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 Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Central Michigan University (1988), a Master of Physical Therapy from U.S. Army-Baylor University (1992), and a PhD in Education from the University of Virginia (2003). Prior to his appointment at GVSU, Sander had a distinguished 30-year career as a Navy physical therapist, involving extensive clinical practice, teaching, and a five-year role as the Navy Physical Therapy Specialty Leader to the Navy Surgeon General. He also served on the faculty at Central Michigan University.

Sander's academic interests and research specializations include human performance, musculoskeletal injury prevention, management of urgent and emergency conditions in sports, academic performance, graduate student success, rehabilitation, biomechanics, movement analysis, gait analysis, sports injuries, and the impact of social determinants of health. His key peer-reviewed publications feature "Implementation of Social Determinants of Health Screening in a Student-Run Physical Therapy Pro Bono Clinic" (Journal of Student Run Clinics, 2025, co-authored with Stickler LG, Chesser B, Bonhaus K), "Does policy that provides choice in athletic footwear affect musculoskeletal injury risk in US Coast Guard recruits?" (BMJ Military Health, 2022, with Fraser JJ, Pommier R, MacGregor AJ, Silder A), "On 'Current and Projected Future Supply and Demand for Physical Therapists from 2022 to 2037: A New Approach Using Microsimulation'" (2025), "Impact of an Innovative Clinical Internship Model in the US Army-Baylor Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy" (2014), "A Prospective Study of Factors Affecting Recovery from Musculoskeletal Injuries" (2013), and multiple studies on knee joint laxity changes across the female menstrual cycle and sex hormone influences (2002-2006). With more than 700 citations from 22 publications, his research has advanced orthopedic rehabilitation, injury prevention strategies, and clinical education in physical therapy. Sander has delivered presentations at events such as the APTA Combined Sections Meeting (2024) and APTA Michigan Fall Conference (2021, 2024). He maintains memberships in 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.