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Welcome to the third edition of the GHSIG Research Spotlight, which highlights recently published articles of interest selected by the GHSIG Research & Publications Committee of the Academy of Leadership and Innovation (ALI).
Article citations are provided along with links to either the publicly available full text article (when available) or to the article abstract. APTA members have access to full-text articles in the Physical Therapy Journal.
Physical therapy-related global health publications from the last ten years addressing the topics below can be found on the publications tab on the ALI-GHSIG webpage.
Please contact Cheryl Kerfeld with suggestions for articles to add to this page.
Visit our our ALI-GHSIG webpage for information, resources and links to the latest edition of this Research Spotlight newsletter and the GHSIG newsletter, The Compass. We also share resources and information on our Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channels.
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Global Health Equity/Health Disparities
1. Conley B, Fary R, Linton J, Toovey R, Lin I. Moving forward together: transforming physical therapy to improve Indigenous peoples’ musculoskeletal health. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2025;55(12):727-730. doi:10.2519/jospt.2025.13737
2. Ha J, Trovato EL. How social determinants of health define the TBI journey. Curr Phys Med Rehabil Rep. 2025;13:37. doi:10.1007/s40141-025-00511-8
3. Martinez M, Baccile R, Johnson J, Falvey J, Peek ME, Arora V, Meltzer D. Disparities in physical function and rehabilitation utilization: a cross-sectional study of patients hospitalized for acute medical illness. J Gen Intern Med. Published online September 18, 2025. doi:10.1007/s11606-025-09826-7
4. Wang A, French D, Black B, Kho AN. Cohort study examining social determinants of health and their association with mortality among hospitalized adults in New York and California. BMJ Public Health. 2025;3(1):e001266. doi:10.1136/bmjph-2024-001266
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Global Health Social Responsibility, Ethics, Advocacy, and Policy
1. Bertoni G, Patuzzo Manzati S, Conti V, Testa M, Battista S. Physiotherapists prioritize compassionate and patient-centered care while navigating systemic constraints and ethical dilemmas in cancer rehabilitation: a mixed-methods study. J Physiother. 2025;71(3):192-199. doi:10.1016/j.jphys.2025.03.007
2. Brown DS, Edmonds C. Challenging anti–diversity, equity, and inclusion laws: a stand for moral courage. J Phys Ther Educ. 2025;39(4):302-308. doi:10.1097/JTE.0000000000000416
3. Almarwani M, Alsadhan E. From concept to practice: integrating contextual factors into neurorehabilitation among physical therapists. NeuroRehabilitation. 2025;57(2):306-318. doi:10.1177/10538135251344927
4. Marmot M, Allen J. Call to action on social determinants of health. BMJ. 2025;389:r886. doi:10.1136/bmj.r886
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Global Health Education and Training
1. Bjork EN, Patel P, Rupal M, Operacz R, Melvey DB, Garcia L III. A model for teaching social determinants of health in Doctor of Physical Therapy programs. Internet J Allied Health Sci Pract. 2025;23(3):14.
2. Cunningham S, Lukin M, Oo HWM, Lowe R, Bachani AM. Bridging the gap: a novel approach to pediatric rehabilitation training in low resource settings. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2025;37(3):310-315. doi:10.1097/PEP.0000000000001201
3. Ross MH, Setchell J. Developing an online education resource to enhance physical therapists’ use of LGBTQIA+ affirming care: a mixed methods study. J Phys Ther Educ. 2025;39(4):320-328. doi:10.1097/JTE.0000000000000394
4. Sidiq M, Chahal A, Sharma J. Disaster competencies among physiotherapists in a conflict-ridden world: an overview of current challenges and future directions. Eur J Physiother. 2025;27(5):328-331. doi:10.1080/21679169.2025.2537440
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Global Health Practice
1. Harutyunyan Z, Gamble A, Barseghyan L, Burger J, Cheatham ML, Gevorgyan L, Marmont L, Morgan C, Paronyan L, Shanmugam M, Skelton P, Surial H, Petrosyan V, Thew S, Vadi R, Willow M, Storozhenko O. Lessons observed from early rehabilitation in the Armenia 2023 emergency response and the emergency medical teams deployment. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2025;19: e296. doi:10.1017/dmp.2025.10228
2. Marengo J, Sutkowi-Hemstreet A, Condran C, Goodman N, Offstein K, Nippins M. Chest binding and the role of the physical therapist: a commitment to care. Phys Ther. 2025;105(12):pzaf132. doi:10.1093/ptj/pzaf132
3. Stickler L, Chesser B, Sander T, Bonhaus K. Implementation of social determinants of health screening in a student-run physical therapy pro bono clinic. J Stud Run Clin. 2025;11(1). doi:10.59586/jsrc.v11i1.538
4. Barth CA, Wladis A, Donovan Hall M, Sadamo FE, O’Sullivan C. Rehabilitation in conflict: a conceptual framework for the rehabilitation sector in fragile settings. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. Published online 2025. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2025.09.006
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Global Health Research Methods and Innovations
1. Borstad AL, Appling SA, Kloos AD, Spangler L, Marc DT. Beyond borders, beneath words: using natural language processing to map student reflections on international service learning to physical therapy values. J Phys Ther Educ. 2025;39(4):339-347. doi:10.1097/JTE.0000000000000399
2. Carp S, Ditwiler R. Ethics in practice: navigating dual roles in research—when patient becomes participant. APTA Mag. November 2025.
3. Patel RM, Rethorn ZD, Bjork EN. Development, content validity, and reliability of the physical therapy social determinants of health scale. J Phys Ther Educ. 2025;39(3):204-213. doi:10.1097/JTE.0000000000000389
4. Schneider H, Weber L. Barriers and facilitators of tele physiotherapy adoption among physiotherapists and patients in low resource settings: a mixed methods study. J Adv Physiother. 2025;2(2):63-72. doi:10.33545/30810604.2025.v2.i2.A.21
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Special thanks to the following ALI-GHSIG Research & Publication Committee members who contributed to this list:
Cheryl Kerfeld, PT, MS, PhD - Research and Publication Committee Chair
Michael Blizniak, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, COMT, CSCS
Thomas Longbottom, PT, DPT, NCS
Justine Dee, PT, PhD
Contact Cheryl Kerfeld with questions
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Mission Statement of the Global Health SIG
We champion global health advocacy through the sharing of resources for
physical therapy practice, education, and research to support equitable access to health care
in partnership with communities worldwide
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APTA Academy of Leadership and Innovation
1818 Parmenter St, Ste 300 Middleton, WI 53562
608-360-6420 www.aptaali.org
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