University of Pittsburgh Physical Therapy

University of Pittsburgh Physical Therapy The official page of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Physical Therapy

This page serves as a resource for alumni, students, prospective students and physical therapists to stay current with physical therapy evidence and everything Pittsburgh!

We want ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ! Pitt DPT is looking to expand our clinical partnerships across the country and are looking for Pitt PT alum...
08/07/2026

We want ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ! Pitt DPT is looking to expand our clinical partnerships across the country and are looking for Pitt PT alum who are interested in being a Clinical Instructor for current Pitt DPT students. Our greatest need is inpatient partnerships although new outpatient options are just as welcomed.

Interested alum can reach out to Dr. Hallie Zeleznik at [email protected].

๐ŸŽ‰Congratulations๐ŸŽ‰ to ๐‘ซ๐’“. ๐‘จ๐’๐’๐’š๐’ ๐‘ฉ๐’๐’—๐’† on serving as the primary author of the APTA's Total Knee Arthroplasty Clinical Prac...
08/07/2026

๐ŸŽ‰Congratulations๐ŸŽ‰ to ๐‘ซ๐’“. ๐‘จ๐’๐’๐’š๐’ ๐‘ฉ๐’๐’—๐’† on serving as the primary author of the APTA's Total Knee Arthroplasty Clinical Practice Guideline: 2026 Update, recently published in Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal (PTJ).

Clinical practice guidelines play a critical role in advancing evidence-based care by synthesizing the latest research into recommendations that inform clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes. Dr. Bove's leadership on this nationally recognized publication reflects her expertise in orthopedic physical therapy and her significant contributions to advancing best practices in the profession. ๐Ÿ‘

Pitt DPT faculty and alumni recently demonstrated their commitment to advancing the physical therapy profession through ...
08/05/2026

Pitt DPT faculty and alumni recently demonstrated their commitment to advancing the physical therapy profession through leadership and advocacy at the national level.

๐ƒ๐ซ๐ฌ. ๐‚๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ž and ๐Š๐ข๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฑ๐จ๐ง-๐‚๐š๐ฏ๐ž represented Pitt at the APTA Advocacy Summit in Portland, Oregon, where APTA leaders and members collaborated on one of the Association's highest strategic priorities: payment advocacy. Dr. Bise participated in his role on the APTA Task Force on Payment, while Dr. Nixon-Cave represented the profession as a member of the APTA Board of Directors. Following the summit, Dr. Nixon-Cave also served on the APTA Board of Directors Delegation during the APTA House of Delegates, helping shape the future direction of the profession through APTA's policymaking process.

Pitt DPT alumni also made their mark at the House of Delegates. ๐ŸŽ‰ Congratulations ๐ŸŽ‰ to ๐‚๐š๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐š ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐ž๐ซ๐จ ๐‘๐จ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ฎ๐ž๐ณ (Class of 2023), who served as a delegate for the Maryland Chapter, and ๐„๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐š ๐‹๐ฎ๐ง๐š ๐„๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ณ๐š (Class of 2024), who represented the Texas Chapter. Their service as House of Delegates representatives reflects their dedication to advancing the profession through leadership, advocacy, and professional engagement. We are proud to see our alumni assuming influential roles early in their careers and helping shape the future of physical therapy.

๐ŸŽ‰Congratulations ๐ŸŽ‰ to our faculty and alumni on their outstanding leadership and continued service to the profession! ๐Ÿ‘

๐Ÿ“ข Exciting research news! Congratulations to ๐„๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐š๐›๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐Œ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ and ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‰๐š๐ง๐ž๐ญ ๐…๐ซ๐ž๐›๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ž๐ซ (and co-authors Adrianne Smiley, K...
08/04/2026

๐Ÿ“ข Exciting research news! Congratulations to ๐„๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐š๐›๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐Œ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ and ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‰๐š๐ง๐ž๐ญ ๐…๐ซ๐ž๐›๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ž๐ซ (and co-authors Adrianne Smiley, Kelsey Cowles, Angela L. Mazul, Sandra Stinnett, and James L. Coyle) on their newest publication in the journal Dysphagia:

"Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Dysphagia Care Access, Utilization, and Quality in the United States: A Scoping Review" ๐ŸŽค๐Ÿฉบ

This scoping review synthesizes existing evidence on racial and ethnic inequities across dysphagia care โ€” access, utilization, and quality โ€” offering critical insight to help guide more equitable swallowing care for patients across the U.S.

This work builds beautifully on Elizabeth's dissertation research and reflects the outstanding mentorship of our Department of Physical Therapy faculty. Proud to celebrate this contribution to advancing health equity! ๐Ÿ‘

Read more ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42287358/

๐ŸŽ‰ Congratulations to ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐’๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ฉ๐š ๐†๐š๐ข๐ค๐ฐ๐š๐ for serving as a judge at the 19th Annual University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral ...
08/03/2026

๐ŸŽ‰ Congratulations to ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐’๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ฉ๐š ๐†๐š๐ข๐ค๐ฐ๐š๐ for serving as a judge at the 19th Annual University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral Research Symposium.

The symposium celebrates the University's talented postdoctoral scholars, whose innovative research and dedication drive new discoveries across disciplines. This year's event featured 118 research posters, showcasing the breadth and excellence of postdoctoral scholarship at Pitt.

