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Professor, Department Chair and Program Director, Physical Therapy
University of Dayton
Mary Insana Fisher PT, PhD, Board-certified Clinical Orthopedic Specialist and Certified Lymphedema Therapist, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Dayton. She graduated from Boston University with a Master of Science in Physical Therapy and earned her PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Kentucky. Additionally, she received her initial and advanced lymphedema training at the Foeldi Clinic in Germany. She has more than 30 years of clinical practice experience ranging focused on orthopedics and oncology rehabilitation. She serves on the Miami Valley Hospital Premier Health Oncology Committee, is past Secretary of the Academy of Oncologic Physical Therapy of the American Physical Therapy Association, and is Editor-in-Chief of Rehabilitation Oncology. Dr. Fisher has been teaching physical therapy over 20 years and serves in an advisory capacity to physical therapy and physical therapist assistant programs. Dr. Fisher’s current research interest focuses on oncology rehabilitation in terms of functional return and measurement of patient reported outcomes. She was honored as a Woman of UD in 2022, and presented with the Univeristy of Dayton School of Education and Health Sciences Teaching Award in 2013 and Scholarship Award in 2017, and Service Award in 2020, as well as the Young Alumni Award from the University of Kentucky in 2020, and Academy of Oncologic Physical Therapy President’s Award in 2019 and 2022. Dr. Fisher has earned accolades for her research including the 2022 Academy of Oncologic Physical Therapy Poster Award, 2018 Young Scientist Theater Recognition from the American Occupational Association, and the 2017 New Investigator Poster Award in Cancer Rehabilitation from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. She has presented her work nationally and internationally, and published in such peer-reviewed journals as Rehabilitation Oncology, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal, Physiotherapy Reviews, Physiotherapy Research and Practice, The Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy, The Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, and Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation.