About Me
Personal and professional introduction highlighting my development as a future physical therapist.
Personal Introduction
My name is Thomas Lee, and I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy student and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with a strong interest in sports rehabilitation, performance, and return-to-activity care. My path toward physical therapy was shaped by my experience as a football specialist and by watching teammates manage pain, injury, discouragement, and the uncertainty that often comes with returning to sport.
Seeing athletes struggle physically and mentally made me want to develop the knowledge and clinical skills to help people on a deeper level. Football gave me an early appreciation for strength, preparation, resilience, and the details required to restore someone to their prior level of function.
My experiences at Cal Poly, UC Berkeley, and multiple NFL-level workouts and practice opportunities gave me perspective on the demands of high-performance environments. Football taught me how to lead within a team, compete with purpose, stay composed under pressure, and remain committed to a shared goal through long and strategically planned periods of preparation. These lessons continue to shape how I approach physical therapy, especially when working with athletes who need structure, confidence, and clarity during the return-to-performance process.
Professional Identity
Through my own athletic experiences, I was exposed to high-performance environments and learned how much intentional training, communication, confidence, and composure matter in the rehabilitation process. I also understand the athlete experience because I have dealt with injury, uncertainty, return-to-play pressure, and the mental side of wanting to perform while still respecting the body’s capacity. That perspective continues to shape how I view patient care.
As a future physical therapist, I hope to combine evidence-based care, compassion, empathy, and thorough clinical reasoning to serve both athletic and general populations. I am especially interested in sports physical therapy, return-to-performance programming, and inpatient rehabilitation because of the impact these settings can have on a person’s quality of life.
Self-Directed Learning Experiences
Three self-directed learning experiences demonstrating growth outside of required coursework through teaching, mentoring, and professional development.
Teaching Through Movement Preparation
I led a group session with high school, junior college, and Division I athletes focused on the importance of movement preparation prior to participation. The session emphasized the role of warm-up structure, movement quality, tissue readiness, and preparation for performance.
This experience challenged me to communicate concepts in a way that was practical, clear, and relevant to athletes at different levels of development. I learned that effective teaching requires more than knowledge; it requires understanding the learner, simplifying the message, and helping people connect the information to their own goals.
Artifacts / Evidence
- Photos from group session
- Movement preparation outline
- Session plan or athlete handout
- Reflection on teaching methods and athlete response
Mentoring Sebastian Miles
This mentoring experience focuses on Sebastian Miles, a high school senior who will begin his freshman year this fall at Northern Arizona University on a Division I football scholarship. I met Sebastian when he was a sophomore in high school, and over the past three years our relationship has grown beyond sport-specific training into mentorship, education, and long-term development.
Sebastian has developed an interest in physical therapy and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology. As a mentor, my goal has been to give him practical guidance, help him build a plan for action, and share lessons I have learned clinically and athletically. A major theme of our conversations has been learning to treat himself as his first patient by understanding his body, training habits, recovery needs, and response to stress.
Through this experience, I learned that mentorship is not only about giving advice. It requires consistency, trust, communication, and the ability to empower someone to take ownership of their own growth. Working with Sebastian has helped me develop as a leader, teacher, coach, and future clinician.
Artifacts / Evidence
- Mentorship photos with Sebastian Miles
- Training and recovery education examples
- Reflection on long-term mentoring relationship
- Permission documentation for use of name/photo if required
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Earning the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist credential was an important professional development step because it strengthened my understanding of exercise prescription, performance training, athlete development, and evidence-informed programming.
The CSCS has helped me bridge the gap between physical therapy and performance. It has shaped the way I think about loading, adaptation, readiness, and return-to-performance progressions while also reinforcing the importance of individualized programming and clear communication.
As I continue developing as a student physical therapist, this foundation supports my ability to think beyond symptom reduction and toward meaningful restoration of function, confidence, and long-term participation.
Artifacts / Evidence
- CSCS certification documentation
- Reflection on professional development
- Examples of strength and performance programming
- Connection to future sports PT goals
Clinical Education Documentation
A timeline of clinical education experiences, patient populations, developing skills, challenges, and professional growth.
Concentra
Berkeley, CA
Outpatient / Occupational Health Clinical Rotation
At Concentra, I learned the importance of time management and how to select the most relevant interventions that would provide the greatest benefit within a focused treatment session. A major challenge was learning how to apply classroom knowledge to real clinical cases while adapting to each patient’s presentation, goals, and response to treatment.
