Joshua Johnson, DPT, PhD

Joshua Johnson, DPT, PhD
Assistant Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, Core Faculty

Joshua Johnson, PT, DPT, PhD is a learning health systems researcher focused on using patient outcomes and clinical process measures to evaluate and improve the value of services provided by rehabilitation clinicians. He collaborates with health system leaders to understand and address priority problems that intersect with rehabilitation practice, particularly within acute and post-acute care settings. He has a primary appointment as Assistant Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy and a secondary appointment in the Department of Population Health Sciences. He is also a Duke Clinical Research Institute member and the Clinical Research Lead for Duke Health’s Department of Rehabilitation. These overlapping roles allow him to engage with students, clinicians, health system leaders, and researchers to advance rehabilitation practice within an increasingly value-focused system. As a member of the DPT faculty, Dr. Johnson co-directs the Foundations of Cardiopulmonary Practice course with Dr. Ashley Poole and contributes to other areas of the curriculum where the content includes components of care design and health policy.

His research has been funded by the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, the Academy of Acute Care Physical Therapy, the Center on Health Services Training and Research, the NIH via the Learning Health Systems Rehabilitation Research Network, the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He is actively engaged in professional affairs. As a member of the APTA, he serves on the Research Committee for the Academy of Acute Care Physical Therapy. He is also a member of the APTA Academy of PT Research and the Academy of Leadership and Innovation, previously serving on the ALI’s Publication Committee. As an American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine member, he serves on the Health Policy subcommittee within the Health Services Research Networking Group. He is also a member of Academy Health, the primary professional association for health services researchers in the United States.

Dr. Johnson received his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Brigham Young University in Utah and his Doctor of Physical Therapy from Arcadia University in Pennsylvania. His PhD training was at the University of Utah. He is completing a graduate Dissemination and Implementation Science certificate from the University of Colorado’s CU Anschutz Medical Campus.