Rate My Professor Todd Sander

Todd Sander, PT, PhD, AT-Ret, served as Associate Professor, Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, and Director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Grand Valley State University from 2020 to 2025. He holds a B.S. in Sports Medicine from Central Michigan University (1988), a Master of Physical Therapy from U.S. Army-Baylor University (1992), and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Virginia (2003). Prior to joining Grand Valley State University, Sander completed a 30-year career as a Navy physical therapist, encompassing clinical practice, teaching responsibilities, and five years as the Navy Physical Therapy Specialty Leader to the Navy Surgeon General.

Sander's academic interests center on human performance, musculoskeletal injury prevention, management of urgent and emergency conditions in sports, academic performance, biomechanics, rehabilitation, sports injuries, injury prevention, movement analysis, gait analysis, athletic injuries, and strength and conditioning, with scholarship emphasizing graduate student success and the impact of social determinants of health. He teaches courses in musculoskeletal examination, biomechanics, and musculoskeletal small group seminars. Sander is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and APTA Michigan, APTA Academy of Education, APTA Federal Physical Therapy Section, National Athletic Trainers' Association, and Michigan Athletic Trainers' Association. His peer-reviewed publications include "Implementation of Social Determinants of Health Screening in a Student-Run Physical Therapy Pro Bono Clinic" (Journal of Student Run Clinics, 2025), "Does policy that provides choice in athletic footwear affect musculoskeletal injury risk in US Coast Guard recruits?" (BMJ Military Health, 2022), and "On 'Current and Projected Future Supply and Demand for Physical Therapists from 2022 to 2037: A New Approach Using Microsimulation'" (Physical Therapy, 2025).