USD School of Health Sciences Success Spotlight: Lucas Seehafer, DPT, PhD

Degree: Doctor of Physical Therapy

Lucas Seehafer, DPT, PhD

Current Position: Assistant Professor, Exercise Science, Health Communications at Bethany Lutheran College

When you ask Lucas Seehafer, an assistant professor at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota, what he thinks about his experience at the University of South Dakota School of Health Sciences, his answer is swift and definitive:

"When I think of all the opportunities I've ever had in my professional career, they can all be traced back to my time at USD," Seehafer declares. When you dig a little deeper, it's easy to see why he is so complimentary of the school where he earned his DPT.

A multi-sport enthusiast from the small town of Winthrop, Minnesota, Seehafer studied exercise science at Bethany Lutheran College with the intent of becoming a physical therapist.

"Originally, I chose USD because I got in," Seehafer admits. "PT school is very competitive."

But, once on the campus, Seehafer fell in love with the "small town feel", the wide range of big-school resources, and the highly engaged professors. It was during his time at USD that Seehafer started a sports blog, which attracted the attention and support of classmates and professors. As the blog grew, Seehafer was tapped to cover Minnesota Timberwolves games with a press pass. Before he knew it, he was writing sports articles for Forbes.

"Eventually, I got connected to a website that is about women's basketball. That led to creating an injury database that led to my PhD project," says Seehafer, who just completed a PhD in Kinesiology. He also holds an MA in journalism, which he earned online during the pandemic.

Seehafer even credits his career in academics to a USD faculty member who invited him into his first job as an adjunct professor at Tufts University.

"USD opened all sorts of avenues to me that I didn't even know existed," says Seehafer. "I honestly think if I didn't go to USD, a lot of these opportunities never would have come up."