Catherine L. Curtis, PT, M.A., Ed.M., Ed.D., has more than  35 years of clinical experience specializing in adult neurology working at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains and New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. Prior to joining NYMC, she served as adjunct instructor in clinical physical therapy at Columbia University from 1993 to 2005. 

As part of her academic role at the Columbia, Dr. Curtis developed a distance-based course on human genomics to help students appreciate how genetic factors affect physical therapy practice. Her scholarly interest has focused on the knowledge transfer of genomics and public health concepts into physical therapy clinical practice. Dr. Curtis has presented at national conferences, conducted educational workshops, and published articles and book chapters on this topic. She was an early member of a special APTA-sponsored work group to promote genomics knowledge across the profession. Currently, she plays a leadership role for the Genomics Group of the APTA Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology (FIRST) Council. In addition to her genomics education activity, Dr. Curtis has also conducted research on the effects of exercise on movement coordination and quality of life in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

Since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Dr. Curtis and Dr. Gale Lavinder have led the Global Outreach Community Service Project. Annually physical therapy students collect, repair and organize humanitarian goods, rehabilitation equipment and medical supplies to individuals in the United States and abroad impacted by political unrest or natural disaster. Since 2010, the Global Outreach group has partnered with the AFYA Foundation in Yonkers. Recently, TeamGO was formed and directly shipped humanitarian goods and medical supplies to the island nation of Dominica that was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and further strained by the pandemic.

Clinical Specialty

• 2009-Present Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, White Plains, NY
  
  • Per-Diem Senior Inpatient Therapist 2009 to present
  • Part-Time Senior Outpatient Therapist 2009 to 2019
• 1987-2004 New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
  • Senior Physical Therapist (1987-2004)
  • Physical Therapy Consultant to the Center for Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders (1999-2003)
  • Supervisor Acute Neuro Physical Therapy (1989-1997)
  • Senior Physical Therapist (1987-1989)

Education

• B.S., Physical Therapy, Ithaca College
• M.A., Ed.D., Motor Learning, Teachers College, Columbia University

Honors and Awards

• Inducted to New York Medical College's Alpha Eta Chapter 83 of the Alpha Eta Society for Allied Health Professionals. 4/4/16. 
• 2009 Robert Salant Award, New York Chapter Physical Therapy Association for the presentation Curtis, C. L., Russo, M.T., Bassile, C.C., Cote, L.J. & Gentile, A.M. Effects of Exercise on Balance, Movement Speed, and Functional Mobility in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease.  New York Chapter Physical Therapy Association Annual Conference, Saratoga Springs, NY. 10/24/09. 
• 2008 Stanford Award, Education Section of the APTA. Greenfield, B., Goldberg, A., Wolf, S. & Curtis, C. L. Ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic education for the physical therapy profession. Journal of Physical Therapy Education. 2008;22(1): 4-14. 
• 2002 Golden Synapse Award, Neurology Section of the APTA.  Curtis, C. L., Bassile, C. C., Cote, L. J. & Gentile, A. M.  for the article Effects of Exercise on the Motor Control of Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease: Case Reports.  Published in the March 2001 issue of Neurology Report. 2001;24(1): 2-11.
• 1998 Robert Salant Award of the New York Chapter Physical Therapy Association for the presentation Curtis, C. L., Bassile, C. C., Cote, L. J. & Gentile, A. M.  Exercise Program for Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease: Effects on Functional Ability and Quality of Life at the New York Chapter Physical Therapy Association Annual Conference, Rochester, NY. 10/17/98

Publications

• Shinnick J, Abramowsky CR, Khoshnam N, et. al. "Paracrine Effects of Leydig Cell Nodular Hyperplasia, Two Case Reports: A Neglected Phenomenon." Fetal and pediatric pathology, 35(6), (2016) 392-398.
• Curtis CL, Goldberg A, Kleim JA, et. al. "Translating Genomic Advances to Physical Therapist Practice: A Closer Look at the Nature and Nurture of Common Diseases." Physical therapy, 96(4), (2016) 570-80. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20150112
• Goldberg A, Curtis CL, Kleim JA, et. al. "Linking genes to neurological clinical practice: the genomic basis for neurorehabilitation." Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPT, 39(1), (2015) 52-61. doi: 10.1097/NPT.0000000000000066
• Sarmah S, Muralidharan P, Curtis CL, et. al. "Ethanol exposure disrupts extraembryonic microtubule cytoskeleton and embryonic blastomere cell adhesion, producing epiboly and gastrulation defects." Biology open, 2(10), (2013) 1013-21. doi: 10.1242/bio.20135546
• Fox CW, Xu J, Wallin WG, et. al. "Male inbreeding status affects female fitness in a seed-feeding beetle." Journal of evolutionary biology, 25(1), (2012) 29-37. doi: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02400.x
• Curtis CL, Rees SG, Cramp J, et. al. "Effects of n-3 fatty acids on cartilage metabolism." The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 65(4), (2006) 434.
• Rees SG, Curtis CL, Dent CM, et. al. "Catabolism of aggrecan proteoglycan aggregate components in short-term explant cultures of tendon." Matrix biology : journal of the International Society for Matrix Biology, 24(3), (2005) 219-31.

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Professional Service

• 2005-Present New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY
  • Graduate Professional Program Faculty (2005-present)
    Admissions Committee
    Student Professional Advisor
    Doctoral Project Advisor
  • Course Co-Coordinator (2008-present): Clinical Science in Physical Therapy (PBL) 
  • Co-Advisor Global Outreach Community Service Project - TeamGO (2010-present)
         Collection, repair, and shipping of rehabilitation, medical and humanitarian supplies to individuals in the United States and abroad in need due to conflict or natural
         disaster. Partners have included AFYA Foundation and St John’s Ambulance on the island nation of Dominica  
• 1993-2005 Columbia University, New York, NY
  • Instructor in Clinical Physical Therapy
    Department of Physical Therapy
    Guest lecturer (2011-2018)
    Adjunct Instructor (1996-2005)
    Guest lecturer (1993-1995)
• 1989-2003 Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY
  
  • Seminar instructor of course held in conjunction with Annual Conference in Movement Sciences (2003)
    Co-instructor Tutorial in Motor Control & Motor Learning held in conjunction with the Workshop in Motor Control & Motor Learning (1991) 
  • Discussion group leader for annual conference (1989-2001) 

Memberships and Affiliations

• 2009-Present APTA Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology (FIRST) Council. Genomics Group chaired by A. Goldberg
• APTA Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology (FIRST) Council, Genomics Group (2016-Present)
       Planning Committee for CSM session Personalized Physical Therapy: The Time Is Now! Session featured Eric Green, MD, PhD,
       Director of the Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, and Richard Shields, PT, PhD, FAPTA. Washington, DC. 1/26/19                
• APTA Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology (FIRST) initiative headed by S.L. Wolf. Member of the Genomics Group led by A. Goldberg (2013-2016)
       Planning committee for Continuing Education Series Linking Molecules and Genes to Clinical Practice. Combined Sections Meeting of the APTA Conference,
       San Diego, CA. 1/23/13 
• APTA Staff Work Group on Genetics Education (2009-2013)
       Planning Committee for Continuing Education Series Genomics: Application to Physical Therapy Practice. APTA National Conference, Tampa, FL. 6/7/12

Teaching Responsibilities

• Clinical Science in Physical Therapy II: Neurologic Conditions and Conditions of the Spine. Neurological Clinical Skills Component
• Biomechanical Analysis of Human Gait
• Public Health & Physical Therapy and The Human Genome – Implications for Physical Therapy