Campanella/Dodgers Scholarship

CSUN Department of Physical Therapy

Campanella Scholarship Program and LA Dodgers Internship:

Past, Present & Future

Joni Campanella (daughter of Dodgers Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella) and The Roy and Roxie Campanella Foundation began funding the Campanella Scholarship Program in CSUN's Physical Therapy Department in 1995. The Campanella Scholarship was established to provide financial support to students in CSUN's physical therapy program, many of whom are first-generation college students from underserved backgrounds. The Campanella Foundation recognized the importance of physical therapists in the physical and psychological recovery of Roy Campanella after his 1958 car accident that left him quadriplegic and wanted to financially support students pursuing a career in physical therapy.

In 2010, the Campanella Foundation contributed the remaining foundation balance to CSUN, establishing an endowment for the Campanella Scholarships. Inspired by the Campanella Foundation’s gift, and after a subsequent meeting with Joni Campanella and Dodgers representatives Stan Conte and Josh Rawitch, the Dodgers agreed to forge a partnership with CSUN's physical therapy program. At that time, Stan Conte (CSUN physical therapy program alumni (1981 graduate of Class 12) was the Director of Medical Services at the LA Dodgers. Josh Rawitch (son of Cynthia Rawitch, retired faculty from Mike Curb College and Bob Rawitch, alumni and former Foundation Board member) was VP of Marketing at the LA Dodgers. These relationships were instrumental in further strengthening the Los Angeles Dodgers/CSUN partnership.

The LA Dodgers – CSUN Department of Physical Therapy connection includes:

1. An annual donation from the LA Dodgers Foundation to fund the Campanella Physical Therapy Scholarships,
2. The opportunity for one doctorate of physical therapy student to intern with the Dodgers’ medical department each Spring Training.

Currently, the Dodgers Foundation annually awards CSUN's DPT program $30,000 in scholarships, with ten (10) students receiving $3,000 each. To date, there have been over 175 CSUN PT student recipients of the Campanella scholarships, with awards totaling ~ $250,000.

Campanella scholars are highly motivated excellent students representing the wide breadth of ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity of the San Fernando Valley. This financial support enriches the lives of our students by enabling them to spend more time on campus working toward their degrees and developing relationships with other students through strong peer-to-peer learning communities. The Campanella scholars have gone on to become outstanding physical therapists.

At the beginning of every Spring semester, members of the Dodgers Foundation come to the CSUN campus for a Campanella Scholars Award ceremony. And in April, the scholars are invited to attend a game at Dodgers stadium where they are recognized on the field during a pre-game ceremony.  The Campanella Scholars pre-game ceremony at Dodgers stadium is definitely a student highlight and is highly recognized on social media @DodgersFoundation. @CSUNdpt

Campanella Scholars have been, and continue to be, involved with school and community outreach initiatives for underserved community youth in conjunction with the Dodgers Foundation. Dodgers RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities), a baseball and softball youth development program of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF), aims to increase youth participation in the sport and use sports participation as an engagement tool to increase access to education, literacy, health, and wellness.  In 2019, when the Dodgers’ Foundation hosted the RBI West Regional Tournament at 4 locations in south central Los Angeles, 25 past and present Campanella Scholars and DPT faculty assisted with the RBI tournament by providing evaluation and treatment to the injured youth players.

Campanella Scholars have also assisted with a “Youth Exercise Day” with elementary school children in Elysian Park. 

In addition, the Dodgers Foundation sends grade-school children to the CSUN campus during the summer to introduce the youth to higher education.  

The LA Dodgers – CSUN Department of Physical Therapy connection also includes the opportunity for one DPT student to intern with the Dodgers’ medical department each Spring Training. Beginning with the first student intern, Jesse Young in 2011, to date, 14 CSUN DPT students have completed a clinical affiliation interning with the LA Dodgers at their Spring Training facility. 

Two of these DPT interns, Johnathan Erb and Ryan Yoshida, were subsequently hired by the Dodgers in positions of Team Physical Therapists. 

Johnathan Erb remains instrumental for the current internship, serving as the clinical instructor for the 3rd year student selected for this prized internship. 

Joni Campanella is a member of the CSUN Department of Physical Therapy Community Advisory Committee and HHD Dean’s Circle and is an active volunteer in HHD.

The pillar of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation mission — Education & Literacy, speaks to CSUN’s values and commitment to creating greater opportunity for all young people through higher education. The vision of CSUN’s Department of Physical Therapy is to align our program with the missions of the Dodgers Foundation and Campanella Foundation.  The Campanella scholarships enhance the student experience in the Department of Physical Therapy far beyond graduation. Providing scholarships sets up students in the Physical Therapy program for success by enabling them to focus on their studies and to owe less after they graduate. The Dodgers internship provides a valuable and unique student clinical experience shared by few PT programs nationally. The Matadors-Dodgers Connection is something the university and our department is extremely excited about and grateful for. If you haven't seen the video highlighting the Matadors-Dodgers Connection, it's definitely worth a watch: