Rusty Smith
Dr. A. Russell "Rusty" Smith, Jr. has 26 years of clinical practice as a physical therapist. Dr. Smith received his B.S. in Physical Therapy in 1980 from the University of Maryland. In 1991, he was awarded the Master of Medical Science from Emory University with extensive coursework in clinical examination and intervention courses, educational theory, the foundational sciences (including anatomy, neurophysiology and histopathology) and research methods.
In 2000, Dr. Smith joined the faculty at the University of North Florida (UNF) as an assistant professor. He was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2006. Currently, Dr. Smith is the Acting Chair of the Athletic Training and Physical Therapy Department at the Brooks College of Health at UNF.
Dr. Smith completed his Ed.D. degree in educational leadership in 2004 at UNF. His dissertation was "Effect of Interactive Multimedia on Basic Clinical Psychomotor Skill Performance by Physical Therapy Students." Dr. Smith has extensive clinical experience in outpatient orthopedics, acute care, geriatrics, and home healthcare. He has also been involved in occupational health settings, providing clinical care, ergonomic analysis, functional capacity assessment, and prevention programs.
In 1993, Dr. Smith received his American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists (ABPTS) Orthopedic Clinical Specialist Certification with recertification in 2002. He also received certification as a Manual Therapist in 1986 from the Institute of Physical Therapy and was recognized as a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy in 1999.
Since 1987, Dr. Smith has taught continuing education courses to physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners throughout the United States on the examination, evaluation, and clinical management of patients with orthopedic conditions. He has experience as an adjunct instructor at the University of Maryland, Emory University, and the University of Delaware. His research interests include manual therapy, the use of technology in education, clinical reasoning models and clinical outcomes.