University of Washington, Seattle, WA

 

MS - Exercise Physiology
Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY

ScD - Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Epidemiology
University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA

Teaching Responsibilities
Ergonomics; Critical Inquiry; Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Research Interests: Ergonomic risk factors for health care providers and equipment use in patient handling and movement tasks.  Intervention research and the use of qualitative methods.

Clinical Practice Dr. Rockefeller has more than twenty years experience in physical therapy, ergonomics and public health, and has worked in a number of sports medicine clinics and orthopedic private practices. She spent 10 years as the regional manager of ergonomics for US West Communications (now Qwest), and has designed, implemented, and evaluated a number of large projects and initiatives. She coordinated a four-year study of nursing homes in Washington State funded in part by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Dr. Rockefeller's academic experience includes positions as adjunct faculty at the University of Washington in Seattle and research advisor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. She was also director of a developing Physical Therapist Assistant program at Hesser College in Manchester, New Hampshire. Most recently, Dr. Rockefeller was a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her academic teaching has been in the areas of musculoskeletal physical therapy, athletic training, kinesiology and research methods.

Dr. Rockefeller currently serves as vice president of the Occupational Health & Safety Special Interest Group of the Orthopedics Section of the American Physical Therapy Association.