The University’s Office of the Provost has appointed Deborah Givens, the director of the Division of Physical Therapy in the Department of Allied Health Sciences (DAHS), as the inaugural Dr. Margaret Lee Moore Distinguished Professor in Physical Therapy.
About Deborah Givens, PT, DPT, PhD
Givens directs the top-ranked Doctor of Physical Therapy program, in addition to teaching physical therapy residents, fellows, and students in the division. Givens has provided nationally prominent leadership, widespread influence, and outstanding achievements within physical therapy education. Her research interests include low back pain and knee osteoarthritis. She is among a rare group of physical therapists who have held National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding as a principal investigator.
Over her career, she has competed successfully for extramural funding from the NIH, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, the National Science Foundation and various state agencies and foundations. She has an extensive list of peer reviewed publications and national presentations in her areas of research, and in the scholarship of teaching and learning. In addition to her dedication to students as a professor, she is active in both the American Physical Therapy Association and its North Carolina chapter. She is also active in the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy, where she chairs the Research Intensive Programs in Physical Therapy consortium. She has received a host of awards and honors, including faculty teaching, research, and service awards from The Ohio State University. She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the MGH Institute of Health Professions and her PhD in exercise science from the University of Iowa. Additionally, she has spearheaded efforts of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the division, alongside faculty.
About Margaret Moore, PT, EdD, FAPTA
The University recruited Moore to serve as the first chief of physical therapy at North Carolina Memorial Hospital before it opened in 1952. From that time until her retirement in 1979, her advocacy and vision shaped the field of physical therapy. She was a leader in advancing physical therapy curriculum grounded in basic medical sciences and foresaw the need for advanced degrees for physical therapists. Moore pioneered contractual agreements for practicum training of graduates, as well as continuing education programs to enhance skills of clinical preceptors.
As an assistant dean of the UNC School of Medicine, Moore promoted establishment of the Department of Medical Allied Health Professions, now the DAHS. She was also involved in campus-wide University affairs. The distinguished professorship is awarded to a national leader who is actively making contributions to the field of physical therapy.
Moore, PT, EdD, FAPTA, established the distinguished professorship before her death in 2016. Deborah L. Givens, PT, DPT, PhD, joined the University in 2015.