Doug Keskula

Biography

Douglas Keskula, PT, PhD, LAT, ATC joined the Department of Physical Therapy as a full time faculty member in 2020. He came to Western Carolina University in 2013 as Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. Prior to coming to WCU, he was at the Medical College of Georgia for 19 years serving in clinical, faculty and administrative positions. <br> <br>Dr. Keskula received his PhD in Education from the University of Virginia with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction, BS in Physical Therapy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a BS in Education with an emphasis in Athletic Training from the State University of New York at Cortland.<br> <br>Dr. Keskula has more than 27 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member and administrator. He has received numerous awards for excellence, leadership and achievement in education. Dr. Keskula is a Governor’s Teaching Fellow (Georgia), the recipient of the APTA’s Margaret L. Moore Award for Outstanding New Academic Faculty Member, the recipient of the Outstanding Allied Health Educator Award (Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions). <br> <br>Dr. Keskula is an experienced clinician with dual credentials as both a licensed physical therapist and athletic trainer. His orthopedic clinical expertise has been recognized through his experience with a variety of patient populations including amateur, Olympic and professional athletes.<br> <br>Dr. Keskula is a member of the NATA, APTA, Anatomy Educators Special Interest Group of the APTA and is a member of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists. <br>

Education

• Ph D, University of Virginia

Teaching Interests

Dr. Keskula’s primary responsibilities in the DPT curriculum are teaching Clinical Anatomy. He has taught musculoskeletal anatomy as a component of foundational and clinical courses for physical therapy students since beginning his academic career. Recently, Dr. Keskula has participated in the International Clinical Dissection Program at McGill University in Montreal. He has completed <i>Module 3: Limbs and Back</i> and <i>Module 2 the Trunk</i> and plans to complete the complete the sequence with the Head and Neck module during the summer of 2021. Dr. Keskula is a passionate advocate for creating exceptional educational experiences for students.

Research Interests

Dr. Keskula has worked collaboratively with a variety of health care professionals in producing 20 publications in refereed journals and numerous peer-reviewed presentations on clinical, research, and educational topics. Currently, he is working to redefine his line of scholarly inquiry based on his experiences in higher-education administration and teaching clinical anatomy. Topics include: 1) The role administration can plan in faculty development related to pedagogy; 2) How students learn anatomy across professions and formats.