Meet Our 2025 Physical Therapist of the Year!

The following profile of Michael Dolton, the winner of VNS Health’s Physical Therapist of the Year Award, is being published to coincide with October’s National Physical Therapy Month. A total of 17 team members were nominated for this award, and to see a full list of the nominees, please click here.

When it comes to rising to a challenge, VNS Health physical therapist Michael Dolton doesn’t look very far for inspiration. “Our patients are such a great role model for us,” he says. “You see how much they overcome and accomplish.”

Michael has been named VNS Health’s Physical Therapist of the Year, an honor that recognizes his dedication in helping New Yorkers reclaim their independence. “It’s so rewarding to help patients do the subway stairs or get on the bus when they thought they’d never do that again,” he said. “I love to see them get back their independence, because New York is not an easy town to live in.”

Michael, who’s been with VNS Health for two decades, typically encounters patients when they’re “functionally at their lowest,” he notes—often following falls or injuries that have shaken their confidence. Through careful goal-setting and encouragement, he helps them rebuild physical capability and self-assurance. “I always say, ‘Don’t stop doing something just because you’re afraid. What is your biggest goal?’ That’s what I ask on day one.”

In his award nomination, his fellow team members praise Michael’s agility, stepping into additional roles such as serving as coordinator and mentoring new clinicians. Here, too, he looks to his work for inspiration. “I try to practice what I preach to my patients—to step out of your comfort zone,” he says.

Michael is humbled by the honor, praising his colleagues for their hard work and emphasizing the organization’s extraordinary commitment to collaboration. “Home health aides, in particular,” he notes, “make a world of difference,” providing everyday encouragement for PT patients and frontline insight into the plan of care.

A former high school athlete who spent considerable time in physical therapy himself, the Nebraska native was part of Creighton University’s second Doctor of Physical Therapy graduating class. After more than twenty years on the job, he is still energized by the challenge of going into New Yorkers’ homes, learning their stories, and helping them build the next chapter. “I love home care,” Michael says, “because you’ll never get the same day twice.”