to the part-time DPT curriculum. After several meetings and multiple email exchanges, she calmly sat me down in her office one afternoon and said, “Emily, I’m going to say this in the most loving way possible. There is no ‘incorrect’ decision here, but not making a decision is creating more stress on yourself.”9 Even in the years since, Dr. Yorke has provided me unwavering support and encouragement during stressful school and personal situations, especially when I have needed it the most, as she does for all her students and patients. Furthermore, Dr. Yorke helped lead a book club for DPT students, encouraging us to read books about perseverance during challenging times while discussing how to handle potentially difficult situations in clinical practice. As a first-year student in a three-year graduate program, meeting as a club twice a month with more-experienced DPT students was encouraging and enabled me to get to know Dr. Yorke outside of the classroom setting.

My story about Dr. Yorke and her inspiring leadership and stewardship is not unique and my endorsement is important and significant. Dr. Yorke makes a difference in the lives of her students, patients and the Flint community and is respected for her expertise and wise advice.

"She highly deserves to be acknowledged at a state level for her sacrifice of time, energy and self. She is a great example of a person who cares for the community on an individualized level. This level of individualized patient care, balanced with community service, is what we are taught to achieve in our PT Code of Ethics. Dr. Yorke is a stellar example of how to go above and beyond the standard."2

"Amy is a joy to have as a person who I know I can count on if I have a problem with my husband’s physical condition. A caring person who volunteers her time and expertise to help sick people."6

Dr. Amy Yorke is authentic and her genuine integrity and commitment to the physical therapy profession distinguish her as an extraordinary role model of serving patients, students and the community. I fully support Dr. Yorke being named a Michigan Hero for her selfless service, extraordinary compassion and exceptional talent.
 
Appendix A:

Descriptions of pro bono services for the Flint community and Dr. Yorke’s personal commitment and contributions.

1. Health Equity, Action, Research, Teaching (HEART): Pro Bono PT/OT clinic treating a variety of patients with a variety of medical conditions. Dr. Yorke's years of service with HEART: 2013 – present (9 years). Total hours with organization: 2,000 hours. Number of patients helped: greater than 50 patients.

2. Parkinson's Wellness Recovery (PWR!): Exercise class for patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease to slow the progression of the disease. Dr. Yorke's years of service with PWR!: 2016 – present (6 years). Total hours with organization: 700 hours. Number of patients helped: greater than 25 patients.

3. Move More: Exercise class for stroke patients to restore their ability to walk. Years of service with Move More: 2021 – present (2 years). Total hours with organization: 500 hours. Number of patients helped: 5 – 10 patients and growing.

Appendix B: References to quotes in nomination

1. Patient 1
2. Hannah Karczewski
3. Dr. Suzanne Trojanowski
4. Tracy Koepplin
5. Danielle Marzec
6. Patient 2
7. Kaley Conover
8. Madison Zimmerman
9. Dr. Amy Yorke

Appendix C: Supporting quotes from patients, students and colleagues

Patient Testimonials:

Patient 1:

• “Dr. Amy Yorke has been a part of our lives for the last three years. We have worked with her and her students on campus during class and lab times as well as at HEART. Dr. Yorke has been an integral part of my husband’s progress after a massive hemorrhagic stroke in his brain. At the same time, she can be supportive and push him to reach higher goals. He spent many months at outpatient therapy, but his progress has been made at HEART. There are several events that come to mind when thinking of how inspiring Dr. Yorke is. First, she was [my husband’s] biggest cheerleader when she saw him walk into HEART the first time. Also, as a way to encourage him to keep pushing himself, Dr. Yorke and another instructor wrapped their arms around him, held on to his gait belt and ran with him down the hallway. Finally, Dr. Yorke forwarded many videos that her students made for [my husband’s] while he was in the hospital recently. It is evident to anyone who meets Dr. Yorke that she has a passion for what she does, who she teaches and each of the patients that she and her students care for.”

Patient 2

• “Amy Yorke is an angel to all of her Parkinson's patients. Amy holds specific exercise classes for people with Parkinson's Disease, called PWR! She has an army of students who work with the individual patients. Amy and all of her students work with these patients without any compensation for their time. They are all volunteering their time.”

• “In addition to the exercise classes, Amy has her students paired up with individual patients to administer physical therapy to them.”

• “Amy makes it a point to know each patient, their individual symptoms, problems and difficulties they may be experiencing. For instance, once my husband was having a reaction to a new medication. Amy helped me with suggestions on how to handle this problem, sat with me while I called the doctors and was a great comfort to me, as it was evident I was stressed out over this situation.”

• “It is also evident that she cares about her students and has them very well trained. Her caring attitude shows through them, as the students are also very caring, gentle with the patients, who are mostly elderly. The students also make it a point to get to know their patients and their background. This is important to treating people with a degenerative disease. For instance, after my husband spent eight weeks being a "guinea pig" in one of her advanced classes, we received a handwritten thank you note in the mail. Of course, Amy was behind this kind gesture.”

