The School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences replaced the WELL Fitness Center after it closed in May. ORACLE PHOTO/KEATON DUKE

The School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences relocated to USF Health’s Shared Student Administration Building (MDA) over the summer following the closure of The WELL Fitness Center.

Melissa Lazinski, the director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, said the school was originally housed in USF Health’s Therapy Building (MDT). 

Lazinski said the idea of a move had been discussed among the program’s faculty and directors over the last couple of years. Once The WELL’s space became available, the school took the opportunity to relocate to a larger area, Lazinski said. 

SPTRS houses the Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree Program, Professional Athletic Training Program and the Orthopedic Residency Program.

Moving to MDA provided the school larger with classrooms and new labs, as well as a closer proximity to other USF Health buildings, Lazinski said. 

The move itself was free to the university because equipment was brought into the building rather than purchased, Lazinski said. 

Lazinski said the additional space will continue to “accelerate” the physical therapy program in terms of ranking and reputation — which stands at 42nd in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report.

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Lazinski said having the relocation in July was “convenient,” since doctoral students attend clinicals off-campus during the summer.

This provided an easier transition into the new building as students returning from clinicals began the 2025-26 school year in the MDA, she said. 

Douglas Haladay, the director of SPTRS, said the new building “nearly doubles” the school’s educational space.

While the school will still work with some offices and labs in its previous building, the MDA opened two new labs, a classroom and a simulation space for its students, Haladay said.

The two new labs in MDA simulate distinct care environments. 

One is designed as an outpatient physical therapy gym with cardio and strengthening equipment, and the other is modeled after an inpatient rehabilitation gym focused on balance retraining and fall prevention, Lazinski said.

Haladay said the new space allows the school to better accommodate students and deliver more interactive, clinic-ready instruction through those labs. 

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Lazinski said the MDT’s “limited” square footage — at roughly 119,000 square feet — prevented the school from expanding its lab space.

“There were nothing but tables in [the old classrooms],” Lazinski said. “Equipment was kept in the closets. Whatever you wanted for class, you had to go to the closet, get it all together, put it on a cart and bring it into the classroom. Now [the equipment] is in the classroom already.”

Lazinski said classes were overflowing before the move, which forced students to move into the hallway when swapping equipment. With the new building, students can move safely around adjustable treatment tables as they would in a clinic.

Haladay said student feedback on the move and new space has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

Gianina Rios, a second-year doctoral student in physical therapy, said she prefers the larger classrooms in the MDA to those in MDT.

“We kind of had to squeeze into the classes in the old building,” Rios said. “It gets annoying when you’re in class all day and kind of jammed next to the person sitting next to you.”

She said the outpatient gym setup also gives her a better sense of what real-world practice will be like.

“Having the weights and cardio machines being right there makes learning a lot more efficient [instead of] having to wait for the equipment to be brought out,” Rios said.

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For Marc Aparicio, a second-year doctoral student in physical therapy, the immersion the labs provide had an “immediate” impact.

“It really does feel like an actual hospital room,” Aparicio said. “We’re working with the same equipment you’re used to seeing in an ER or hospital, and it makes things click easier.”

Aparicio said being next to the Health Sciences Library has been “convenient” for studying with his peers.

The MDA building is across the street from the Health Sciences Library and neighbors other USF Health buildings. 

Haladay said this “fosters” more interdisciplinary interactions with other programs, including pharmacy and nursing. 

When SPTRS was housed in MDT, Aparicio noticed most students dispersed after class. Now, he sees more of his classmates heading to the Health Sciences Library between and after classes.

“I didn’t expect the move to help our program become closer, but I feel like location has played a large part in people getting to know one another this year,” Aparicio said.