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FACULTY

Pamela Mikkelsen, PT, DPT, OCS

Pamela Mikkelsen portrait
FACULTY PROFILE

Assistant Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy

MAILING ADDRESS

Engemann Health Center
1031 W. 34th Street, Suite 450,
Los Angeles, CA 90089-3261

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS

Dr. Pamela Mikkelsen currently teaches movement analysis and biomechanics for the entry level Doctor of Physical Therapy program. As a board certified orthopedic clinical specialist, she practices physical therapy on USC’s University Park Campus specializing in treatment of orthopedic concerns and specifically, those affecting performing artists. She also practices at Keck Hospital of USC treating inpatient wound care and acute care.

Dr. Mikkelsen is a mentor and clinical instructor for DPT students with an interest in guiding clinical pattern recognition and individual treatment plan development. She is a consultant for musculoskeletal health and performance for a local dance company and provides in-services to local dance studios and online resources to further the health and safety of performing artists. Dr. Mikkelsen has been invited to speak at local and national conferences.

Her research interests include biomechanics and injury risk of dancers including external factors. Her latest research was an investigation of the changes in kinetics and kinematics seen when performing a dance task in heeled shoes compared to barefoot conditions.
She is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science and the American Physical Therapy Association with membership in the Orthopedic, Research, and Clinical Electrophysiology and Wound Management

EDUCATION
  • Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency, Cedars Sinai, California, 2017
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, 2014
  • Bachelor of Science in Biology, University of California at Riverside, 2007
  • Bachelor of Arts in Dance, University of California at Riverside, 2007

 

See Pamela Mikkelsen’s curriculum vitae.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
  • Mikkelsen P, Jarvis DN, Kulig K. (2018). Heeled Shoes Increase Knee Work Demand During Repeated Hopping in Dancers. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 33(4), 243-250. https://doi.org/10.21091/mppa.2018.4036 

  • Shih HJS, Jarvis DN, Mikkelsen P, Kulig K. (2018). Interlimb Force Coordination in Bipedal Dance Jumps: Comparison Between Experts and Novices. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 34(6), 462-468. https://doi.org/10.1123/jab.2017-0216