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Name: Cheryl J. Hickey
Title: Professor
Department: Department of Physical Therapy
Academic Degree(s):

• Bachelors of Science in Physical Therapy, Fresno State
• Masters of Physical Therapy, Fresno State
• Masters in Counseling, Fresno State
• Doctorate in Education, University of California, Davis and Fresno State

How long have you worked at Fresno State? I have worked here since 1997. During that time I have been the coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Health and Rehab Science B.S. Degree, the Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education and a lecture, assistant, associate and now full professor in the Department of Physical Therapy.

Are you a Valley native? If not, what brought you to the area and Fresno State? I was born in Hanford and raised my whole life in Lemoore. I attended the College of the Sequoias in Visalia and transferred here to complete a B.S. in physical therapy, master's in physical therapy and I also completed a joint doctoral degree in education through UC Davis and Fresno State and lastly a master's in counseling here.

My great-grandparents on both of my parents' sides migrated to the Valley to work in the farming and dairy industry and started out as farm workers or cow milkers. My parents still continue my grandparents farm in Lemoore. After obtaining my license in physical therapy, I went to work for Community Regional Medical Center where I practice in neuro rehabilitation and many other areas.

Are you a Bulldog family with generations of Bulldog graduates or current students? My sister was the first in my family to graduate with a bachelor's degree from Fresno State. I followed her and became the first in my family to complete a masters degree and doctoral degree.

Do you have a campus mentor or someone who has helped you in your career? I have had several excellent mentors while at Fresno State. Professor Darlene Stewart, a long time chair of the Department of Physical Therapy was a wonderful mentor who encouraged me to become a professor and pursue teaching. Several senior faculty in that department mentored me through learning how to become a successful faculty member including, Dr. Gary Lentell, Dr. Peggy Trueblood (also a past department chair) and Professor Toni Tyner.

Dr. Helda Pinzón-Perez from nursing and public health has also been a wonderful mentor to me. Finally my dissertation chair, Dr. Phyllis Kuehn who is an emeritus faculty and my past teacher, played a critical role in mentoring me on my road to tenure and becoming a researcher and remains a wonderful friend till this day.

Tell us about your department and what people may not know about it. The department was the first in the CSU to offer both a master of physical therapy and a joint doctorate in physical therapy. I am fortunate to work with some amazing individuals who are talented and passionate about teaching the next generation of therapists as well as about their field, and give the opportunity to help and impact the lives of patients. I have also been extremely fortunate to teach and collaborate with Dr. Deborah Walker, Dr. Leslie Zarrinkhameh and Dr. Monica Rivera who are phenomenal clinical specialists and talented educators with exceptional leadership qualities.

What is your most notable accomplishment in your field, and why was it important? My biggest accomplishment has been the creation of a research line that continues to show promise in helping people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Dr. Deborah Walker and I have studied, presented nationally and internationally, and published research articles on the effects of cued electrical stimulation.

This approach has been implemented for treating chronic ankle instability, chronic shoulder pain, chronic low back pain and chronic hip pain. We believe that this form of stimulation when delivered with specific exercise dosing creates neuroplastic changes in the brain as well as gamma motor neuron resetting that may be very effective against chronic movement dysfunctions that are accompanied by chronic pain.

What are you most passionate about in your position and why? I am most passionate about teaching students who want to help people who need help, conducting research that may provide hope against chronic pain and movement dysfunction and positively adding goodness to the lives of people I come in contact with.

What is a memorable moment you had at your job? There are too many to pick one, but there are always moments during every semester where you see that look in a students eyes when they figure something out that they have been struggling to learn. It's amazing to be there when it happens. Just the other day, a student came by my class and said, "I'm so sad we don't have you this semester, we miss you. You encourage me and that gets me through the tough weeks." That student made my month.

What is a memorable moment you had in class? One day in my electrophysiology lab class, I had a PT student who had a chronically painful shoulder from playing years of competitive volleyball and injuring it several times. As the students and I were coming up with treatments, I suggested we use triggered electrical stimulation as he was performing his overhead serving motion.

On the spot, the students and I problem-solved the electrode placement and the setting. As we applied the stimulation, all the student kept saying was, "This is so weird, I don't have pain. I always have pain when I do this." It was at that moment that I had an idea for a whole new application of Estim and my research began.

What is your teaching style? My students are adult learners, I try hard to always listen to what they need and change things that don't work for them. I love learning from them as much as I hope they love learning from me. I share my mistakes because maybe it will help them not make the same ones and I share every ounce of knowledge I can. I was lucky enough to have teachers that did that with me. I feel that I try to pass on the best of the teachers I have had through the years. My students know I'm not perfect but I hope they always know I give them my best and I care for them as people.

What is the most interesting or unusual job you've ever had? I have had a lot of interesting jobs, as a kid I used to help lay irrigation pipes, stomp cotton trailers and hand pick the end rows of cotton off of the cotton plants. I worked in a grain company helping weigh trucks, I worked in an insurance office, I was a student athletic trainer and I taught little kids how to play tennis.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? I love being with my family. I have three beautiful, amazing children and a supportive husband who is the love of my life. We love going to church and spending time with my parents and extended family. I am in adult leadership for our local scout troop and I do a lot of camping and help scouts with merit badges.

We recently went to the Rocklin Rock Quarry where we took 80 foot jumps, ziplined and did ropes courses. If you ever get a chance, go. I help out high school CTE students to train for competitions, I run with my son in a weekly running group. I love music, sketching and singing and I am a coffee addict. I really want to learn the guitar but only know how to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" so far.

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know? I was born about three months early and weighed 3 pounds 2 ounces and was not expected to live when I went down to 1 pound. Of course, I did live. When I was younger, I struggled in school but my parents worked with me all the time. They told me I was going to go to college and that they always believed in me. I find it amazing what God can do when he has a plan for your life.

Is there something else you would like to share that was not asked? I am so very grateful to have my job here. I am an alumni and I never dreamt one day I would have the opportunity to be a professor here. I love teaching students and I know how lucky and blessed I am to be able to teach them. It is a privilege to be here and do the job I do and it was made possible by so many people in my life starting with my parents, who loved and invested in teaching and helping me. Learning is something we should never stop doing and everyday I come here and I have the chance to learn and hopefully make someone's life better.