Beth Linker, a former physical therapist turned historian, is the Samuel H. Preston Endowed Term Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Renowned for her insightful works on rehabilitation and disability, her latest book, Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, delves into the historical fears surrounding poor posture in the 20th century.

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Beth Linker, a former physical therapist, is the Samuel H. Preston Endowed Term Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of the History and Sociology of Science. She is the author of War’s Waste: Rehabilitation in World War I America (Chicago, 2011) and co-editor of Civil Disabilities: Citizenship, Membership, and Belonging (Penn Press, 2014). Her most recent book, Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America (Princeton University Press, 2024), is a historical consideration of how poor posture became a feared pathology in the United States throughout much of the twentieth century. For this project, Linker received grants from The American Council of Learned Societies, The National Endowment for the Humanities, The National Institutes of Health, and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Dr. Sarah Caston, an Associate Professor at Emory University’s Division of Physical Therapy, integrates her clinical expertise with a profound commitment to ethical practices. Having completed a Master’s degree in Bioethics, she emphasizes the critical role of ethics in enhancing patient and clinician well-being.

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Dr. Sarah Caston is physical therapist who is board- certified neurologic and geriatric PT.  She is an Associate Professor within  Emory University’s Division of Physical Therapy. Dr. Caston received her BS in Rehabilitation Science from University of Pittsburgh in 2008 and her DPT in 2011 from Emory University. She recently completed a Master’s degree in Bioethics and Emory’s Center for Ethics. Dr. Caston’s passion for ethics in physical therapy was cultivated as a clinician where she witnessed both the gifts and limitations of the biomedical approach to care, and grew at the intersections of humanism justice and a desire for greater flourishing for patients and clinicians.

Alyssa Mitchell Gibbons, Ph.D., is an associate professor of industrial/organizational psychology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. Dr. Gibbons’ research interests include safety culture, occupational health, and leadership development. Dr. Gibbons’ research has appeared in journals including Journal of Management, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Human Performance, Human Resource Management Review, International Journal of Selection and Assessment and Industrial/Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice. Dr. Gibbons received her doctorate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  

Dr. Rebecca Edgeworth Ditwiler, an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida, is a board-certified orthopaedic specialist in physical therapy. With a PhD in Ethical Leadership, her research and teaching focus on ethics, professionalism, and leadership in the field. She also serves on the APTA Ethics and Judicial Committee.

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 Rebecca Edgeworth Ditwiler, PT, DPT, PhD is an Associate Professor and board-certified orthopaedic specialist in physical therapy. She is a practicing physical therapist and educator in the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Dr. Ditwiler is DPT Curriculum Coordinator and oversees interprofessional education in that role.  Becca Ditwiler received her DPT from Washington University in St. Louis in 2011 and completed a BS in Movement Science from the University of Michigan. Becca also completed a PhD in Ethical Leadership with a focus in higher education. Her research focuses on ethics, professionalism, and leadership. Dr. Ditwiler has also participated in clinical research and clinical service throughout her career.  She currently serves on the APTA Ethics and Judicial Committee and is an active member of the Florida Physical Therapy Association. She is part of USF’s Academy of Distinguished Educators.

Bernardine Spaulding Evans (She/Her/Hers) is a dedicated Clinical Assistant Professor at Howard University with over 30 years of experience in treating neurological disorders. She has served on the Board of Physical Therapy in DC for the past eight years, is a board member of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), and the Vice Chair of the PT Compact's Education and Outreach Committee.

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Bernardine Spaulding Evans (She/Her/Hers) is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Howard University in Washington, DC. She began her academic career at Montgomery College's PTA program, teaching neuro-techniques for six years before joining Howard University's DPT program. She later became the Program Director of the physical therapy department and now teaches in the Department of Radiation Therapy.

Dr. Evans chairs the licensing Board of Physical Therapy in the District of Columbia and serves on the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. She is also Vice Chair of the PT Compact's Education and Outreach Committee and has chaired its compliance committee. At Howard University, she is a member of the College Grievance committee and an alternate delegate for the Faculty Senate.

With over 30 years of clinical experience, Dr. Evans specializes in treating Traumatic Brain Injury and progressive brain disorders. She is a Board-Certified Specialist in Geriatrics and a published researcher in Geriatric Neurology. Her current research focuses on comparative anatomy and oncology. Dr. Evans has spoken at the FSBPT's annual education conference and the NICHD Eunice Kennedy Shriver international conference at NIH.

She also coordinates and serves on the board of Howard University’s Pro Bono Clinic, providing outreach primarily for Spanish-speaking populations in the District of Columbia.