Barbara Springer PhD, PT

Education

The University of Texas, Austin, Texas
August 1999 – August 2002 Ph.D. in Health Education/Health Promotion

US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
July 2004 – July 2006 Master of Strategic Studies

University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
September 1993 - May 1995 MS in Exercise Physiology

Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
September 1981 – June 1986 BS in Physical Therapy

Biography

Dr. Barbara Springer is the Director of Government Affairs for Tellapure, LLC. Prior to this, she served as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for the 501(c)3 Quality of Life Plus (QL+) program. Its mission is to foster and generate innovations that aid and improve the quality of life for those who have served our country.
Prior to these opportunities, COL (Ret) Springer served over five years for a non-profit organization that utilizes cycling as an extension of physical and psychological rehabilitation for our healing military Service members and Veterans. Before working with these non-profit organizations helping Veterans, she served over 24 years in the U.S. Army and retired out of the Office of The Surgeon General where she was the Director of Rehabilitation and Reintegration Division. She recommended policy and instituted Army-wide standards of care for rehabilitation and transition of wounded, ill and injured Soldiers. Prior to this position in 2008, Dr. Springer was Chief, Integrated Physical Therapy (PT) Service where she served as a leader to both Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center in the Washington, D.C. Metro area. In this role, she ensured world-class rehabilitative care to thousands of wounded service members and other military beneficiaries, averaging over 7,000 visits each month. She was also responsible for conducting, tracking, and supervising clinical research projects; overseeing graduate education; supporting congressional projects; supporting amputee, traumatic brain injury, and spine centers; and planning for and executing PT Service integration for Base Realignment and Closure. While serving in this position, Dr. Springer was also the White House PT during 6 years of the George W. Bush administration, the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command PT Consultant, and a member of the Military Amputee Research Program Executive Committee. Dr. Springer’s other assignments include Chief of PT and Director of the Sports PT Residency at West Point, NY; Chief of PT at Schofield Barracks, HI; Chief of PT at Camp Casey, Korea; and PT at Ft Sill, OK. She earned a Ph.D. in Health Education from The University of Texas at Austin. COL Springer (Ret) is board certified as an Orthopedic Physical Therapy Specialist. Her research interests lie in sports physical therapy, amputee rehabilitation, breast cancer and core stabilization. She has published in several peer-reviewed journals and has presented numerous platform presentations at professional meetings.

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

White House Physical Therapy Consultant, White House Medical Unit

Expert Panel Member at the DoD Blast Injury Research Program's 2019 International State-of-the-Science Meeting, Washington, DC

Chair, Sports Specialty Council American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS)

Chair, Hand and Face Transplantation Advisory Boards, US Army Office of The Surgeon General

Joint Programmatic Committee for Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine (JPC-8) Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine Research Program (appointed member) U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command

Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center Rehabilitative Medicine/Amputee Research Program Product Line Review Panel Member (appointed position)

North Atlantic Regional Medical Command Physical Therapy Consultant

Military Amputee Research Program Executive Committee Member Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Chief, Physical Therapy Service , Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Director, US Military Sports Physical Therapy Residency , United States Military Academy

Representative Bibliography

Springer BA, Arciero R. Prospective Study of the Use of the Modified Ottawa Ankle Rules in a Military Population: Interobserver Agreement Between Physical Therapists and Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Journal of Sports Medicine, Fall, 2000, 28 (6), 864-8.

Springer BA, Doukas WC. Process of Care for Battle Casualties at Walter Reed Army Medical Center: Part II. Physical Therapy Service. - Military Medicine – March 2006; 171(3), 203-5.

Springer BA, Mielcarek BJ, Nesfield TK, Teyhen DS. Relationships Among Lateral Abdominal Muscles, Gender, Body Mass Index, and Hand Dominance. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther May, 2006; 36 (5) 289-297.

Springer BA, Marin R, Cyhan T, Roberts H, Gill N. Normative Values for the Unipedal Stance Test began with Eyes Open and Closed. J of Geriatric Physical Therapy – April 2007; 30 (1): 8-15.

Springer BA, Gill NW. Characterization of Lateral Abdominal Muscle Thickness in Persons with Lower Extremity Amputations: Implications on Spinal Stabilization Training. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther October, 2007; 37 (10): 635-643.

Springer BA, Gill NW, Freedman BA, Ross AE, Javernick MA, Murphy KP. Acetabular Tears: Diagnostic Accuracy of Clinical Exam by a Physical Therapist, Orthopaedic Surgeon, and Orthopaedic Residents. N Amer J Sports Phys Ther February, 2009, 4(1), 38-45

Springer BA, Levy E, McGarvey C, Pfalzer LA, Stout NL, Gerber LH, Soballe PW, and Danoff J. Pre-operative Assessment Enables Early Diagnosis and Recovery of Shoulder Function in Patients with Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2010 120 (1), 135-147.

Springer, BA, Ride 2 Recovery’s Project HERO: Using cycling as part of rehabilitation, Physical Therapy in Sport. 14 (2) (2013) pp. 77-86.

Springer BA, Ross AE Musculoskeletal Injuries in Military Women. Borden Institute Monograph Series - Edited by Paul Dougherty, MD, Published by Borden Institute. 2011

Springer BA. A Nontraditional Role as a Physical Therapist in the Quality of Life Plus Program (QL+), Journal of Special Operations Medicine Volume 19, Edition 1 / Spring 2019 pp 31-33.