Class of 22 Maddie (Jansen) Major: Caring Therapy for Sensitive Needs

Caring Therapy for Sensitive Needs

Maddie (Jansen) Major ’22 isn’t afraid of uncomfortable situations. She provides physical therapy for medical needs most people don’t want to talk about — their pelvic health. Major has just begun her career at UnityPoint Grinnell, fresh from earning her DPT at the University of Iowa.

“It has always been a dream of mine to bring my education and healthcare experience back to a community in need,” said Major. “One of the coolest things is that I get to be a safe space for those who have pelvic health concerns. They can share and express their concerns openly without judgment.”

Major has developed an earnest passion for serving such patients, recognizing the rapidly increasing demand for her specialty.

“As more and more research is published in this area, it will only continue to grow. I not only want to grow in this area myself but to also help other aspiring pelvic health physical therapists by mentoring them.”

Simpson Mentors Opened Doors

Major’s many mentoring professors at Simpson prepared her exceptionally well for the rigors of becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy, as did her time working as an undergraduate assistant in Career Development. The combination of those experiences proved powerful.

“My professors made sure I was ready for graduate school and the curriculum made me a well-rounded individual who brings much more than anatomy, physiology and kinesiology skills to the table. Professionally, I felt I was ahead of the game with my exposure to job search, application and negotiation.”

Officially she had two majors — health and exercise science, and biology. But she gave her heart to a third major — Colton Major ’22.

“I would have to say that meeting him is my fondest memory of Simpson,” said Maddie. Colton is doing impressive things, too. He’s a data scientist with Wellabe and working on his Master of Science degree in data analytics from the University of Iowa.