APTA Podcasts

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Editorial Board Member John Heick, PT, DPT, PhD, talks with Bahar Shahidi, PT, DPT, PhD, about her recently published study that found that exercise-based rehabilitation results in the same magnitude of improvement in patients with radiographically mild, moderate, or severe stenosis. They discuss how imaging influencesclinical decision-making, why clinicians may...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping healthcare, but what does that mean for physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and patient care? Learn how AI is being used to reduce administrative burden, improve documentation and billing workflows, identify payment trends, and help clinicians spend more time focused on patient care.  Listen to the full conversation between APTA Vice Pre...

As healthcare increasingly moves toward alternative payment models, or APMs, physical therapists need to be able to measure the impact, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of their care.   In this episode, Alice Bell, PT, DPT, APTA health policy and payment senior specialist, and Chris Carlin, OTR/L, MBA, vice president of operations for the Hartford HealthCare Community Network, discuss the AP...

In 2015, France implemented a major reform to physical therapist education by extending programs from three years to five years and by revising the curriculum to embed evidence-based practice in clinical training. Listen as Associate Editor Jason Beneciuk, PT, DPT, PhD, MPH, talks with Vincent Fontanier, PhD, about his recently published study, which examined the impact of the reform and the chang...

Medicare policy changes can affect how physical therapist services are valued, paid for, and delivered. In this episode, APTA staff experts Rachel Miller, MPH, and Andrew Amari, JD, help listeners understand what is at stake in the proposed 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which provisions matter most for the profession, and how timely member comments can help shape final policy. Learn more: ...

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Steven George, PT, PhD, FAPTA, talks with Amit Kumar, MPH, PhD, about his recently published study, which used longitudinal data from more than 4,000 community-dwelling older adults to examine whether gait speed and hand grip strength can help identify who is at higher risk for hospitalization and mortality. The study focuses on older adults with...

For many clinicians, rehabilitation and performance are treated as separate phases of care. In this episode of the APTA Podcast, renowned physical therapist, athletic trainer, and educator Sue Falsone, PT, ATC, MS, shares her belief that the most meaningful patient outcomes happen when PTs understand how to bridge the gap between the two.   Drawing on her experience working with elite athletes, in...

Getting into DPT school is a major milestone — but it’s only the beginning. In this episode of the APTA Podcast, Noah Ackerman, Ida Hoxha, and Melissa Dreger, PT, DPT, MA, share what it really takes to move from acceptance to confidence as a Doctor of Physical Therapy student. Whether you're preparing to start or already navigating your program, this conversation offers practical strategies to hel...

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Steven George, PT, PhD, FAPTA, talks with Kathleen Mangione, PT, PhD, FAPTA, about receiving the 2026 Jules M. Rothstein Golden Pen Award for Scientific Writing for her notable research career. TheRothstein Golden Pen Award recognizes an author who has demonstrated superior writing skills in one or more articles published in PTJ: Physical Therapy...

Physical therapists often enter the profession to help patients — but many also aspire to have greater autonomy, flexibility, and ownership over their careers. In this episode of the APTA Podcast, entrepreneur, business coach, author, and physical therapist Danny Matta, PT, DPT, joins APTA's Alicia Hosmer, CME, AAiP, and Drew Contreras, PT, DPT, to share practical lessons from his journey from U.S...

In this episode of the APTA Podcast, John Gallucci Jr., PT, DPT, ATC, MS, president and CEO of JAG Physical Therapy and associate chief medical officer for Major League Soccer, explores the unique physical demands of soccer for athletes of all levels. With the 2026 men’s World Cup underway, Gallucci draws on his extensive experience with elite athletes, while also offering guidance for physical th...

Join Editor-in-Chief Steven George, PT, PhD, FAPTA, as he talks with Alyson Cavanaugh, PT, DPT, PhD, MPH, and Micah Wong, PT, DPT, about their recently published scoping review. The review mapped the current literature on the implementation of primary care physical therapy and found that integrating physical therapists in primary care may result in reduced healthcare utilization with similar patie...

Two students. One lobby day. A meaningful impact that reached the state legislature.  In this episode, discover how DPT students Ally Clark and Brian Pham turned preparation into opportunity — earning an invitation to testify after APTA Virginia’s Lobby Day. Joined by VCU faculty members Alicia Flach, PT, DPT, EdD, and Katie Shaab, PT, DPT, PhD, along with APTA Virginia President Emily Hawkins, PT...

