Posted: February 18, 2011

Health Care Hero Staff

Colleagues of Gail Grisetti PT, Ed.D. consider her a tireless and enthusiastic leader.

For almost 10 years, Grisetti, a physical therapist and associate professor at Old Dominion University, has volunteered with Physicians for Peace, a nonprofit organization that sends health care professionals to undeveloped countries to provide clinical services.

"I have a doctorate in health education and I have always been interested in working internationally," Grisetti said. "Physicians for Peace first came to my attention through the adjunct faculty at ODU. I started volunteering for them about eight or nine years ago, and their Walking Free program was one of the initiatives that I was involved in."

Walking Free is a prosthetic education and training program designed to help create sustainable programs in developing nations.

"We work as a team, Grisetti said. "All of us work together to meet the needs of the amputee patient. So there is training and education involved on all levels with our partners in other countries."

While working in the Dominican Republic, Grisetti meet an 18-year-old woman who had lost her leg from above the knee to cancer.

"When she first came to be treated, she was walking on an elementary artificial leg that didn't give her a lot of options on walking," she said.

The young woman started receiving therapy through the Walking Free program and was given up-to-date prosthetics. As a result, she was able to get on her feet and go back to school to study to be a physical therapist.

"Unfortunately her cancer returned and she passed away. She was a motivating force for us in why the work is important."

One might say that Grisetti danced her way into physical therapy.

"I studied dance in college and was looking for a career related to movement," Grisetti said. "I discovered physical therapy was a good blend of my interest in movement. The career is very interesting and challenging. It's never boring. It challenges you to stay physical and on top of new information."