Matt Walk

Dr. Matt Walk joined the UIW School of Rehabilitation Sciences faculty full time in 2013. Prior to entering academia Dr. Walk practiced in large urban public health systems in both Houston and San Antonio. In this setting Dr. Walk has been a strong advocate for the inclusion of physical therapy services in primary care settings and he collaborated with an interprofessional team for a pilot program to include physical therapists in urgent care. His clinical experience aligns with his research interests of clinical reasoning, manual therapy, and interprofessional models of care. He has published several-peer reviewed articles and lectured both nationally and internationally on these topics.

Dr. Walk earned his Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Physical Therapy degrees from the University of Missouri in Colombia, MO in 2003. He went on to complete a six-month residency in proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) at the Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center in Vallejo, CA. He spent his early years as a physical therapist working in various states throughout the country as a traveling therapist, before returning to Kaiser Permanente to complete a fellowship in orthopedic manual physical therapy in Hayward, CA. He finished his post-professional Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the University of the Incarnate Word in 2013, before coming on board as faculty with UIW.

• Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Physical Therapy degrees from the University of Missouri in Colombia (2003)
• Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the University of the Incarnate Word (2013)

School of Rehabilitation Sciences

• Physical Therapy Reasoning Committee
• Academic Year 1 Committee
• Student Orientation Committee
• Capstone Research Project Committee
• Student OMT PNF Club Faculty Sponsor
• National Night Out
• Student Retreats

Profession and Community

• American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) member
• Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) member
• TPTA Legislative Day
• Item Writer for the Physical Therapy National Licensure Exam
• Los Quijotes of San Antonio annual health mission trip to Oaxaca Mexico
• UIW Community Clinic
• Interprofessional Health Fairs
• San Antonio Food Bank

School of Rehabilitation Sciences

• • Physical Therapy Reasoning Committee
  • Academic Year 1 Committee
  • Student Orientation Committee
  • Capstone Research Project Committee
  • Student OMT PNF Club Faculty Sponsor
  • National Night Out
  • Student Retreats

Profession and Community

• • American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) member
  • Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) member
  • TPTA Legislative Day
  • Item Writer for the Physical Therapy National Licensure Exam
  • Los Quijotes of San Antonio annual health mission trip to Oaxaca Mexico
  • UIW Community Clinic
  • Interprofessional Health Fairs
  • San Antonio Food Bank

UIW

Physical Therapy Reasoning I and II

Professional Critical Self-Reflection Series

• Denton J, Fike D, Walk ME, Kish J, Gorman I. Construct Validity of the Societal Outreach Scale (SOS) Instrument. Physical Therapy Journal. (in press) 2017.
• Denton J, Fike D, Walk ME, Jackson C. Test-Retest Reliability of the APTA Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core Values Self-Assessment Tool in DPT Students.Journal of Physical Therapy Education. (in press) 2017.
• Dominguez DG, Sanchez-Diaz PC, Fike DS, Ramirez MN, Walk ME. A Pilot Study to Examine the Conflict Handling Preferences of Health Professional Students before and after Participation in an Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) Initiative.Health and Interprofessional Practice. 2016;3(1).
• Denton J, Fike DS, Walk ME. Construct Validity of the Proposed Social Outreach Subset of the Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core Values Self-Assessment Tool. Physical Therapy Journal of Policy, Administration, and Leadership. 2015;15(3):22-31.
• Walk ME, Mehta A, Katipally B, Frei CR, Du L. Integrating a Physical Therapist into the Urgent Care Team: An Administrative Case Study of a Collaborative, Seamless, and Cost-Effective Care Pathway for Neuromusculoskeletal Problems.Physical Therapy Journal of Policy, Administration, and Leadership. 2015;15(2):1-13.
• Walk ME. Chiari Malformation in a Patient Presenting with Knee Pain.Journal of Orthopaedic Sports Physical Therapy. 2008;38(10):646.

• Walk ME, Petersen E, Gonzalez J, Jackson C. Facilitation and Assessment of Clinical Reasoning in 1st Year DPT Students in an Integrated PBL Curriculum. Poster presented at: Education Section of APTA Clinical Reasoning Symposium; July, 2017; Omaha, NE.
• Petersen E, Walk ME, Jensen G. Why Wait for Fellowship Training to Learn How to Reason? Oral presentation at: American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting; February, 2017; San Antonio, TX.
• Brown N, Walk ME, Wagner A. Orthopedic Manual Therapy to Decrease Pain and Improve Sleep in a Geriatric Patient Status Post Hip ORIF: A Case Report. Poster presented at: American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting; February, 2017; San Antonio, TX.
• Denton J, Vallecillos K, Kish JC, Walk ME, Chaudry AN. The Realities of Provision of Pro Bono Services by Physical Therapists: A Combined Quantitative; Qualitative Study. Oral presentation at: American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting; February, 2017; San Antonio, TX.
• Denton J, Fike D, Walk ME. Test-Retest Reliability of the APTA Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core Values Self-Assessment Tool in Doctor of Physical Therapy Students. Poster presented at: Combined Sections Meeting. American Physical Therapy Association; February, 2016; Anaheim, CA.
• Denton J, Walk ME. Construct Validity of a Social Outreach Subset of the Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core Values Self-Assessment Tool. Poster presented at: NEXT Conference; Exposition of the America Physical Therapy Association; June, 2015; National Harbor, MD.
• Walk ME, Denton J. Intervention Strategies to Tip the ICF to Participation in Healthy Life Activities and Wellness. Poster presented at: NEXT Conference; Exposition of the America Physical Therapy Association; June, 2015; National Harbor, MD.

• Sanchez-Diaz PC, Ramirez MA, Dominguez DG, Gottlieb HV, Walk ME, Parker RA. Changes in Conflict Handling Preferences of Health Professional Students: The Impact of an Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice Experience. Oral presentation at: Collaborating Across Borders Conference Series; September, 2015; Roanoke, VA.
• Walk ME, Katipally B, Mehta A, Du L, Frei C. A Physical Therapist Integrated onto the Urgent Care Team. Oral presentation at: All Together Better Health VII: International Conference on Interprofessional Practice and Education; June, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA.
• Kish JC, Walk ME. Manual Therapy in a Patient Status Post Knee Injury with Peroneal Nerve; Vascular Injury: A Regional, Tissue-Specific Approach. Poster presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists Conference; October, 2014; San Antonio, TX.
• Ramirez MN, Walk ME, Garcia DC, Parker RA. Improving Diabetes Outcomes with Interprofessional Teams: A Model for Primary Care. Poster presented at: All Together Better Health VII: International Conference on Interprofessional Practice and Education; June, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA.
• Wagner A, Walk ME. Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Model for Facilitation of Clinical Reasoning in an Entry Level PT Program using Problem Based Learning (PBL). Poster presented at: NEXT Conference; Exposition of the America Physical Therapy Association; June, 2014; Charlotte, NC.
• Mehta A, Walk ME, Katipally B, Du L. Physical Therapy in an Urgent Care Clinic. Poster presented at: American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting; January, 2013; San Diego, CA.