Colorado opens performing arts PT fellowship

The University of Colorado has opened applications for its Performing Arts Physical Therapy Fellowship, adding a formal training route for licensed physical therapists seeking advanced work in artists’ health. The program is housed in the university’s physical therapy program on the Anschutz Medical Campus and describes itself as post-residency, mentored training with a strong emphasis on dance medicine. Alyssa Arms, a University of Colorado faculty member and dance-specialist physical therapist, publicized the opening and the Dec. 31, 2026 deadline in a social media post on Wednesday. The university’s fellowship page says the program combines didactic education, mentored clinical care, teaching and community engagement. ### Who is this fellowship built for? The University of Colorado says the fellowship is designed for physical therapists pursuing advanced specialization in performing arts medicine, especially dance. The program page describes training for clinicians who want deeper expertise in caring for performing artists and says fellows are prepared through immersive clinical experiences, interdisciplinary collaboration, education, research and community service. (medschool.cuanschutz.edu) Alyssa Arms’ University of Colorado and professional profiles place her squarely in that niche. Her faculty biography and clinical listings say she specializes in dancers and other performing artists, and her outside teaching and speaking work includes dance education and performing-arts medicine settings. ### What does the program say fellows will actually do? The fellowship page says fellows complete mentored clinical care alongside didactic training, teaching and outreach. (medschool.cuanschutz.edu) The university describes the structure as flexible and practice-compatible, with a focus on community-based engagement and development of a performing-arts clinical network. The mission statement published by the program says the fellowship aims to “elevate the profession and standard of care for performing artists” by developing clinicians equipped to meet the needs of artists and contribute to the broader health community. (som.cuanschutz.edu) The page also says fellows are expected to engage with evidence-informed practice and leadership in the specialty. ### Why does dance show up so prominently in the description? (medschool.cuanschutz.edu) The University of Colorado’s fellowship page names dance as a central emphasis of the program. That focus matches Arms’ own practice profile, which says she works with dancers from pre-professional to professional levels and blends rehabilitation, injury prevention and performance support. ChoosePT’s directory listing for Arms also says she provides services for dancers and other performing artists in injury prevention, rehabilitation and performance programming. (medschool.cuanschutz.edu) Those descriptions help explain why the fellowship materials frame artists’ health as broader than standard outpatient orthopedics, with performance demands and career longevity built into care. ### How specialized is performing-arts physical therapy as a field? (medschool.cuanschutz.edu) The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education has a published Description of Fellowship Practice for performing arts, indicating the specialty has a defined educational framework within physical therapy training. ABPTRFE says the document is intended to reduce curriculum variability and provide minimum consistency in learning experiences for the practice area. (choosept.com) The University of Colorado’s program sits within that broader structure but presents itself as a local training pathway tied to its physical therapy program and performing-arts community engagement. The university’s materials do not describe it as a generalist fellowship; they present it as focused advanced training for work with artists. ### What should applicants watch next? (abptrfe.apta.org) Dec. 31, 2026 is the application deadline listed on the University of Colorado fellowship page. The same page says applicants must complete the required materials and notes that failure to pay the application fee will leave an application incomplete. The University of Colorado is directing applicants to its online fellowship page for program details, including structure, mission and application requirements. (medschool.cuanschutz.edu) Arms remains one of the named faculty figures tied to the performing-arts and dance specialization at the program.