In her remarks, Dusing emphasizes the need for a greater interaction between research, clinical practice and education to ultimately improve patient care outcomes and propel the profession forward.

BY JOHN HOBBS MA ’14

Sykes Family Chair in Pediatric Physical Therapy, Pediatric Health and Development Stacey Dusing delivered the 28th annual John H.P. Maley Lecture last month at the American Physical Therapy Association Leadership Congress in Washington, D.C. 

In her speech, titled “Igniting the Fire of Discovery: Creating Partnerships Between Research, Education and Practice,” Dusing addresses the chasm between scientific discovery and its implementation in the clinical setting. 

Citing the statistics that only 1 in 5 evidence-based interventions makes it to routine clinical practice and that only 20 to 50 percent of healthcare practices are based on best available evidence, Dusing, a self-described clinician-scientist, makes an impassioned plea to change the way we educate the next generation of physical therapy practitioners to translate research into clinical applications. 

Dusing said the profession needs to take “a big hard look at how we’re training professionals.” 

“I would challenge us to think outside of just how we’re preparing our professionals to provide services in physical therapist practice and to look at the research areas,” she said. 

“If we’re looking for knowledge translation to happen who do we expect to be translating that knowledge,” she questioned. 

Dusing finished the lecture with a challenge: “Are you interested in changing the course of history by bringing research and practice together to improve knowledge translation, improve our educational system and ensure that we have faculty and research with which to demonstrate both our efficacy as a profession but also to continue to grow as a profession?”

Dusing was awarded the John H.P. Maley Lecture Award at last year’s APTA Honors and Awards Program. The award honors an APTA member who has demonstrated clinical expertise and significant contributions to the physical therapy profession. 

“I am incredibly honored to have been nominated for this award,” Dusing said, at the time. “I am grateful for the opportunity to share my passion for the coalescence of research and practice in the field of physical therapy when I give the lecture.”

Dusing joined the USC faculty in 2020. She is an associate professor at the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy and the director of USC’s Motor Development Lab. 

Photo: American Physical Therapy Association 2023