The Impact of Professional Formation on a Journey to Becoming a Leader

Dr. Kim Nixon-Cave is a professor and program director for the DPT Hybrid program at University of Pittsburgh. She has held several faculty appointments with positions including senior faculty, program director and interim chair. Her experience includes curriculum development, for educational graduate and post-professional programs, including masters to Doctor of Physical Therapy curriculum, online transitional DPT programs, and post-professional clinical training programs, residency, and fellowship clinical training programs.
She has served the profession at the national and local level, serving on American Board of Physical Therapist Specialties, American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education, American Council of Academic Physical Therapy and numerous committees, workgroups, and task forces. She has served on the ACAPT National Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Commission and APTA Pennsylvania Chapter Minority Affairs Committee. Dr. Nixon-Cave is currently serving on the board of directors of the American Physical Therapy Association.
She has used her skills as an educator in the clinic environment, developing innovative mentoring programs focused on professional development, clinical reasoning, and patient management. Developed a PT- Clinical Reasoning tool that incorporates the patient/client management and the biopsychosocial model.
Dr. Nixon-Cave is a qualitative researcher with a record of scholarship, publications, and presentations that focuses on clinical decision-making and clinical reasoning addressing the biopsychosocial factors and social determinants of health to develop reflective practitioners.