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Education

• BS (1992), Exercise Physiology, University of Massachusetts Lowell

• MS (1994), Physical Therapy, University of Massachusetts Lowell

• ScD (2003), Ergonomics & Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Honors

• 2018 Linda Crane Memorial Lecture Award, Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy

Dr. Sean Collins joined ������Ƶapp in June 2015 as the founding chair and program director to develop and implement the doctor of physical therapy (DPT) program. After successfully guiding the program to initial accreditation, he transitioned from administrative duties in fall 2020 to refocus on teaching, clinical practice, and scholarly inquiry.

Currently pursuing an MBA, Dr. Collins is deepening his understanding in economic analysis and business analytics to enhance the understanding of cost-effectiveness in clinical decision-making. This new focus complements his leadership of the Clinical Inquiry Fellowship (CIF)—an advanced educational initiative dedicated to redefining clinical reasoning within physical therapy. The fellowship challenges traditional evidence-based practice models, integrating insights from critical realism, causal modeling, and interdisciplinary scholarship.

Dr. Collins’ early clinical focus was on cardiopulmonary physical therapy, and over his 30+ year career he has practiced across diverse settings as a clinician, educator, and scholar. His doctoral research on “Job Strain and its Electrocardiographically Assessed Pathophysiological Correlates” combined computational modeling and biostatistical analysis, laying the foundation for his ongoing interdisciplinary exploration of human health, exposure, performance, and disease.

An advocate for intellectual breadth over narrow specialization, Dr. Collins draws inspiration from David Epstein’s Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, a perspective he regularly explores on his —The Peripatetic Physical Therapist—which reflects Aristotle’s philosophy of learning through exploration and inquiry.

Dr. Collins has over 75 publications and presentations and has contributed chapters to foundational texts, including the Acute Care Handbook for Physical Therapists (Cardiac System chapter) and Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy (Cardiopulmonary Anatomy chapter)

He served as editor-in-chief of the Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal (2017–2021) and co-led the development of the APTA Clinical Practice Guideline for Physical Therapy in Patients Following Acute Decompensation for Heart Failure.

In addition to his academic work, his PT practice in the PSU pro bono clinic specializes in dysautonomia and breathing. He is a full-time lifelong learner and a part time amateur woodworker. His current scholarly focus includes writing a forthcoming book, Clinical Physiology: A Muscle-Centered Approach, and leading a project on clinical inquiry that integrates cost-effectiveness analysis into decision-making frameworks for physical therapy.