Rate My Professor Alison McKenzie

Dr. Alison McKenzie is a tenured Professor of Physical Therapy in the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at Chapman University, where she has served since 1995, becoming full professor in 2007. She also directs the Anatomy Laboratory operations and holds a Project Scientist appointment in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, Irvine since 2011. McKenzie earned her B.S. in Physical Therapy from the University of Utah (magna cum laude, 1981), M.A. in Anatomy (1987) and Ph.D. in Anatomy with neuroscience concentration (1990) from the University of California, Berkeley, completed postdoctoral fellowship in Anatomy at UC Berkeley and San Francisco (1990-1991), and obtained her transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy from Chapman University (2012). Earlier in her career, she was faculty at UC San Francisco (1987-2008) and practiced clinically as a physical therapist in various settings since 1981, specializing in neurological and musculoskeletal conditions.

Her research focuses on neuroplasticity related to stroke rehabilitation and focal hand dystonia, employing innovative approaches like game-based telerehabilitation, robotic therapy, kinematics, virtual reality, and augmented reality. As director of the Stroke Boot Camp, she leads intensive interventions for chronic stroke survivors, combining patient care with interprofessional education for DPT students. McKenzie has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, including "Identification of Subtypes of Post-Stroke and Neurotypical Gait Behaviors Using Neural Network Analysis of Gait Cycle Kinematics" (2025, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering) and "Marian Diamond: Creator of an enriched environment for future neuroscience educators" (2026, Anatomical Sciences Education, in press). She has garnered significant recognition, such as the APTA Catherine Worthingham Fellowship (2023), CPTA Royce P. Noland Award of Merit (2022), multiple Chapman University Valerie Scudder Awards (1998, 2011, 2015, 2022), Faculty Excellence Awards, and APTA Societal Impact Award (2019). With over 2,600 citations, her work influences stroke recovery and anatomical education fields. McKenzie has taught anatomy and neuroanatomy for over 35 years, mentored thousands, and contributed to curriculum development.