Heidi Adele McGregor Garske, PT, DPT, PhD

Dr. Garske brings over 36 years of experience as a physical therapist in a variety of settings, with a clinical focus in pediatrics — including early intervention and neonatal intensive care. She has worked for local public and private healthcare entities and in private practice before transitioning to academia. At SMU, she currently teaches in both the Doctor of Physical Therapy and Bachelor of Health Sciences programs. From 2018 to 2025, she served as the Director of Clinical Education for the DPT program, where she played a key role in building collaborative partnerships between clinics, clinical educators, and students. Her work continues to focus on supporting students and clinical instructors and optimizing the clinical learning environment. Dr. Garske teaches in areas such as pediatric physical therapy, teaching and learning, health equity, professional issues, and interprofessional communication. She is also one of only three instructors in Northern California for the American Physical Therapy Association Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program Level I course, and she serves on the national development team for the upcoming Level III course. In addition to her teaching, Dr. Garske earned a PhD in Education and Leadership in 2024. Her dissertation explored how evidence-based resilience can be used as a framework to strengthen and support student learning — a topic that continues to inform her work with students, in the university systems, and health professions educators. She has been invited to speak at national conferences from 2023 through 2026, Grand Rounds at UCSF Rehabilitation Sciences Department, and as a guest lecturer for clinical partners and other organizations on the topic of coaching for self-regulated learning and fostering resilience in health professions workplaces and learning environments.