Competitive Swimmer Finds Her Calling as a Physical Therapist

08/07/2024
By Karen Angelo

Michele Fox ’94, ’06 realized her love of swimming in the ocean while racing in the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay. 

“It was the first time I swam in the ocean without a wetsuit, and I found that I enjoyed the peace of the water and the views of the sky, land and bridge from the vantage point of the ocean,” says Fox, an associate teaching professor of physical therapy and kinesiology. 

A competitive swimmer since she was 8 years old, Fox has raced in the waters of Bermuda, Lake Tahoe and Hawaii. Her biggest challenges include a 10-mile race in Vermont and a swim from Falmouth to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. 

As a member of the U.S. Masters Swimming community, Fox recently traveled with a group of 14 women to Greece’s Little Cyclades Islands, where they swam in the Aegean Sea. Staying on the island of Schinoussa, Fox swam 3½ miles per day and logged more than 16 miles in one week. 

An Andover, Massachusetts, resident, Fox swims at her local YMCA during the winter. From April to November, she swims most days off the coast of Newburyport, Gloucester or Falmouth, Massachusetts, in ocean temperatures as cold as 50 degrees. 

Fox's journey to becoming a physical therapist began when she was 13, after dislocating her kneecap while swimming. The experience of being treated by a physical therapist sparked her interest in the field. She had always wanted to be a math or science teacher, however, so she earned a biology degree at Cornell University. 

While competing on the college swim team, Fox reinjured her knee. After recovering through physical therapy once more, she decided to volunteer at Cornell’s physical therapy clinic. She soon decided to pursue a career as a physical therapist. 

“I was motivated to teach athletes how to keep their bodies healthy,” says Fox, who earned a master’s and doctorate in physical therapy at UMass Lowell. After working in outpatient clinics and home care and teaching courses in a physical therapist assistant program in New Hampshire, Fox discovered that she enjoyed sharing her knowledge and experiences with students. At UMass Lowell, she teaches physical therapy labs and several courses. 

“I really love teaching our students both the technical and professional skills needed to become a physical therapist,” says Fox. “It’s a very fulfilling profession, mostly because our students really appreciate their education, and I enjoy sharing my experiences as a physical therapist and athlete.” 

Fox turned her passion for swimming into a good cause 16 years ago. As a committee member and leader for the Boston chapter of Swim Across America, an organization that hosts charity swims across the country to help fund cancer research, Fox helps to run the annual swim event held at Pleasure Bay near Castle Island in South Boston on the second Saturday of August. The race usually attracts more than 100 swimmers, many of whom are cancer survivors or have family members that are cancer survivors. It raised $450,000 last year for research at the Mass General Cancer Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 

“I volunteer for this event in memory of my grandmother, my parents and many others who have suffered with cancer,” says Fox. “I’m grateful to everyone who contributes to this cause, especially my UMass Lowell colleagues and my swimming friends, who I consider part of my family.”