Elizabeth Wark

Biography

Elizabeth Wark joined the College of Health and Human Sciences at WCU as the Director of Clinical Affairs in the fall of 2013 and joined the physical therapy faculty on a full-time basis in 2018. Before joining WCU, Elizabeth taught in the PT program at the Medical College of Georgia (now Augusta University) and served as the Assistant Dean for Faculty Practice for the College of Allied Health Sciences, creating and operating a non-profit multidisciplinary faculty practice. A PT faculty member since 1995, Elizabeth has had the privilege of working in managerial, administrative, teaching, and consultative roles throughout her career in addition to her clinical background in musculoskeletal, sports, and industrial physical therapy. Elizabeth has been very involved in the physical therapy professional organization, having served on multiple committees, the APTA GA and APTA NC Board of Directors, as Vice President of APTA NC, and most recently as a NC Delegate to the APTA House of Delegates. <br> <br>Elizabeth lives on a beautiful mountain lake west of Cullowhee, and she and her husband Doug love boating, hiking, trips to the beach and especially spending time with their family.

Education

• DPT, Simmons College
• MBA, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• BS, Ithaca College

Teaching Interests

<b>Primary Teaching Responsibilities</b><br><b> </b><br>PT 895 Professional Development I<br>PT 996 Professional Development II<br>PT 997 Professional Development III<br>PT 999 Leadership and Management in Physical Therapy Practice<br>PT 899 Doctoral Project<br>PT 872 Integrated Clinical Education II<br>PT 954 Clinical Reasoning

Research Interests

Dr. Wark’s research involves enhancing the physical therapist-physical therapist assistant relationship in educational and clinical environments, facilitating teaching and learning skills in DPT students, and the application of ethical models of decision making in physical therapy practice. <br> <br><b>Recent Presentations</b><br> <br><b>Wark, E</b>. Ethics in physical therapy practice. Presented at APTA NC Annual Conference, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, October 9^th, 2021.<br> <br>Beck K, Culler J, Knop K, Marziale R, Milschewski A, Speer E, Eckard T, <b>Wark E. </b>Impacting the physical therapy educational environment through service learning and technology. Platform presented at APTA NC Annual Conference, Elon, North Carolina. October 14^th, 2023.