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, editorial board member Christopher Bise, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, talks with Katie O’Bright, PT, DPT, OCS, Evan Kelley, PT, DPT, and Micah Wong, PT, DPT, about the 2025 primary care physical therapy consensus definition from the APTA Federal Primary Care Special Interest Group. The authors discuss primary care physical therapy as an emerging area of practice and expla...

Kelly Roberts Lane, PT, DPT, APTA Minnesota’s lead representative for the Special Olympics USA Games, and Drew Contreras, PT, DPT, APTA vice president of strategic affairs, dive into APTA’s partnership with the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota. From how the partnership came together and will bring national awareness to the profession, to the many ways you can volunteer and make an impa...

Ash James, director of practice and development at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in the United Kingdom, joins APTA Vice President of Strategic Affairs Drew Contreras, PT, DPT, for a conversation on how artificial intelligence is shaping physical therapist practice — and how it could continue to evolve in the future. James shares lessons learned from the creation of CSP’s AI principles, as...

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Sandy Willett, PT, PhD, Elena Donoso Brown, OT/L, and Regina Harbourne, PT, PhD, FAPTA, define intervention fidelity, discuss its importance in bridging the gap between research and clinical practice, and highlight what clinicians and researchers can do in the future to make fidelity feel practical.   Willett, Donoso Brown, and Harbourne are co-authors of the ar...

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Sandy Willett, PT, PhD, Elena Donoso Brown, OT/L, and Regina Harbourne, PT, PhD, FAPTA, define intervention fidelity, discuss its importance in bridging the gap between research and clinical practice, and highlight what clinicians and researchers can do in the future to make fidelity feel practical.   Willett, Donoso Brown, and Harbourne are co-authors of the ar...

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Sandy Willett, PT, PhD, Elena Donoso Brown, OT/L, and Regina Harbourne, PT, PhD, FAPTA, define intervention fidelity, discuss its importance in bridging the gap between research and clinical practice, and highlight what clinicians and researchers can do in the future to make fidelity feel practical.   Willett, Donoso Brown, and Harbourne are co-authors of the ar...

In this APTA Podcast episode, Vice President of Strategic Affairs Drew Contreras, PT, DPT, and Senior Director of Brand Strategy Alicia Hosmer discuss the partnership between APTA and the National Strength and Conditioning Association with NSCA Board members Jaynie Bjornaraa, PT, PhD, and Antonio Squillante, PhD. The partnership was announced at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim, Calif...

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Steven George, PT, PhD, FAPTA, talks with Madeline Ratoza, PT, DPT, PhD, Rupal Patel, PT, PhD, and Julia Chevan, PT, DPT, PhD, who used a cross-sectional geographic information systems approach across census tracts and licensure records to look at rehabilitation provider availability in Texas. Their study found that availability varies dramatical...

APTA President Kyle Covington, PT, DPT, PhD, is joined by three fellow members of the APTA Board of Directors to discuss APTA’s Strategic Framework for 2030 . They share details on the three interconnected priorities that APTA believes will shape the next generation of physical therapy: advancing our payment, empowering our members, and evolving our practice. 

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Steven George, PT, PhD, FAPTA, talks with Katrina Monroe, PT, PhD, about her recently published study, which tracked physical therapist-patient conversations over a six-week care period and found that consistently responding to patients’ emotional cues was associated with lower pain intensity. George and Monroe discuss what empathy looks like dur...

In this episode, APTA Vice President of Advancement Carmen Elliott sits down with Milly Polovich, a former patient of the pioneering Black physical therapist Vilma Evans.   Together, they discuss Evans\' life, legacy, and barrier-breaking career, which helped open the door for future Black clinicians. Polovich also recalls her time spent with Evans in the 1950s, when Evans helped her regain mobili...

In this episode, ethics experts discuss the development of the  Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapy Profession , which went into effect Jan. 1, 2026.  Members of the APTA Ethics and Judicial Committee and the Ethics Task Force break down what the code means for both everyday practice and the future of the profession. Plus, learn how the code was modernized to help PTs, PTAs, and students make...