R. Barry Dale, DPT, PhD, MBA, has been named chair of the Department of Physical Therapy for the College of Health Professions at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He will begin his role July 30.
“Dr. Dale brings significant experience to our college,” said Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM, dean of the UTHSC College of Health Professions. “He is passionate about students and taking the training of Physical Therapy students to higher levels of excellence at UTHSC. He will provide outstanding energy for reshaping the Department of Physical Therapy and elevate its national visibility, clinical impact, teaching prominence and research productivity. We are delighted to recruit a leader of the caliber of Dr. Dale to our college.”
“The UTHSC Department of Physical Therapy is a proud and storied program with excellent faculty, students, and staff,” Dr. Dale said. “It is humbling to be a part of it. I am really looking forward to working with the faculty, students, and staff to continue the quest for programmatic excellence.”
A nationally recognized leader in physical therapy, Dr. Dale joins UTHSC from the University of South Alabama, where he served as professor, department chair, and program director of the Department of Physical Therapy with expertise in Orthopedics, Sports, and Kinesiology.
Dr. Dale’s clinical expertise and research focuses on experimental sports-related and orthopedic areas of tendinopathy, rotator cuff fatigue, kinematics and kinetic analysis pertaining to the lumbar spine and thermoregulation. He has contributed to multiple textbook chapters pertaining to orthopedic and sports rehabilitation, exercise physiology and motor control. An active researcher, Dr. Dale has published 33 peer reviewed publications and has presented his research nationally and internationally.
Dr. Dale is certified as a Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist (CMTPT), Orthopedic Certified Specialist (OCS), and as a Sports Certified Specialist (SCS). In addition, he is Athletic Trainer Certified (ATC) and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).
Dr. Dale earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Alabama and a master’s in Education in Exercise Science from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He earned his PhD in Kinesiology with a specialization in Exercise Physiology from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from University of Tennessee, Chattanooga; and his MBA from the University of South Alabama.
“One facet of my role will be supporting student and faculty growth so that we may lead PT education in Tennessee, the region, and the nation,” Dr. Dale said. “Our department has a strong reputation, and we will only be getting better with time.”