Dr. Laura Plummer is the Chair and Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor of Physical Therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She has taught at the MGH Institute as a lab instructor and term lecturer since 2004. She received the Institute's Nancy T. Watts Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2017.

Dr. Plummer did her professional preparation in physical therapy as an undergraduate at the University of Vermont. She completed her MS, with a neurologic specialization, and transitional DPT at the MGH Institute, and received her EdD from Northeastern University. Her specialization is in Higher Education Administration

Dr. Plummer is a Board Certified Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy since 20023. She has more than 25 years of clinical experience with a focus on the physical therapy care of individuals with neurological conditions. She currently has a clinical practice at the Movement Disorders Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital.

  • BS, PT University of Vermont
  • MS, Physical Therapy with Neurology Specialization, MGH Institute of Health Professions
  • DPT, MGH Institute of Health Professions
  • EdD, Northeastern University

Research Interests

Dr. Plummer came to the IHP as a clinician and explored a few different avenues for a scholarship. Her focus now is the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Naidoo, K.; Kaplan, S.; Roberts, C.J.; Plummer, L. Three Stressed Systems: Health Sciences Faculty Members Navigating Academia, Healthcare, and Family Life during the Pandemic. Educ. Sci. 2022, 12, 483. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12070483.

Worek, A, Sabo, K, Eddy, E, Plummer, L, Baldwin, J, Reidy, P, Hildebrand, MW, Riotte, M, & Wong, J (2022). Students Tele-All: Self-Efficacy and Self-Reflection as Measures of  Student Success in Telepractice Training. Educ Sci, 12, 302

Naidoo, K, Plummer, L, McKean, M., Mack, A., Bowdle, G.K, Mullins, M.A., & Gore, S. (2022). Virtual faculty and peer mentoring to promote social belonging among minoritized physical therapist and nursing students. Healthcare, 10, 41  6 https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10030416

Naidoo, K, Baldwin, J, Lesar, J & Plummer, L. (2022) Narrative analysis to track the development of clinical reasoning during residency. JCEPT, 4, 8496 - http://dx.doi.org/10.52214/jcept.v4.8496

Plummer, L, Smith, L, Cornforth, E, Gore, S. Teaching Psychomotor Skills in a Virtual Environment: An Educational Case Study. Education Sciences, 11(9), 537. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11090537

Bluett, B, Pantelyat, AY, Litvan, I, Farwa, A., Apetauerova, D., Bega, D., Bloom, L., Bower, J., Boxer, AL, Dale, ML, Dhall, R, Duquette, A., Fernandez, HH., Fleisher, JE, Grossman, M, Howell, M., Kerwin, DR, Leggwater–Kim, J, Lepage, C, Ljubenkov, PA, Mancini, M, McFarland, NR, Moretti, P, Myrick, E, Patel, P, Plummer, L, ... Golbe, L.(2021). Best practices in the clinical management of progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome: A consensus statement of the CurePSP centers of care. Frontiers of Neurology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.694872

Gill–Body, KM, Hedman, LD, Plummer, L, Wolf, L, Hanke, T, Quinn. L, Riley, N, Verma, A, Quiben, M. (2021) Movement system diagnoses for balance dysfunction: Recommendations from the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Movement System Task Force. Phy Ther. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzab153 (epub ahead of print)

Plummer, L, Gross, D, Fuchs, M, Lin, A, Mistano, V, Reidy, P. (2021). Child development day: A collaborative interprofessional experience. Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice, 24, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2021.100426.

Plummer, L, Kaygisiz, B, Kuehner, C, Gore, S, Mercuro, R, Chatiwala, N, Naidoo, K. (2021). Teaching online during COVID–19 pandemic: A phenomenological study of physical therapist faculty in Brazil, Cyprus and the United States. Education Sciences, 11(130), https://doi.org/10.3390/edusci11030130

Naidoo, K., Clock, C. Rimmel, L., Wong, J., Plummer, L. (2020) Navigating without a compass: How culturally and linguistically diverse physical therapist students persist in higher education. J Best Pract Health Prof Diver, 13(2). In press (delayed due to COVID)

Naidoo, K, Plummer, L, Clock CR, Rimmel L. (2020). Leveraging community cultural wealth to bridge the divide between culturally and linguistically diverse learners and physical therapy culture. J Best Pract Health Prof Divers, 13(1).

Macauley, K., Plummer, L., Bemis, C, Brock, G, Larson, C, Spangler, J. (2018). Prevalence and predictors of anxiety in healthcare professions students. Health Professions Education, 4(3), 176–185.

Macauley, K, Plummer, L. (2017). Prevalence and predictors of anxiety in Doctor of Physical Therapy Students. J Allied Health, 46(2), e39–e41.

 Plummer L, Sridhar S, Beninato M, Parlman K. (2015). Physical therapist practice in the emergency department observation unit. Phys Ther, 95, 249–256.

Beninato M, Fernandes A, Plummer L. (2014). Minimal clinically important difference of the Functional Gait Assessment in older adults. Phys Ther, 94, 1594–1603.

Beninato M, Parikh V, Plummer, L. (2014). Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a framework for analyzing the Stroke Impact Scale-16 relative to falls. Physiother Theory Prac, 30, 149–156.

Beninato M, Parikh V, Plummer, L. (2012). Analysis of individual SIS-16 items relative to fall history in People with Stroke. Physiother Prac Res, 33, 81–88.

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