Meet Department of Physical Therapy Elf Poppy Tinsel

By: Felicia Domiano '25, student correspondent

Poppy Tinsel, a festive scout elf, discusses her role in spreading holiday joy throughout The University of Scranton’s Physical Therapy Department at the Panuska College of Professional Studies. From running a PT clinic to engaging students with hide-and-seek games, Poppy reflects on her experiences with the  department and highlights the magical connection between the North Pole and Scranton. 

Q: It seems like you arrived at The University of Scranton in 2020, is that correct? Is that when you became a social media influencer or were you posting from the North Pole prior to that? 
"You are correct. Santa delivered me to the PT department in 2020 to help connect the students to the University while they were on break after the Thanksgiving holiday. Scout elves do not get our magic until we are named, so once I received my name of Poppy Tinsel, I got to work opening my clinic and treating patients. It took me a little while to get used to the social media thing after I arrived, but I am slowly getting used to it."

Q: Why did you select the PT Department to partner with and what have you liked most about working with the students, faculty and administration there?  
"I didn’t select the PT department per se, but I am very happy that Santa assigned me here.  I have been able to use my skills as a PT to serve patients after seeing all of the good work that the PT faculty and students do. My favorite part about working with the Department of PT is seeing the smiles on the students’ faces as they watch me do my work. I really hope that me and my staff are spreading holiday joy for the whole department, University, and PT community."

Q: Your most recent posts involve the opening of the PT clinic Dec. 4. Who does the clinic provide services to, what are the hours of operation, what are the fees, and how can someone receive care? "The clinic opened on Monday, Dec. 4, and is open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. every day. We serve very special populations that cannot be served by our human counterparts. With a little elf magic, anything is possible.  As for fees, all patient care is covered by the North Pole. Just like the Leahy PT Clinic, all of our services are offered pro bono."

Q: The Physical Therapy Department seems to keep you busy. We have seen a few of your recent events, like the Wheelchair Races and vaccine clinic for PT Department students, among others. Tell us about which you and the students enjoy most and why.
"The week before our clinic opens every year we try and have a little fun before getting down to clinic business. Of course, we also need to complete our healthcare requirements like vaccines and some education before being able to serve our patients. Our favorite event is the PT formal, where we get to celebrate with the students, and faculty. It’s also fun to get dressed up for the event.  We clean up good!"

Q: How long did you have to study for the APTA- Level 1 CI Credentialing Course? 
"The training for the American Physical Therapy’s Level 1 CI Credentialing Program is three days of intense education, presentations and evaluation.  PT faculty member Dr. Janette Scardillo has taught me everything she knows as a Train the Trainer faculty for the CI Credentialing Program."

Q: Is this the busiest time of the year? What does the PT Department do when you’re back at the North Pole next semester?
"This is the busiest time of year for our PT elves, with the traveling back and forth to Scranton. However once we get back to the North Pole, our clinic re-opens on Main Street. There are many injuries to treat, including workplace injuries from all the toy-making. As for The University of Scranton PT department, we know that they are doing amazing work here in Scranton serving the local community in many ways."

Q: Tell me about your Hide-and-Seek Game and share the rules. How does it help people learn more about the PT Department?
"At least once a week, we like to do something fun to engage the PT students, so we hide throughout Edward R. Leahy Jr. Hall and leave clues for the students to find us. The first student who finds us and posts a selfie with us on our Facebook page Hide and Seek post wins a prize from the department. Students cannot  interrupt any classes or meetings that are occurring. You may see students running around the building to find us first."

Q: You have incredible fashion sense. Where do you get your custom-designed clothing? Also, how was the PT formal -- and where/when was that hosted, how many people attended?
"Thank you so much for the compliment!  All my clothing and the clothing of the other elves are curated by Dr. Scardillo. She has a closet in her office that we can use whenever we need it. Some of the clothing has been donated by Dr. Scardillo’s young nieces’ Barbies or designed by Dr. Scardillo herself! My favorite shirt was gifted to us by Dr. Scardillo’s cousins because they are some of our biggest fans!  

The PT formal is such a fun event that is hosted by the PT Club in the DeNaples Ballroom.  I am not sure how many people attended, but it looked like they all had a lot of fun. This year we also had the band Light Weight perform that includes a PT department alumnus as the keyboardist."

Q: We have seen that you've treated A-listers before, like the Grinch and Frankenstein. Doesn't that violate HIPAA? JK. But seriously, celebs are people, too. What have been some of the PT strategies you've shared with the public thanks to the celebs allowing you to share the treatment plans?
"We make sure to get consent from all our patients to post them on social media.  Last year we even had a meetup with the University’s president Father Marina. One of our goals is to just spread awareness of all of the different diagnoses that PT can address, and the interventions that we use to treat them. Once a week we also do a #wellnesswednesday post to promote resiliency techniques in our students and followers. Our first wellness Wednesday this year highlighted the benefits of color therapy and gave the students an opportunity to stress less with some creative coloring."

Q: Anything you'd like to share that I haven't asked about?
"We just want to thank the PT students, faculty, alumni, family and friends for all of the support over the last few years.  It is hard to believe that this is our fourth year with The University of Scranton’s PT Department and we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!!"

Follow the fast-paced life of Poppy Tinsel and her team daily on Facebook at U of S Department of Physical Therapy and at Instagram @poppytinsel_ptelf.