Physical therapy can’t survive on “me, me, me” messaging. Dr. Lisa VanHoose breaks down why rehabilitation deserts are growing, why gatekeeping admissions is fueling the PT workforce shortage, and what it looks like to rebuild the profession around community, access, and relational capacity—not just credentials and productivity.

We talk rural retention, community-based rehab, why “bootstraps” is a myth in healthcare design, and how the Ujima Institute is building real-world mobility support through food access, youth training, health literacy, and neighbor-to-neighbor infrastructure.

Chapters

00:00 Neighbors Shape Health

07:55 Admissions Beyond GPA

13:40 Rehab Desert Reality

22:35 Systems Over Bootstraps

30:20 Keep PTs In Practice

43:20 Ujima In Action

Guest + Resources

Dr. Lisa VanHoose (she/her)

Ujima Institute (community-rooted health + education)

Mentions: Ikigai, Blue Zones research, PCORI (patient-centered research model), community-based rehab, telehealth/remote monitoring, “Nothing About Us Without Us”

Ujima Institute: https://www.ujimainstitute.com/