Thank you, Dr. Gaikwad, for supporting and recognizing the next generation of researchers through your service to this important University event.

๐ŸŽ‰ Congratulations to first author ๐‚๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐š๐ง๐ž ๐‚๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ (former Graduate Student Researcher), ๐ƒ๐ซ๐ฌ. ๐‚๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง and ๐’๐š...
07/31/2026

๐ŸŽ‰ Congratulations to first author ๐‚๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐š๐ง๐ž ๐‚๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ (former Graduate Student Researcher), ๐ƒ๐ซ๐ฌ. ๐‚๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง and ๐’๐š๐ซ๐š ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐š, along with students ๐€๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐•๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ, ๐‹๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐š ๐–๐ž๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐ง, and ๐๐ฅ๐š๐ค๐ž ๐‰๐จ๐ก๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ง, on their new publication in JOSPT Open!

Their study, "The Association of Lumbar Paraspinal Muscle Size and Quality With Physical Function, Disability, and Pain in Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain," used CT imaging to examine how the size and quality of key spinal muscles relate to real-world outcomes like walking speed, balance, abdominal endurance, and neuropathic symptoms in adults with chronic low back pain.

Across a sample of 193 adults, the team found that muscle morphology, not just size, but also quality was meaningfully linked to physical function and pain, offering valuable insight for how we assess and treat chronic LBP. ๐Ÿ’ช

Great collaborative work bridging research and clinical practice โ€” congrats to the whole team! ๐Ÿ‘

๐Ÿ“„ Read it here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42282254/

A recent publication highlights the global impact that ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐’๐ฎ๐ž ๐–๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ฒ has had in the field of vestibular rehabilitation...
07/31/2026

A recent publication highlights the global impact that ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐’๐ฎ๐ž ๐–๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ฒ has had in the field of vestibular rehabilitation. The study, Research and Development Directions in Vestibular Rehabilitation: A Bibliometric Analysis (Li, Guo, & Hu, Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 2026), analyzed worldwide trends in vestibular rehabilitation research (2014-2024). Dr. Whitney was identified as the most productive researcher in the field, and this was specifically stated in the main findings of the abstract!

The analysis also found that the United States led the world in vestibular rehabilitation publications, with the University of Pittsburgh ranking first among all institutions for research output. This recognition reflects Dr. Whitney's leadership and impact in vestibular rehabilitation research, education, and clinical practice. Her extensive body of scholarship has shaped clinical practice worldwide, influenced generations of rehabilitation professionals, and helped establish the University of Pittsburgh as a global leader in vestibular rehabilitation research.

๐ŸŽ‰ Congratulations to ๐‘ฒ๐’“๐’Š๐’”๐’•๐’Š๐’ ๐‘น๐’†๐’”๐’”๐’†๐’ and ๐‘ซ๐’“. ๐‘ฑ๐’‚๐’๐’†๐’• ๐‘ญ๐’“๐’†๐’ƒ๐’–๐’“๐’ˆ๐’†๐’“ on their newly published study in Learning Health Systems!Th...
07/30/2026

๐ŸŽ‰ Congratulations to ๐‘ฒ๐’“๐’Š๐’”๐’•๐’Š๐’ ๐‘น๐’†๐’”๐’”๐’†๐’ and ๐‘ซ๐’“. ๐‘ฑ๐’‚๐’๐’†๐’• ๐‘ญ๐’“๐’†๐’ƒ๐’–๐’“๐’ˆ๐’†๐’“ on their newly published study in Learning Health Systems!

Their paper, "The Value and Challenges of Stakeholder Engagement in Rehabilitation Learning Health Systems: A Qualitative Pilot Study of Rehabilitation Directors," explores how rehabilitation leaders view stakeholder engagement and why it matters for building better, more sustainable health systems.

Through focus groups with rehab directors across several health systems, the team identified key themes around how stakeholder engagement supports organizational priorities, sustains relationships, and shapes future goals, while surfacing real challenges in turning engagement into lasting change.

Great work advancing learning health systems research in rehabilitation! ๐Ÿ‘

๐Ÿ“„ Read it here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42254065/

๐‘ซ๐’“. ๐‘ฑ๐’†๐’ ๐‘ฉ๐’“๐’‚๐’„๐’‰ and her colleagues recently published "Change in Walking Cadence as a Digital Outcome Measure of Clinicall...
07/28/2026

๐‘ซ๐’“. ๐‘ฑ๐’†๐’ ๐‘ฉ๐’“๐’‚๐’„๐’‰ and her colleagues recently published "Change in Walking Cadence as a Digital Outcome Measure of Clinically Meaningful Improvement in Gait Speed and 6-Minute Walk Test Distance After a Mobility Intervention in Older Adults" in PLOS One.

The study explores whether walking cadence, which can be captured digitally, can serve as a scalable way to identify which older adults are responding to mobility interventions, offering a promising alternative to in-person assessments like the 6-minute walk test.

Dr. Brach's continued leadership in mobility and aging research is helping expand how we measure meaningful progress for older adults. ๐Ÿ‘

๐Ÿ”— Read it here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42213683/

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