J. Wesley McWhorter, PT, MPT, PhD, Chair, Department of Physical Therapy at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement award from the Utah Physical Therapy Association for providing decades of education to student physical therapists who now serve across the country providing quality, evidence-based patient care.
“Dr. McWhorter has always been a great proponent of physical therapy,” said Dr. Misti Timpson, faculty in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at RMUoHP. “He has both taught physical therapy and continued to treat patients for 30-40 years and has made the profession better for students, patients, and faculty members. Over the years he has made a significant impact on every person’s life he has touched. He has given back to the profession his whole career.”
One of the biggest impacts McWhorter made, according to Timpson, was helping start three different physical therapy schools – Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Louisiana; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and as program director at RMUoHP. He has been involved with RMUoHP since its very first cohort of physical therapy students.
Dr. McWhorter received his BS and PhD degrees from Brigham Young University and his MPT degree from the U.S. Army-Baylor program in physical therapy. He has served as assistant chief of physical therapy at Darnall Army Community Hospital and has worked in several outpatient clinics specializing in treating patients with orthopedic and sports-related injuries. Dr. McWhorter worked as an Assistant Professor in the School of Allied Health Professions at Louisiana State University Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, for 13 years, serving as the director of the Physical Therapy program for seven years. He has also served on the faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Dr. McWhorter was on the faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he served for 3 years as the director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. His research interests include biomechanics, the effects of verbal motivation on exercise in children, kinesiology of running injuries, and fitness levels of professional students. He teaches research, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, prosthetic and orthotic evaluation and treatment, and exercise physiology. He joined RMUoHP in 2010 as the director of the DPT Program.
Dr. McWhorter has received Teacher of the Year awards on two separate occasions. He currently continues clinical practice with home health and sees patients in the Community Rehabilitation Clinic (pro bono clinic). He is widely published with articles, posters, platform presentations, and book chapters.
