Professor
Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences
Program: Physical Therapy (DPT)
Administrative Title: Chair
Phone: (973) 972-2371
Email: kirschna@shp.rutgers.edu

Office location:
65 Bergen Street, Rm 718B
Newark, NJ 07107

About

Nancy Kirsch received her PT degree from Temple University, her Masters degree in Health Education from Montclair University, her PhD in health sciences concentration in ethics from Rutgers University (formally UMDNJ) and a DPT from Massachusetts Institute of Health Professions(MGH). She also has a certificate in Health care Administration from Seton Hall University, a certificate in Biomedical Ethics from Georgetown University and completed the ACUE Effective Teaching Practices course.

She is currently the Vice Chairperson for Administration of the Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences Department and the and Director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Programs at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Nancy is currently a member of the New Jersey Board of Physical Therapy Examiners and President of the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.

Nancy has been active in the American Physical Therapy Association since she was a student, She was President of the NJ Chapter and chief delegate and served a five year term on the APTA Ethics and Judicial Committee, including a term as chairperson and a three year term on the Reference Committee including a term as chairperson. She recently served the national association as a member of the ethics document revision task force, and Scope of Practice and Imaging Task Forces most recently serving on the Task Force to review the Clinical Education Task Force Report and the CAPTE Standards and Required Elements Revision Task Force.

She was awarded the APTA Lucy Blair Service Award in 2006 and became a Catherine Worthingham Fellow in 2014. She received the Outstanding Service Award and President’s Award from FSBPT. She received the Distinguished Professional Award from the New Jersey Chapter of the APTA in 2017.

Dr. Kirsch writes a monthly column about ethics in the APTA publication PT in Motion called Ethics in Action and recently published a textbook entitled Ethics in Physical Therapy: A Case Based Approach.

Education

B.S., Temple University
M.A., Montclair State University
Ph.D., PT, UMDNJ-SHRP
DPT, Massachusetts General Hospital Institute Health Professions

Professional Achievements

International Physical Therapy Regulatory Authorities (INPTRA)Outstanding Service Award, Research Committee, 2019
Professional of the Year: NJ Chapter APTA,  2017
Fellow APTA,  2014
Lucy Blair Service Award,  2006
Master Educator Guild,  2006
FSBPT Service Award,  2003

Research

My research interests center around providing safe and effective physical therapy care to patients. This includes professional growth, ethical behavior and risk based regulation

Current Projects

Exploration of the role of engagement in minimizing risk
Development of tools to measure risk in practitioners
Studies of ethical decision making in practitioners

Publications