Evan Nelson, PT, DPT, PhD
Evan O. Nelson is an associate professor in the DPT program, with a joint appointment in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. He joined the program in 2010 and teaches Clinical Medicine I and II (PT 664 and PT 665).
Nelson holds a clinic appointment at University Health Services. He is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Orthopedic, Sports and Research sections, as well as APTA-WI.
Nelson’s research focuses on how running-related injuries affect running ability throughout recovery. The research team he works with developed the University of Wisconsin Running Injury and Recovery Index as the first running-specific patient-reported outcome measure. He also worked with UW Health to innovate the integration of patient-reported outcome measures during physical therapy care.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Luther College in 2004, a doctorate of physical therapy from Duke University in 2007 and his PhD in clinical investigation from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2019.
Nelson received the 2010 APTA-WI Rookie of the Year award, 2012 UW Biologic Sciences Scholar Award, 2019 American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy Excellence in Research Award, 2019 APTA-WI Mentor of the Year Award and 2020 American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy New Investigator Award.