Duke Doctor of Physical Therapy faculty members Amy Pastva, PT, MA, PhD, and Corey Simon, DPT, PhD, has been appointed as members of the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI). They will serve as faculty in DCRI's Musculoskeletal and Surgical Sciences (MASS) Therapeutic Area.
Steven George, PhD, PT, FAPTA, is the Therapeutic Area Lead for MASS. He is an associated Doctor of Physical Therapy faculty member and Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor and vice-chair of Research for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
DCRI unites the clinical expertise and academic leadership of a premier teaching hospital with the capabilities of a full-service contract research organization. Dr. Pastva and Dr. Simon will help transform practice and improve patient outcomes in the musculoskeletal and surgical sciences, joining a unit with rich experience in traditional and pragmatic clinical trials, observational studies, and secondary analyses.
"Having Dr. Pastva and Dr. Simon appointed as members of the DCRI is evidence of the strong research impact Duke DPT faculty are making in the University community and nationwide," said W. Todd, Cade, PT, PhD, division chief of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Division.
- Amy Pastva, PT, MA, PhD, is a professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and serves as director of research for the DPT program. She also holds faculty appointments in cell biology, medicine, and population health sciences departments. She is an expert in physical rehabilitation, exercise physiology, and cellular and molecular physiology, making her a strong research partner on projects that involve physical activity and exercise interventions, especially for medically complex and older adults with multiple chronic conditions and serious illnesses such as heart failure, stroke, respiratory failure, and cancer. A senior fellow in the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, her work across pragmatic and explanatory multisite clinical trials has been funded by international entities, the National Institutes of Health and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
- Corey Simon, DPT, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Duke Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, a senior fellow in the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and on the Duke Center for Geriatric Surgery faculty. Dr. Simon's research aims to develop multimodal bio-behavioral interventions to ameliorate the global disability crisis among older adults with persistent pain. His principal work as an NIA K76 Beeson Scholar investigates the extent to which stress and pain interface to create intrusive thoughts; and, in turn, facilitate maladaptive coping behavior like physical activity avoidance. Additionally, Dr. Simon is a co-investigator on an NIA mechanistic study of motor control and pain in older adults; and an NCCIH pragmatic cluster-randomized trial embedded in eight VA health systems to improve pain management for Veterans with low back pain.
DCRI was reorganized in 2016 and created the MASS Therapeutic Area under the leadership of Dr. George. Faculty have experience in physical therapy, chiropractic, urology, epidemiology, general surgery, emergency medicine, transplant surgery, physiology, and orthopaedic surgery.
DCRI, the world's largest academic clinical research organization, conducts innovative research to share knowledge that improves health worldwide. Clinician scientists lead projects grounded in patient care which helps to inform their research, and staff support these efforts with deep expertise in operationalizing global studies.