Piper Webb

“It’s not something most people can say, but I’ve edited DNA!” said Piper Webb.

Piper is a graduate of Russell Sage College’s Health Sciences bachelor’s program and a current student in Sage’s Physical Therapy doctoral program. (As part of Sage’s accelerated physical therapy program, it will take her just six years to complete the two degrees, instead of seven.)

Her group research project in Cell Biology — a gene-editing study titled “CRISPR vs LacZ: Who Will Win?” — was just one of several experiences she had as an undergraduate that prepared her for success in her doctoral program. 

Another leadership experience she found valuable was serving as an undergraduate tutor and teaching assistant for Anatomy & Physiology labs and now as a graduate teaching fellow for physics classes. 

The tutoring and teaching experience is something impressive to add to her resume, it’s meaningful to the students she assists — and it’s helped her master course material. 

“I understood A&P more after tutoring for a semester,” she said. “Being able to explain the lecture to students in a different way seemed to help not only the students but me as well.”

She will also use that ability to adapt information to individual learning styles when she becomes a practicing physical therapist, and has to convey diagnosis and treatment information to her patients, she continued. 

Piper will complete her DPT in 2025. 

“I’ve always wanted to work with the geriatric population in an outpatient setting but recently I’ve learned about a specialty in vestibular rehabilitation,” she said, referring to a type of therapy that helps patients manage balance issues. “I’d like to learn more about it!”