Hawaii Chapter member Deydre S. Teyhen, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA, has had an eventful year, although she is no stranger to living an eventful life. In May, she learned she would receive the APTA Catherine Worthingham Fellow award. And last fall, she learned she would be the first physical therapist to become a US Army Brigadier General, a rank she will be officially promoted to from her current rank as colonel on July 8.

Currently serving as the 20th Chief of the US Army Medical Specialist Corps, she supervises PTs, OTs, dietitians, and physician assistants. While in Hawaii, she was the Commander (CEO) of the Army Health Clinic on the Scofield Barracks, where she led a team of about 600 personnel that cared for about 34,000 army personnel, their families, and retirees.

“It would be hard to overstate the impact Deydre has had on Army Medicine and the comprehensive health and performance of Soldiers,” said US Army Surgeon General Raymond Dingle in his letter of nomination for the Catherine Worthingham award. In his letter, Lieutenant General Dingle recounts Dr. Teyhen’s prolific leadership of and participation in programs, research, and training that led to her taking command of the Walter Reed Institute of Research, which studies the prevention of injuries and diseases throughout the world. “Her superb management of her team’s efforts” did not go unnoticed and led to her selection as the Deputy of Therapeutics for Operation Ward Speed, the federal program to rapidly develop COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics.

She led efforts such as the Holistic Health and Fitness initiative commissioned by the Army Surgeon General, that moved army medicine away from a disease centric model to one that focused on healthy behavior change and preventative medicine. She has been an investigator on a research portfolio exceeding $10 million, has published 91 peer-reviewed publications, 75 abstracts, and has delivered hundreds of scientific and invited presentations at national conferences. She was a faculty member for the US Army Baylor Physical Therapy program for 11 years.

Dr. Teyhen’s accomplishments and leadership skills led to her being selected to provide the keynote address during the Future of Physical Therapy Summit in September 2021. In her remarks, she encouraged PTs to maximize their leadership potential and help transform healthcare.

“Numerous physical therapists…were inspired and motivated by Dr. Teyhen’s infectious enthusiasm and commitment to excellence,” said Julie Fritz, PT, PhD, FAPTA in her nomination letter. “She has raised the profile of military physical therapists to levels previously unimaginable, and has left an indelible mark on her colleagues and on the health and wellness of soldiers and their families.”

In her free time, Dr. Teyhen and her husband set and achieved a goal to run a marathon in all 50 states and are working on the next goal – to run 100 marathons across all seven continents.

After she retires from the Army, Dr. Teyhan plans to return to centromedicorelaxesalute.it Hawaii where she plans to continue teaching and leading facility operations as a civilian.

 

 

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Chapter Staff
Originally Published in APTA Hawaii’s Monthly e-Newsletter – July 2022 edition