Patrick Cross, PT, DPT, RHF is a tenured full Professor of Physical Therapy at Briar Cliff University, as well as the DPT Program Director since 2013. Dr. Cross is licensed as a PT in Iowa and South Dakota, as well as having compact privileges in Nebraska. In November 2016, Dr. Cross was granted an exemption from CAPTE to remain as the DPT Program Director.
Dr. Cross obtained his Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Significant previous employment includes being an Associate Professor of Physical Therapy and the Founding Chair of the Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the University of South Dakota for 7 years, a physical therapist, Director of Rehabilitation, Grant Coordinator, and Director of the Wellness Center for the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska for a total of 10 years, and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at Creighton University for 2 years. Throughout the years, Dr. Cross has consistently been a clinical instructor for professional students in the clinic and community settings, including mentoring students while providing acute sports physical therapy on the sidelines of rural, underserved high school and club sports. In addition to sideline coverage, Dr. Cross continues to practice physical therapy and mentor students in Briar Cliff’s Pro Bono Clinic and as a PRN physical therapist for a local private practice that focuses on outpatient rehabilitation and industrial rehabilitation.
In 2011, Dr. Cross was the first physical therapist in the nation to complete a fellowship with the National Rural Health Association in Washington, D.C., focusing on rural health, political advocacy, and leadership. He has also obtained certification as an APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor, an Arthritis Foundation Arthritis Self-Help Course Leader, a Special Olympics’ FUNfitness State Director, a nationally registered EMT-B, and an American Red Cross Emergency Medical Response Instructor.
Scholarly, Dr. Cross has co-authored 15 peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented approximately 115 peer-reviewed abstracts at regional, national, and international professional conferences on a variety of topics, including acute sports injury decision-making and medical management, screenings of adolescent and geriatric athletes, musculoskeletal imaging, physical therapy modality utilization, service-learning, teaching pedagogy, interprofessional collaboration, culturally appropriate care, community-based physical therapy, as well rural health policy. In addition, Dr. Cross has also co-authored book chapters on “Cultural Considerations for American Indian Cultures” in Developing Cultural Competence in Physical Therapy Practice and “Developing Health Professional Students into Rural HealthCare Leaders of the Future through Best Practices” in Leadership in Interprofessional Health Education and Practice. Furthermore, Dr. Cross has also been a member of various interprofessional grant teams, as well as has been the primary investigator for various public health and community-based grants, of which approximately 20 of the grants have been funded, totaling approximately $5 million.
Dr. Cross has served in leadership roles for numerous advisory boards and professional, higher education, and community organizations, including, but not limited to, the APTA's Awards Subcommittee on Advocacy, the Executive Board of the Global Health Special Interest Group, Secretary of the Board of Athletic Control for the University of South Dakota, Ethics Chair and the Federal Affairs Liaison for the South Dakota Physical Therapy Association, and the President of the Vermillion Soccer Association. Currently, Dr. Cross is the Northwest Iowa District’s Ethics Chair, the Federal Affairs Liaison, and a member of the Legislative and Executive Board of APTA Iowa. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Sunrise Retirement Community and has held three consulting positions for universities in Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Carolina that are exploring starting DPT Programs. In addition, he has been licensed as a soccer coach for over 25 years, coaching high school, club, and recreational soccer and volleyball teams in Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Iowa. Currently, Dr. Cross is the Assistant High School Soccer Coach for Sioux City North High School.