Faculty & Staff

Katherine F. Shepard

PT, PhD, FAPTA

Dr. Shepard received a B.S. degree in Psychology from Hood College, a B.S. degree in Physical Therapy from Ithaca College, MA degrees in both Sociology and Physical Therapy and a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education from Stanford University.

Dr. Shepard is currently a Professor emeritus in the Department. She teaches courses in instruction and in qualitative research in Ph.D. programs, as well as advising PhD students. She has taught several courses in qualitative research for the Karolinska Instutet in Stockholm, Sweden, at Lund University in Sweden and at the University of the Witswatersr and in Johannesburg, South Africa. Dr. Shepard has received the APTA Baethke-Carlin Award for Excellence in Academic Teaching.

Dr. Shepard's research interests are in the behavioral science aspects of physical therapy education and practice. Her recent work (with L. Hack, G. Jensen and J. Gwyer) involving the development and nature of expertise in physical therapy practice was funded by the Foundation for Physical Therapy. Dr. Shepard has received the APTA Golden Pen Award for outstanding contributions to the professional journal PHYSICAL THERAPY and has an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Indianapolis, Indiana. She is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Representative publications:

Jensen G, Gwyer J, Hack L, Shepard K. Expertise in Physical Therapy Practice, Boston, MA, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999. Second edition in preparation, expected publication date, 2006.

Ancrum-Small P, Hagan A, Kalbach D, Wagner S, Shepard K. Factors Important in the Physical Therapy Student's Choice of a Physical Therapy Program. Physical Therapy Education 14:9-14, 2000

Jensen G, Gwyer J, Shepard K and Hack L. Expertise in Clinical Practice. Physical Therapy, 80:28-43, 2000.

Roger J, Darfour D, Dham A, Hickman O, Shaubach L, Shepard K. Physiotherapists' use of touch in inpatient settings. Physiother Res Int.7(3):170-86, 2002.

Shepard K and Jensen G, eds. Handbook of Teaching for Physical Therapists, Butterworth-Heinemann, Newton, MA, Revised and expanded 2nd edition, Spring 2002.

Darfour D, Dham A, Kalman O, Roger J, Shaubach L, Shepard K. Physical Therapists' Use of Touch in Rehabilitation Settings. Physiotherapy Research International, 7:170-186, 2002

Gwyer J, Jensen, G, Hack L and Shepard K. Using a Multiple Case Study Design to Develop an Understanding of Expert Practice in Physical Therapy. Chapter in Carpenter C. Evidence-Based Rehabilitations: Informing Practice through Qualitative Research, Harcourt, 2003

Beitman L, Moore V. Dandrea J, Nicolosi J, Rajan S. Shepard K, Nixon-Cave K. Ethnically Diverse Physical Therapy Students: Selection of Physical Therapy as a Career: Selection of and Retention within a Physical Therapy Program. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 2003