Dr. Richard Bohannon is a distinguished scholar and clinician with extensive expertise in physical therapy and rehabilitation science. He currently serves as Professor in the Physical Therapy Department of The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Campbell University while maintaining his status as Owen University Professor Emeritus at the University of Connecticut. With over 35 years of continuous clinical experience spanning acute care, rehabilitation, outpatient, and home-care settings, Dr. Bohannon has established himself as a leading authority in neurologic physical therapy and geriatric rehabilitation. His professional credentials include board certification as a specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy and recognition as a Fellow of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association, the American Physical Therapy Association, and the American Society of Neurorehabilitation.
Dr. Bohannon's groundbreaking research on muscle performance measurement, particularly through hand-held dynamometry, has significantly advanced clinical assessment methodologies for patients with neurological conditions and geriatric populations. His prolific scholarship encompasses more than 400 publications across 50 different journals, with his work receiving over 14,000 citations, demonstrating substantial impact on rehabilitation practice worldwide. His seminal contributions to understanding muscle weakness following stroke and its relationship to functional mobility limitations have informed therapeutic interventions and clinical practice guidelines. This body of work earned him the American Physical Therapy Association's prestigious Helen Hislop Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Professional Literature in 1996, the Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy in 2005, and the Jules Rothstein Golden Pen Award for Scientific Writing in 2008.
Beyond his research contributions, Dr. Bohannon has profoundly influenced his field through editorial leadership as Founding Editor of the Journal of Human Muscle Performance and current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. He has served as a consultant to the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research and contributed to developing A Guide to Physical Therapist Practice through the American Physical Therapy Association's Neuromuscular Panel of Experts. His expertise is sought by industry leaders in medical instrumentation, rehabilitation equipment, and pharmaceuticals, as well as legal professionals, for his insights on muscle performance and mobility assessment. Dr. Bohannon continues to advance knowledge through his research on the measurement, implications, and treatment of impairments in muscle strength and mobility limitations, maintaining his position as a globally recognized authority in neurorehabilitation and geriatric physical therapy.
