Assistant Professor
University of Pittsburgh
I am a researcher and a physical therapy educator with a specialty in orthopedics. I completed my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) in 2009 at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. My early career was dominated by clinical work with a focus on orthopedic injuries of the spine, shoulder, and knee. Since 2012 I have been the Orthopedics professor at the University of Pittsburgh. My research career began with my observations of unwarranted variations in clinical practice and their cost to the healthcare system. This led me to initiate a PhD with a focus on cost-effectiveness and health outcomes research. In 2018, one of my early publications, Exercise, Manual Therapy, and Booster Sessions in Knee Osteoarthritis: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis from a Multi-center Randomized Clinical Trial examined the cost-effectiveness of different types and the timing of non-surgical interventions for knee osteoarthritis. I completed a PhD in Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Pittsburgh in 2021. My dissertation was completed in 2021 “Choices and Consequences: An investigation into patient choice of provider and provider interventions for low back pain” investigated the influence of the first provider seen for an episode for LBP and subsequent healthcare utilization. In addition to my role at the University, I have a dual role as a Clinical Analyst in the UPMC Health Plan department of Health Economics. In that role I have led and participated on QI and informational projects regarding the treatment of LBP, written and consulted on physical therapy policy and investigated fraud waste and abuse. These projects have informed policy decisions and led to clinical recommendations for our integrated partner, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
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