Aaron Kattan, DPT

Since the time he was young, Aaron Kattan has loved helping people. “I always knew I wanted a job that would enable me to help and connect to people,” he shares. When he found out about the field of physical therapy (PT)—which would allow him to connect to people while helping them get better—he knew it was the right profession.

Aaron decided to come to Touro for his undergrad studies to join friends from Israel who were enrolling at the school—and because it was important to him and his parents that he train for his chosen profession in a Jewish environment. He knew Lander College for Men (LCM) was small and he’d get personalized attention, but he didn’t realize how much it would change his life. “When I met two upperclassmen learning in the beis medrash my first week, they encouraged me to look into physical therapy and the joint program Touro offers.”

He joined the Touro accelerated program, which allowed him to take his prerequisites and then transfer straight into grad school. After his great experience at Lander, he wanted to continue in the physical therapy program at Touro’s School of Health Sciences—where he instantly forged new connections. “Within a week of starting the program, all 40 students were best friends—which we needed to be, because the program is tough!” They supported each other along the way, growing professionally, and working together as a team. They even presented as a group at a conference in New Orleans.

The professors were equally supportive, going above and beyond basic education. “They cared about patients and students and they transmitted that to us. They ran free clinics and treated people and we joined them.” One professor even took Aaron under her wing, helping him recognize his strengths, pointing out that he was great with kids.

That observation helped lead Aaron to where he is today, working as a PT at a school for children with special needs and developmental disabilities. “I love every second of it,” he says.  It’s the type of work where you wonder who’s helping whom, and I feel so fortunate to be in a field where I can use my natural ability and professional skills to help people who are in pain and struggling. When you see how much the clients connect to you, it’s a very powerful feeling.”