Dr. Alicia Emerson is Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at HPU. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Orthopaedics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. Her extensive clinical experience working with complex medical conditions in an underserved patient population combined with her previous educational experience allows Dr. Emerson to provide unique insights and enriched learning experiences to advance her student’s clinical reasoning skills. In addition, she is coordinating the Community Outreach series which will afford students an opportunity to work in the emerging HPU Pro Bono Clinic, and she is also responsible for the Intervention series of courses within the PT curriculum.
Dr. Emerson has mentored numerous fellows-in-training and physical therapy students in the clinic, for which she was twice named one of Chicagoland’s Clinical Instructors of the Year. She is currently the Chair of the Research Committee for AAOMPT, and she has amassed numerous recognitions in clinical practice.
Dr. Emerson’s research interests include the functional implications of pain processing in the management of musculoskeletal conditions, clinical reasoning, and clinical management in patients with chronic and/or complex presentations, as well as working with underserved or marginalized patient populations. Dr. Emerson has presented nationally and internationally as a noted opinion leader in her field, and has made numerous contributions to or authored a wide array of professional and scholarly articles.