Mark Vorensky, PT, DPT, Ph.D.

Dr. Mark Vorensky is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences at the Rutgers School of Health Professions. He earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy from Ithaca College and his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Sciences from New York University. His clinical training includes completing a Sports Physical Therapy Residency at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Dr. Vorensky is a dual Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in both Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy. He continues to work clinically as physical therapist in outpatient orthopedics. Dr. Vorensky serves as a primary instructor for human anatomy and lectures on persistent pain and pain science education.  As a researcher, Dr. Vorensky leads the Pain Systems Lab, whose overarching mission is to understand, address, and promote equity across the biopsychosocial and socio-ecological dimensions of pain experience. A major initiative of the lab involves understanding and creating targeted interventions to mitigate pain-related stigma.

Central to this work is the active integration of frameworks that engage People with Lived Experience of pain, ensuring collaborative partnerships throughout the scientific process. As an NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) K12 Scholar, Dr. Vorensky utilizes mixed-methods research designs to understand decision-making and clinical biases among physical therapists working with patients experiencing chronic widespread pain. His research investigates how social and contextual factors predict patient-clinician interactions and influence plan of care decision-making, with the goal of improving patient-clinician interactions and advancing health equity for people with persistent pain conditions.