Rate My Professor Thomas Mayhew

Thomas P. Mayhew, PT, PhD, FAPTA, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University’s College of Health Professions, where he has been a faculty member since 1985. He holds an affiliate appointment in the School of Medicine’s Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology. Mayhew served as Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy from 2002 to 2012 and currently directs the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. He teaches Gross Anatomy and Neuroanatomy to physical therapy students. Licensed as a physical therapist since 1983, he has practiced in various clinical environments, including rural acute care settings, home health, skilled nursing facilities, spinal cord rehabilitation, and outpatient orthopedics. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Anatomy and Physical Therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University (1991), an M.H.S. in Health Science from Washington University in St. Louis (1984), a B.S. in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis (1983), and a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from the State University of New York at Buffalo (1979).

Mayhew’s research interests focus on educational issues related to determinants of program success and licensure outcomes for DPT students. Key publications include "Intertester reliability of judgments of the presence of trigger points in patients with low back pain" (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 1992), "The effect of lumbar support belts on isometric force production during a simulated lift" (Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 1995), "Performance characteristics of the Kin-Com dynamometer" (Physical Therapy, 1994), and participation in the CINRG randomized controlled trial of creatine and glutamine in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Annals of Neurology, 2005). As a Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (FAPTA), he has contributed significantly to physical therapy education through leadership roles and scholarly activities at VCU over nearly four decades.