Dr. Derek Liuzzo, pictured in the Department of Physical Therapy’s Functional Mobility Lab in the Mapp Building. Photo by Angela Foster.
Dr. Derek Liuzzo, assistant professor and assistant program director of the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has been named the 2024 recipient of the Emerging Educator Award by the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT).
According to its website, ACAPT represents 278 member institutions and faculty committed to improving education standards, research and practice within the field of physical therapy. The emerging educator honor, awarded annually to one early-career physical therapist instructor—or, in some years, not at all—recognizes individuals who have “demonstrated excellence in academic or clinical teaching in a physical therapy education program early in his or her physical therapy career.”
Liuzzo will officially receive the Emerging Educator Award in October during ACAPT’s national Educational Leadership Conference in Oakland, California.
He said he was unaware that his name had been put forward for the award.
“I had no clue it was happening; they nominated me secretly,” Liuzzo said, explaining how he learned about the award. “I had no inkling that this was coming and just happened to look at my email; I’m pretty sure I dropped my phone because you don’t expect that. It was shocking, surprising and exhilarating all at once.
“To have people nominate me, to feel that I was worthy of this … I still don’t have the words to really describe it. I’m just really excited and very grateful that people put my name out there for this.”
The award letter cited Liuzzo’s “profound commitment to enhancing learning opportunities for students through creative and impactful approaches,” his involvement with interprofessional education collaborations, and the work he has done as a member of the Network Community Taskforce and as chair of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Academy of Education’s Academic Faculty Special Interest Group.
“You work really hard, and you try so many different things, and being recognized for this is really nice,” he said. “There’s still a lot to learn and I want to continue to grow my leadership skills.”
Dr. Derek Liuzzo joined the UTC faculty in 2019.
Liuzzo’s journey to academia began at the University of South Carolina, where he spent 13 years earning three degrees from the Department of Exercise Science (bachelor’s in exercise science in 2008; doctor of physical therapy in 2011; Ph.D. in exercise science in 2017).
It was during his time as a graduate assistant that he discovered his passion for teaching. He explained that the anatomy program for PT was part of the medical school, with PT students hired as graduate assistants. In that role, “we had to give lectures and I thoroughly loved that experience.”
“I’m a bit of a ham and I like to be on a stage,” he said. “Seeing light bulbs go on and seeing people excel and knowing that you had a hand in that spurred me down this path. I talked with some of my mentors about it and they said, ‘If you really want to pursue this, then you need to consider a Ph.D.
“Ever since my second year of PT school, I’ve really wanted to teach and be a part of academia.”
Following his time at South Carolina and two years as an assistant professor at Simmons University in Boston, Liuzzo joined the UTC faculty in 2019. He singled out several physical therapy department colleagues as mentors—Dr. Nancy Fell, Dr. David Levine, Dr. Stephanie Eton and Dr. Max Jordon.
Liuzzo also continued his own education, earning an MBA from UTC’s Gary W. Rollins College of Business in 2022.
“The MBA program here was incredibly helpful, especially the organizational behavior and leadership courses of Dr. Katherine Karl and Mark Mendenhall,” Liuzzo said. “I wanted to get into administration—and that has started with me being an assistant program director—and I’ve taken what I learned from those courses and have applied that to my work.”
Liuzzo’s courseload this semester tackles a broad range of subjects—from neurological dysfunction and geriatric rehabilitation to physical therapy administration. His approach emphasizes critical thinking and adaptability.
“I thought I was going to focus on orthopedics—knees and arms—but I was drawn to neuro and geriatrics,” he said. “It’s been a passion to teach those. We push our students to think outside the box, not only clinically, but about the profession itself.”
Since Liuzzo is still young in his field—hence, being named an emerging educator—he was asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
After a big smile, he said he wants to be known as someone who continues pushing the boundaries of physical therapy education while inspiring his students to do the same.
“I think the best thing I ever heard was that education is really a river and not a lake,” he said. “You have to continually flow with whatever’s going on around you.”
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