When 2-year-old Amelia Aiken placed her hands on the bright pink wheels of a custom-built mobility chair at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, she quickly figured out how to make it go.
Within moments, she was propelling herself down the hallway.
For her mother, Kyndal Aiken, it was the culmination of months spent searching for a way to give Amelia, who has cerebral palsy, greater independence.
“It’s very rewarding,” Aiken said. “You hope she’s going to respond well, but you can’t make her do it. Seeing her take to it right away is really exciting.”
The child-sized chair was designed, 3D-printed and assembled at UTC’s Biomechatronic and Assistive Technology Lab by Austin McDade, a rising junior majoring in mechatronics and manager of the lab.
Earlier this spring, after learning about the open-source Toddler Mobility Trainer project, Aiken contacted UTC to see whether students could build a chair so Amelia could begin using it before preschool.
McDade produced the chair using open-source design files and 3D-printing technology, creating a custom mobility device sized specifically for Amelia.
Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu, director of UTC’s Biomechatronic and Assistive Technology Lab, says assistive devices for children require careful attention to safety, size, weight and usability.
“We don’t want to build something that’s so noisy it distracts or affects the kids,” he says. “When you’re designing for children, you have to be even more focused on safety.”
For Amelia, the chair represents her first wheelchair and an important milestone as she prepares to enter preschool, allowing her to move through classrooms and interact with classmates at their level.
“It’s putting her on the same level as her peers,” Aiken says. “Instead of riding in a stroller or wagon, she’s able to move alongside them.”
One graduate, a growing mission
The applause inside Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation on July 30 celebrated more than one person’s achievement.
When Dr. Faith Rose accepted her framed certificate as the inaugural graduate of the Siskin Hospital-University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Geriatric Physical Therapy Residency Program, the ceremony also marked the successful launch of a partnership designed to address the growing need for specialists in caring for older adults.
Rose, who earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from UTC in 2020, completed the program’s first 12-month residency after an intensive year of advanced clinical practice, research, teaching and mentorship focused on geriatric physical therapy.
The residency, established in 2025 through a collaboration between UTC and Siskin Hospital, was created as demand for clinicians specializing in older adult care continues to rise.
“Older adults are really at the heart of our program,” says Dr. Matt Annessi, Siskin Hospital’s director of residency programs. “They’re one of the fastest-growing demographics in our state.”
Program leaders say the residency is designed to prepare physical therapists to look beyond a single diagnosis by considering a patient’s mobility, cognition, medical history and personal goals. The goal is evidence-based care that helps older adults maintain strength, function and independence.
Throughout the year, Rose rotated through a variety of clinical settings focused on older adults while also completing a research project, contributing to quality improvement efforts and working with UTC Doctor of Physical Therapy students.
Dr. Stephanie Eton, associate professor of practice and director of residency education in UTC’s Department of Physical Therapy, says Rose took a leap of faith by joining a brand-new program.
“Faith agreed to be our first resident before any of us could promise her exactly what the year would look like, and that took trust,” Eton says. “She came in as a strong, capable clinician. She’s leaving as someone who thinks critically about complex geriatric cases, whom our staff turned to for insight on difficult patients, and who carries herself with the same humility and steadiness on her hardest days as her easiest.”
Eton says the residency’s broader purpose is preparing clinicians to meet the needs of Tennessee’s growing older population.
“Investing in geriatric care is investing in the future,” she says. “Faith spent the past year preparing for that future by learning to see older patients not as people to manage passively, but as individuals still capable of building strength.”
For Rose, the additional year of training provided a broader perspective on patient care and confidence as she begins the next stage of her career.
“I feel relieved, happy and excited,” she said after the ceremony. “I’ve learned so much, and I can’t wait to put it into practice as I continue my career helping people.”
Meeting a growing need for addiction specialists
A new online certificate program at UTC aims to expand the pool of professionals equipped to help people affected by substance use disorders.
UTC’s Clinical Addiction Studies Certificate provides specialized education in addiction treatment and is designed to align with Tennessee’s educational requirements for Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors, or LADACs.
The 18-credit-hour program is open both to UTC students and people already working in the community.
Faculty and staff involved in developing the certificate say the program responds to a persistent shortage of professionals with specialized addiction training.
“The number of people affected by addiction far exceeds the number of counselors with specialized addiction training,” says Jami Hargrove, assistant director for health education and wellness promotion in UTC’s Center for Wellbeing. “We’re facing a shortage not only of addiction counselors, but of counselors with any formal training in addiction.”
The need extends well beyond Chattanooga. The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis’ 2025 State of the Behavioral Health Workforce projects a nationwide shortage of more than 123,000 addiction counselors by 2038.
UTC developed the certificate with support from Hamilton County, which awarded the University $114,344 through its Innovative Response to Opioids Grant program.
Dr. Tyler Oberheim, UTC’s clinical addiction studies program coordinator, says accessibility was a priority in designing the program.
“This program is helping expand Tennessee’s addiction workforce,” Oberheim says. “By offering it online, we’re able to reach people across the state, not just in Chattanooga.”
The certificate is designed for both UTC students and working professionals. Most courses are offered asynchronously online, allowing participants to complete the program while continuing to work.
Megan McKnight, adjunct faculty for the Clinical Addiction Studies Certificate, says the program fills a long-standing gap for people in the Chattanooga area who previously had few opportunities to complete the educational requirements locally.
“There haven’t been many places in Chattanooga where people could complete just the educational requirements,” McKnight says. “We’re trying to grow the workforce by making that training more accessible. For many people, a certificate is a better fit than pursuing another full degree.”
The curriculum aligns with Tennessee’s educational requirements for LADAC preparation, although graduates must still complete additional supervised clinical experience to qualify for licensure.
Hamilton County’s grant also provides scholarships for the program’s inaugural cohort, with preference given to applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and rural communities, members of groups underrepresented in counseling professions and people with lived recovery experience.
Source: UTC