Expert Bio

Dr. Davis received her Bachelors degree in Exercise Science from the University of Massachusetts, and in Physical Therapy from the University of Florida. She earned her Masters degree in Biomechanics from the University of Virginia, and her PhD in Biomechanics from Pennsylvania State University. She is a Professor Emeritus in Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware where she studied the relationship between lower extremity structure, mechanics and injury in runners for the past 20 yrs. Dr. Davis is the Director of the Spaulding National Running Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School. Her current areas of study include mechanical factors in tibial stress fractures and patellofemoral disorders along with the effect of physical therapy interventions such as gait retraining. She is interested in the mechanics of barefoot running and its effect on injury rates, and is a barefoot runner herself. She has received funding from the Department of Defense, Army Research Office and National Institutes of Health to support her research related to stress fractures. She serves as a consultant for patients with lower extremity problems related to overuse. Dr. Davis has given nearly 300 lectures both nationally and internationally and authored over 100 publications on the topic of lower extremity mechanics during running. She has been active professionally in the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Society of Biomechanics, and International Society of Biomechanics. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Society of Biomechanics, and a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. She is a past President of the American Society of Biomechanics. She has organized and coordinated national research retreats on topics of the foot and ankle, anterior cruciate ligament injuries and patellofemoral pain syndrome. She has been featured on ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Discovery, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Parade and Time Magazine.