Mark L. Paterson, DScPT, MPT, OCS, CFMT

Affiliated Programs

• Physical Therapy (DPT)

Education

• DSc, Physical Therapy (2019)
  Andrews University (MI)
• MPT, Physical Therapy (1993)
  Drexel University (PA)
• BS, Biology (1989)
  Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick (NJ)

About Me

I am a clinical associate professor for the College of Health and Human Services and a licensed physical therapist. Pursuing excellence in clinical care the first 19 years of my career, I attained board certification as an orthopedic clinical specialist as well as certification in manual therapy. The latter part of my clinical career focused on clinical education- which evolved into my current faculty position at Widener University where I teach throughout the musculoskeletal thread of the DPT curriculum. While at Widener, I earned a Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy degree from Andrews University and also have an entry level Master of Physical Therapy degree from Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) and a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University.

I enjoy serving the student-run Chester Community Clinic in the roles of faculty supervisor liaison, advisory board member, clinic supervisor and, more recently, as telehealth supervisor. It has been a pleasure serving the Chester community – collaborating interprofessionally on the integration of occupational therapy, clinical psychology and social work services. As Widener’s College of Health and Human Services grows, I am excited to be a part of this growing interprofessional venture. In my home state of Delaware, I continue to provide clinical care in an outpatient orthopedic setting.

Research Interests

My research agenda has two areas of focus. First, I am interested in the concept of functional core stability. There are no gold standards of how to measure this concept, and I and am researching the clinimetrics of one such test. Second, I am interested in the student-run pro bono clinic model and how it can be an extremely valuable part of student education- particularly in the areas of interprofessionalism and clinical education.

Media Expertise

• Low back pain/injury
• Thoracic cage pain/injury
• Cervical pain/injury
• Manual physical therapy
• Core strength evaluation/training
• Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)

Publications

• Paterson, ML, Black, J, Boyer, B, Lawless, K, Flanigan, A, Eludji, K., Hofmann, R (2018). Incorporating Student-Run Psychology Services in a Physical Therapy Student-Run Pro Bono Clinic. Free Clinic Research Collective, 4, 1-7.
• Wellmon RW, Gulick DT, Paterson ML, Gulick CN. Validity & Reliability of Two Goniometric Mobile Apps: Device, Application & Examiner Factors. Accepted for publication, J Sport Rehabil.
• Gulick, D.T., Paterson, M. Kinesiology in Action. F.A. Davis Publishing. Online Kinesiology Resources for Educators. March 2014

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT)