Barbara Connolly, PT, DPT, EdD, FAPTA, C/NDT received her BS degree in physical therapy from the University of Florida; a DPT degree from the University of Tennessee; an MEd in special education with a minor in speech pathology and an EdD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Memphis. She is Professor Emeritus at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center where she served as Chair of the Physical Therapy Department for 24 years and Dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences for 2 years.
Dr. Connolly is the immediate past President of the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, a foundation dedicated to funding physical therapy research. She served as President of the International Organization of Physical Therapists in Pediatrics, a subgroup of the World Confederation of Physical Therapy from its inception in 2007 until 2015. Currently, she is chair of the Committee for Education for the IOPTP. She also has served on the APTA Board of Directors, on the APTA Pediatric Specialty Council and the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists. She was President of the Section on Pediatrics, APTA from 2002-2006.
Dr. Connolly received the Bud DeHaven Leadership Award, the Research Award and the Jeanne Fischer Distinguished Mentorship Award from the Section on Pediatrics. She is a recipient of the Golden Pen Award from the American Physical Therapy Association for her publications. In 2002, she received one of the highest honors from APTA when she was named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow. In 2014, she received the Marilyn Moffat Leadership Award and in 2016, she received a Lucy Blair Service Award. She is the first author of more than 32 publications in peer reviewed journals, has written 21 book chapters and has coauthored or edited seven textbooks for physical therapists. The 4th Edition of her book, Therapeutic Exercises in the Developmental Disabilities, is due to be published in late 2019. She is certified in NDT and in SI. She continues to provide professional development courses both nationally and internationally.