This rotation helped me improve my patient interaction skills, clinical communication, and understanding of occupational health and workers' compensation. One meaningful moment involved working with a patient who felt anxious about their recovery timeline. Through education, support, and progressive functional care, the patient found relief and regained confidence with walking.
Cedar Crest
Inpatient / SNF
Inpatient / Skilled Nursing Facility Clinical Rotation
At Cedar Crest, I learned the importance of intervention variation when seeing patients frequently throughout the week. Rather than repeating the same treatment every day, I developed a better understanding of how to create a weekly plan with meaningful interventions that were functional, safe, and connected to each patient’s goals.
This experience improved my documentation skills and pushed me to have a clear functional reason behind each intervention. I also grew in patient interaction, motivation, and respect for patients who were difficult to engage. I learned how to empower patients by giving them independence, choice, and dignity within the session.
One meaningful experience involved a patient who was known as one of the most challenging individuals in the clinic to work with and often refused participation. By showing up consistently with positivity, empathy, and patience, I was able to build trust over time. By the end of the experience, she was more engaged, participated more consistently, danced with me during therapy, and successfully navigated stairs.
Cuirim Sports Recovery
Costa Mesa, CA
Sports Outpatient / Cash-Based Performance Clinical Rotation
At Cuirim Sports Recovery, I am learning the importance of a detailed and ongoing evaluation that extends beyond the initial evaluation. This setting has taught me that clinical reasoning is not always about knowing the answer immediately, but about continuing to gather information, reassess, communicate clearly with the patient, and move closer to the solution over time.
I am continuing to develop manual therapy skills, return-to-sport progressions, and the ability to bridge the gap between pain management and high-level performance. The 1:1 cash-based model has also helped me learn how to use a full hour treatment session with intention and value.
This rotation has been especially meaningful because it has expanded my understanding of the athlete mentality and how to provide value to individuals who are already high performing. I plan to continue updating this section as the rotation progresses.
Dr. Punt Athlete Development
A professional extension of my teaching, mentoring, and performance background, focused on helping football specialists develop through evidence-informed training, movement preparation, recovery education, and long-term planning.
Applying PT Knowledge Through Coaching
Dr. Punt represents the way I apply my background as a former Division I athlete, CSCS, and student physical therapist to serve athletes outside of the classroom. Through private, group, and virtual coaching, I work with football specialists on movement quality, football technique, preparation, recovery, mobility, strength, skill development, offseason training, and return-to-performance principles.
While this portfolio is primarily academic, this section highlights how coaching has become one of my most meaningful self-directed learning environments. Dr. Punt has included mobility programs, workout programs that have reached NFL players, periodized preparation for a UFL Dallas Renegades athlete, offseason programs for Division I athletes, and return-to-sport programming for athletes ranging from high school to professional levels. This work has helped me develop communication, teaching, leadership, exercise progression, and athlete-centered problem solving.
Programs Represented
Athletes I have worked with have represented a wide range of Division I programs. This wall is currently built as clean program wordmarks. Official logo files can be uploaded later and swapped into this same layout.
Professionalism in Physical Therapy
This section includes my completed APTA Core Values Self-Assessments from Professional Competencies I and Professional Competencies II. The goal is to reflect on my self-ratings over time and explain how I plan to keep developing the professional behaviors expected of a physical therapist.
Written Summary
Over time, my self-assessments show a shift from broad confidence in professional behaviors toward a more specific and realistic understanding of what professionalism requires in clinical practice. In Term I, my highest areas were Professional Duty and Compassion / Caring, which reflected my early commitment to patient care, respect, empathy, and taking pride in the profession. In Term 10, my strongest current ratings were Integrity and Social Responsibility, both averaging 4.00 / 5 on the updated assessment.
This change reflects growth from classroom-based understanding into clinical maturity. Through rotations at Concentra, Cedar Crest, and Cuirim Sports Recovery, I became more aware that professionalism is not only about wanting to help people. It also requires ethical consistency, communication, humility, collaboration, patient safety, and awareness of the systems that affect patient access and outcomes.
My current scores also show areas where I want to keep growing. On the updated 2024 assessment, my lower averages were in Altruism, Compassion and Caring, and Accountability. I do not interpret these as weaknesses in intent. Instead, I see them as reminders that professional behaviors must be demonstrated consistently, even under time pressure, documentation demands, patient complexity, and competing responsibilities.
Specific Examples of Continued Development
- Accountability: I will continue seeking feedback from CIs, mentors, and patients, then translate that feedback into specific changes in documentation, communication, and clinical decision making.
