Event Details
Date: Friday June 12, 2026
Location: Robertson Auditorium, Mission Bay Conference Center
1675 Owens Street, San Francisco
Time: Doors Open: 3:00pm
Ceremony Begins: 3:30pm
COVID-19 Policies and Transportation, Parking, and Nearby Restaurants:
Please click here and read through all the requirements carefully.
Other Information:
No balloons
No confetti, glitter, sand, or confetti-sized art materials allowed
No bubbles or bubble machines
Livestream link will be available here soon!
Speakers
Tyler Vellozzi, 2026 DPT Candidate
Tyler is originally from Los Angeles, where he grew up with two brothers, his parents, and a lifelong love for sports. He played baseball from childhood through high school and later earned his undergraduate degree in Physiological Science at UCLA as a first-generation college student. Tyler discovered his passion for physical therapy while working in college as a caregiver for a man living with Parkinson’s disease, accompanying him to PT appointments and observing the impact of rehabilitation—an experience that shaped his commitment to empathetic, informed, patient-centered care. He moved to San Francisco to attend the UCSF/SFSU DPT program, where he developed a strong interest in orthopedic physical therapy and teaching. Building on his early experiences as a teacher and tutor after high school, Tyler went on to take part in leading UCSF’s peer-to-peer anatomy teaching program to support first-year DPT students. He hopes to build a career helping people return to the activities they love. Outside of school and clinic, he enjoys playing golf, baking, hiking, traveling, and exploring San Francisco.
Paul Smith, PT, DPT, Faculty Speaker
Dr. Smith is a staff physical therapist and site coordinator for clinical education for Community Health Systems, Fresno since 1996. Dr. Smith graduated from CSU, Fresno with his Master’s in Physical Therapy in 1995. He then returned to school in 2012 to earn his post-professional Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Montana in 2015.
Dr. Smith has spent the majority of his 30 plus years of clinical practice in Acute Care strongly advocating for early rehab involvement, including exercise and mobility, for critically ill patients.
Dr. Smith has been instrumental in driving institutional policy changes aimed at mitigating consequential issues often associated with acute spinal cord injury management. Additionally, Dr. Smith spearheaded development and implementation of an electronic physician order for spine precautions and mobility clearance and adoption of a standard neurological tool for evaluation and classification of acute spinal cord injury. Dr. Smith serves as a rehab consultant to the Adult and Pediatric Trauma Audit Committee at CRMC.
In 2015, Dr. Smith published Ready to Extubate, Why Wait (To Mobilize)? A prospective case report involving physical activity in a trauma critical care setting during the peri-extubation period. Current clinical research endeavor-Dr. Smith is the principle investigator for a RCT in critical care examining the benefits of supine cycle ergometry with FES for critically ill patients who are orally intubated and mechanically ventilated.
Dr. Smith is a longtime, active member of the American Physical Therapy and the California Physical Therapy Associations. He has served in various capacities of leadership including Director and Vice- president of CPTA, and CA Delegate to the APTA House of Delegates. He currently serves on the Reference Committee for the CPTA Assembly of Representatives as well as a newly appointed member to the CPTA Ethics Committee. Previous appointments included the CAL-PT-PAC serving as a Trustee and Chair for nearly 10 years. Dr. Smith’s contributions to profession advocacy have taken him to Sacramento and Washington D.C. meeting frequently with legislative staff and elected representatives at both the State and Federal levels. Dr. Smith is an Expert Consultant to the Physical Therapy Board of CA. Dr. Smith is also a clinical representative to the Northern CA Clinical Education Consortium and recent past Clinical Education Commissioner for the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy.
During his time away from the bedside, Dr. Smith enjoys spending time with his wife and 4 adult sons-the youngest is studying kinesiology with interest in becoming a Physical Therapist. He is a registered leader with Scouting USA serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster and Merit Badge Counselor. He is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys, cycling, hiking and backpacking, and skiing. He is a volunteer member of the National Ski Patrol and is a certified Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) and Stop The Bleed instructor and is a certified Senior Alpine Patroller at China Peak Mountain Resort.