BACKGROUND
Dr. Joseph Leech earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2007. He subsequently earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 2010. Dr. Leech returned to USAHS to advance his manual physical therapy skills and successfully achieved his Manual Therapy Certification (MTC) in 2013.
After practicing exclusively in the outpatient primary care setting for 3 years, he became a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedics (OCS) through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) in 2014. He later completed a 3-year fellowship in orthopaedic manual physical therapy through Evidence in Motion and became a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT) in 2016. He has experience in the acute/critical care, home health, subacute inpatient rehab, and outpatient orthopaedic settings. Dr. Leech is currently pursuing his PhD in physical therapy through Texas Woman’s University with a proposed research emphasis in musculoskeletal physical therapy and clinical reasoning facilitation in entry-level, residency, and fellowship training.
Dr. Leech is a core musculoskeletal faculty member on the Austin campus, teaching in both the entry-level residential and Flex programs. He is also one of the Academic Coordinators of Clinical Education for the terminal clinical internships. His clinical and research interests include the conservative management of spinal pain, chronic pain conditions, and the application of a biopsychosocial model in the rehab setting.
Dr. Leech has been an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) since 2008, an Orthopaedic section member since 2010, an Education section member since 2016, and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) since 2013.