- Compassion and Caring: I will keep improving my ability to understand the person behind the diagnosis, especially when patients are anxious, discouraged, noncompliant, or unsure about their timeline.
- Altruism: I will look for ways to serve beyond expected standards, including education, mentorship, community outreach, and eventually pro bono or reduced-cost service opportunities when feasible.
- Collaboration and Inclusion: I will continue practicing active listening, respecting the roles of PTAs and other team members, and creating a welcoming environment for patients with different backgrounds, goals, and communication styles.
- Social Responsibility: I will increase awareness of health policy, access to care, health equity, and community-level wellness so that my professional role extends beyond individual treatment sessions.
Connection to My Portfolio
These values connect directly to my clinical education and my development through Dr. Punt. In the clinic, I have learned to communicate with patients, adapt interventions to their goals, and respect the emotional side of rehabilitation. In coaching, I have applied education, mentorship, movement preparation, recovery strategies, and strength programming to help athletes understand their bodies and prepare more effectively.
Mentoring Sebastian Miles and working with athletes across multiple levels has also reinforced that professional behaviors are not limited to formal clinical settings. Accountability, integrity, collaboration, and compassion show up in how I teach, how I communicate, how I set expectations, and how I help others take ownership of their development.
Growth Over Time
Social Responsibility moved from my lowest area in Term I to one of my strongest current ratings in Term 10. This reflects increased awareness of advocacy, cultural competence, access to care, and the responsibility physical therapists have to the larger public.
Changing Understanding of Professionalism
Early in the program, I viewed professionalism mainly through patient care, empathy, and effort. Now I understand it more broadly: ethical decision making, collaboration, inclusion, systems-level thinking, patient safety, humility, and accountability.
Current Growth Areas
My current growth areas are not about whether I value the core behaviors. They are about demonstrating them more consistently: responding to feedback, making patient-centered decisions under pressure, serving beyond minimum expectations, and recognizing when a patient needs more support than just exercise or manual therapy.
Next Step
My next step is to use mentorship and repeated self-assessment to make these values visible in daily clinical behaviors. I want my professionalism to be evident in how I document, communicate, collaborate, educate, and serve.
Professional Development Plan
Career goals organized by timeline, with action steps and resources needed for professional growth.
1–2 Years Post-Graduation
Goals
- Pass the NPTE and become a licensed physical therapist.
- Obtain an early-career position in a sports or orthopedic setting with strong mentorship and structured professional development.
- Build a strong foundation in clinical reasoning, exercise progression, documentation, patient communication, and return-to-performance care.
Action Steps / Resources
- Complete board preparation with a consistent study schedule.
- Prioritize employment or mentorship opportunities with clinicians who specialize in sports, orthopedics, return-to-sport, and performance-based rehabilitation.
- Build a continuing education plan focused on clinical reasoning, therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, and athlete-centered care.
3–5 Years Post-Graduation
Goals
- Develop stronger expertise in sports rehabilitation, orthopedic care, and return-to-performance programming.
- Pursue board specialization through the SCS or OCS pathway using either direct clinical hours or a residency route.
- Serve as a mentor or clinical instructor for future students, developing clinicians, or athletes interested in rehabilitation and performance.
Action Steps / Resources
- Track specialty-specific patient care hours and seek guidance on SCS or OCS eligibility requirements.
- Consider sports or orthopedic residency if it aligns with mentorship, learning style, and career opportunities.
- Continue building relationships with clinicians, strength coaches, athletic trainers, and sports medicine professionals.
6–10 Years Post-Graduation
Goals
- Establish a long-term professional role that integrates sports rehabilitation, performance, education, and mentorship.
- Consider fellowship or advanced post-professional training if it fits my long-term specialty direction, especially in sports, orthopedics, or manual therapy.
- Contribute to or develop a sports rehab and performance model that serves athletes and active individuals while continuing to teach, mentor, and lead.
Action Steps / Resources
- Evaluate whether fellowship, advanced certification, business development, or teaching best supports my long-term goals.
- Continue investing in professional relationships, clinical outcomes, and lifelong learning.
- Seek opportunities to teach, mentor, and contribute to the sports physical therapy and performance community.
Connect
Contact Information
Email: tlee40@my.hpu.edu
Location: San Ramon, CA
LinkedIn: Connect with me on LinkedIn
Instagram: @dr.punt
Resume
Download my current physical therapy resume as a PDF for clinical education, professional networking, and job applications. This can be updated as my clinical experience, certifications, and professional roles continue to grow.
Download Resume PDF
