Clarkson University President Tony Collins has announced that Vicki LaFay has been promoted from clinical assistant professor to clinical associate professor of physical therapy in the School of Arts & Sciences. She also serves as director of clinical education.
LaFay’s research interests are primarily in the area of scholarship of teaching and learning. She is actively involved in a number of clinical education-focused research projects exploring predictors of PT student clinical success and failure and factors that contribute to integration of evidence-based practice from classroom to clinic. Additional research interests are in the areas of ergonomics and physical performance and clinical reasoning.
Her clinical practice is focused in injury prevention and worksite wellness, ergonomics and quality improvement/organizational processes. She continues to treat patients in home health, acute care and subacute rehabilitation and skilled nursing settings in the area.
LaFay has assumed active leadership roles at the state and national level of physical therapy education and practice. She is currently on the ACAPT Strategic Initiative Clinical Education Common Terminology Panel, nominating committee of the National Consortia of Clinical Educators, and the executive board of the New York New Jersey Clinical Education Consortium, and is the chair of the NY Physical Therapy Association’s State Practice Committee and a member of the NY PT Practice Act Taskforce.
She has been a New York State licensed physical therapist for 25 years. LaFay was director of rehabilitation services at the St. Regis Nursing Home in Massena, program manager for the Work-Fit Division of Healthtrax International Inc. at Massena General Motors Powertrain and continues with Work-Fit as an operational consultant.
LaFay received her bachelor of science degree in physical therapy from Ithaca College, performed graduate coursework in the master of health administration curriculum from the University of Phoenix and received her clinical doctorate of physical therapy (DPT) degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University. She is currently in the dissertation phase of her Ph.D. in physical therapy from Nova Southeastern University.
A Norwood, N.Y., native, LaFay is a high school graduate of Norwood Norfolk Central School and the daughter of Francis and Susan Cota of Norwood.
