Dan Cobian is an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, a faculty member of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program and a research scientist with the Badger Athletic Performance Lab. His current teaching responsibilities include Neuromuscular Mechanics and Control (PT 628), Foundations of Physical Therapy Intervention (PT 534), Current Issues in Rehabilitation Research I and II (PT 641 and PT 643).
Cobian is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (Sports, Orthopedic, and Research sections), the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the American College of Sports Medicine. He practices physical therapy in the Sports Rehabilitation Center at UW Health East Madison Hospital. His clinical specialties include lower extremity musculoskeletal trauma, with an emphasis on knee joint injury and surgery. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (2006).
Cobian’s research focuses on the neuromuscular implications of musculoskeletal trauma, the effects of injury on movement biomechanics, sports performance and function, and how to best prescribe and dose rehabilitation interventions to facilitate improved outcomes and long-term quality of life.
Prior to joining the faculty at UW–Madison, Cobian received a PhD in rehabilitation science from the University of Iowa in 2015, and completed a postdoc position in the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at UW–Madison in 2016. He was a graduate of the inaugural Doctor of Physical Therapy class at UW–Madison in 2010 and earned a bachelor of science degree in biology and kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2006.
Cobian received the 2023 American Physical Therapy Association – WI Mentor of the Year Award.