From Heels to Flats: Caring for Your Feisty Feet

Guest Bio: Dr. Irene Davis

Dr. Irene Davis is a Professor in the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science in the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida. Prior to this, she was the founding Director of the Spaulding National Running Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Davis received her Bachelor of Science 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 Ph.D. in Biomechanics from Pennsylvania State University.

She is a Professor Emeritus in Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware where she served on the faculty for over 20 years. Her research is focused on the relationship between lower extremity structure, mechanics, and injury. Her research also extends to the development of interventions to alter faulty mechanics through gait retraining. She has been studying the use of wearable sensors in both the evaluation and treatment of injured runners. Her interests also include the effect of minimal footwear on mechanics and injury.

Dr. Davis has received funding from the Department of Defense, and the National Institutes of Health to support her research. She has given over 350 lectures both nationally and internationally and authored 160 publications on the topic of lower extremity mechanics during walking and running gait. She has been named one of the 50 Most Influential People in Running. She is a Fellow and Past President of the American Society of Biomechanics, and the 2019 ASB Borelli award winner. She is also a Fellow, past Vice President, and current President-Elect of the American College of Sports Medicine. Finally, she is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association.