Beth Cloud – MSHS grad pursues research Ph.D.

October 29, 2014

Research training at Mayo School of Health Sciences (MSHS) propelled Beth Cloud, DPT, toward a career in research.

After completing the Physical Therapy Doctoral Program at MSHS in Minnesota in 2010, Cloud was accepted into the Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) PhD Program in Mayo Graduate School.

“The PT program prepared me really well,” Cloud says. “The faculty did a great job of incorporating aspects of research into the curriculum.”

Cloud, who grew up in suburban Chicago, got hooked on physical therapy when shadowing medical professionals at a pediatric clinic, where therapy turned into playtime for kids with motor function delays. She graduated with degrees in biology and psychology from Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., before enrolling in MSHS.

Intro to research

As part of the course work, Physical Therapy students scoured research articles and occasionally presented articles in class. In her second year, Cloud tested ankle movement in a group research project that provided experience in how to prepare a research proposal, analyze data and submit a manuscript.

In her third year, Cloud’s two-month rotation in a research lab was devoted to neuroscience and the molecular mechanisms involved in the immune system’s role in spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. In search of potential treatments, she studied the effect of various agents on immune cells in mice.

“I had never worked at that level of biology before and seen cells respond to what you’re testing,” Cloud says. “I learned a lot about the development and execution of well-structured research.”

Studies in Physical Therapy

Cloud entered the CTS program to learn how to design and execute interdisciplinary studies and translate the resulting discoveries into better health treatments. “Clinical training keeps me grounded,” she says. “It helps me really focus on keeping my research as practical as possible and using the needs of patients to guide what I choose for research projects.”

For her thesis project, Cloud is working with a group interested in ways to prevent shoulder pain in manual wheelchair users. Based on the hypothesis that a more upright seated posture will improve the quality of shoulder movement, she plans to measure and compare spine and shoulder movement in different seat positions.

Now in year four of the five-year PhD program, Cloud wants to maintain a clinical practice as she finishes her degree and dreams of a faculty position and conducting research related to physical therapy.

“I’d love to teach students and help them prepare for a career,” Cloud says. “I also see myself staying within the realm of physical therapy in research.” 

Cloud says she appreciates the continued support of the MSHS Physical Therapy faculty, who guided her to the PhD program, helped her land a part-time job in inpatient rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus. She joined the MSHS Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2013 as a way to give back to MSHS.

This story originally appeared in the Fall 2014 issue of Connections magazine.