• “Amy is a joy to have as a person who I know I can count on if I have a problem with my husband’s physical condition. A caring person who volunteers her time and expertise to help sick people.”

Patient 3:

• “I was so excited that I found out about this Parkinson’s exercise program. My first visit Amy welcomed me with open arms. Her enthusiasm as she explained and encouraged all of us along the way. If individual help was needed, Amy was always there to help with suggestions on alternate ways that would work for you. She makes the class fun and encourages all of us to succeed. It is an outstanding program because of her.”

Student Quotes:

• Hannah Karczewski, DPT Class of 2022

o “Dr. Amy Yorke is deserving of the award and a vast number of persons who are underrepresented in the community would thoroughly agree. Dr. Yorke gives to those who cannot give back, such as persons with physical, cognitive and financial limitations. Many of these people cannot advocate for themselves on a private level, let alone at a state level. In effort to give back to Dr. Yorke we, the students, are witness to her volunteerism and are advocating for her to receive this award.”

o “She highly deserves to be acknowledged at a state level for her sacrifice of time, energy and self. She is a great example of a person who cares for the community on an individualized level. This level of individualized patient care, balanced with community service, is what we are taught to achieve in our PT Code of Ethics. Dr. Yorke is a stellar example of how to go above and beyond the standard.”

o “As a Doctor of Physical Therapy Student in her neuroscience class, Dr. Yorke consoled me when I was going through a difficult time in my studies. She provided me strategies for stress management and helped me create personal goals, study strategies and test taking methods. She met with me consistently throughout that semester to check on my well-being and keep me accountable to my personal goals. In the same neuroscience class, Dr. Yorke guided us in treating her community partners. This allowed her to mentor us in treatment strategies whilst, at the same time, increasing community access to physical therapy for underserved populations.”

o “As an aspiring PhD student, Dr. Yorke volunteered her time to help mentor me in how to perform a national study and publish the data in an article. I was not enrolled in a class for this, nor paying tuition. Furthermore, she was not my teacher, formally. However, she dedicated one hour of her time every other week to guide me to success and learning.”

o “As a recipient of and a witness to Dr. Yorke’s generosity, I highly recommend her for this award. She is well known statewide for her hard work, intelligence and volunteerism. Dr. Yorke’s receiving of this award would add statewide credibility to the award, as she is more than worthy of it.”

• Madison Zimmerman, DPT Class of 2022

o “Dr. Yorke is a phenomenal professor and clinician that truly goes above and beyond for her students and her community. Her commitment to helping the community is shown through her dedication to pro bono services through UM-Flint’s HEART, serving the Flint area. Her years of serving as the faculty leader is demonstrated by the success of this student-led organization.”

o “Personally, Dr. Yorke has made a big impact on the clinician that I strive to be. Leadership skills and the concept of giving back to my community through pro bono services, are just two of the many things that I have learned from Dr. Yorke.”

• Danielle Marzec, DPT Class of 2022

o “Dr. Yorke is a dedicated and deeply passionate practitioner and professor. I have been lucky enough to work beside her in one of her many research undertakings which involved coaching 10 community dwelling participants with Parkinson's disease through a high intensity exercise class. Through the 8 weeks of the exercise course, as well as the many weeks prior and post, Dr. Yorke consistently strove to make the opportunity as meaningful and immersive for the participants as possible. Not only did this program positively impact the individuals who were a part of the study, but as a student, I got to witness what a difference can be made when you dedicate your time and best efforts to a greater end goal; be that improved physical fitness, creating an inclusive environment, or enhancing overall quality of life. Now, being in my final clinical rotation, I often think of how salient and instrumental this experience was in my development as a clinician. Dr. Yorke has helped me to become a more confident, competent and compassionate health care provider and human being. I highly recommend her to be a recipient of the Governor George Romney Lifetime Achievement award.”

• Kaley Conover, DPT Class of 2022

o “Dr. Yorke has been an inspiration to me because she can see the potential for greatness in people, organizations, events and communities, even at their lowest points. She doesn’t stop pushing until she knows that maximum potential has been reached.”

University of Michigan-Flint Faculty Quotes

• Suzanne Trojanowski, PT, DPT

o “Dr. Yorke, through the work of her iKNOW research lab, strives to increase the capacity of local-area clinicians to provide evidence-based care. On average it takes 17 years for research evidence to be implemented into clinical practice. Dr. Yorke's knowledge translation research works to decrease that time gap. Knowledge translation is an iterative process that works to decrease time and knowledge gaps of quality care. She also recently began a webinar series for local physical therapists on areas of recent research that can be used to standardize and strengthen physical therapy care.”

UM-Flint DPT graduate quotes:

• Tracy Koepplin, PT, DPT, CBIS

o “Dr. Yorke embodies a genuine community activist. She was an inspiration throughout my education in graduate school and now a strong mentor in my professional career. She is the gentle push that we all need to continue giving back in a time and area of such great need. Not only is she paving the path for access to health and wellness for our underserved residents, but she is inspiring all of those around her to join in making our community a better place.”