Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Megan Donaldson, PT, Ph.D., FAAOMPT, is a highly accomplished physical therapy professional with 24 years of experience, including 17 years in education. She is a tenured professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Her expertise includes leading the Department of Rehabilitation and managing faculty teams for occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech-language pathology (SLP), thereby playing a vital role in shaping the future of rehabilitation education. She was also the inaugural founding program director of the Tufts Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in Boston, MA.

Dr. Donaldson’s clinical background includes running a private practice and serving as a senior therapist and team leader in hospital-based outpatient and home health settings. She has maintained a pro bono clinical role at a local clinic for the past 10 years. As a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT), she is dedicated to clinical excellence and maintaining the highest standards in manual therapy. Her commitment to advancing the profession is demonstrated through her completion of the Higher Education Leadership Fellowship, offered by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), in 2021.

She actively contributes to scholarly work through peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and presentations. Her research focuses on musculoskeletal health, patient-centered care, manual therapy, educational practices, and leadership topics both nationally and internationally. Dr. Donaldson has a broad scope of service at the state and national levels, including roles as delegate and chief delegate for the Ohio Chapter of the APTA. She holds numerous national service and board positions and is currently serving as the president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists.

Links

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

The Division of Physical Therapy

Roxanna Bendixen, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, is a tenured professor and director of the Division of Occupational Therapy in the College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina. Her education includes degrees in Occupational Therapy (OT), Health Sciences and a Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Florida. She is an experienced pediatric clinician, having worked in the areas of early intervention, outpatient, and school-based therapies. Her teaching and research expertise is in pediatric assessment and intervention.

Dr. Bendixen's research is focused in early-onset neuromuscular disorders and other rare diseases. She has received funding to explore outcomes in large clinical trials and has explored sleep outcomes and provided sleep interventions in children with rare disease. She has been teaching for more than 22 years in entry-level OT programs, post-professional OT programs, and Ph.D. programs. Dr. Bendixen has received awards in research, teaching and mentorship throughout her career, and was inducted into the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Roster of Fellows and received the AOTA Outstanding Mentor Award.

Dr. Christina Pelatti’s research expertise is in the areas of oral and written language in children, and she is particularly interested in examining factors that impact children with developmental (e.g., Down syndrome, DLD) and acquired (e.g., traumatic brain injury) disorders. Her work is interprofessional in nature, and her goal is to answer questions that are clinically applicable to professionals, children, and their families.