Lisa Donegan Shoaf is an Adjunct Faculty in the PhD in Health Professions Education Program in the School of Healthcare Leadership at MGH Institute of Health Professions.
Prior to her academic career, Dr. Shoaf practiced as a Physical Therapist for 11 years in acute hospital care and then the outpatient setting. During that time, she took on the leadership position of Clinical Supervisor for a Sports Medicine Facility at what is now Sentara Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Virginia. She joined the faculty of the Physical Therapy program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1992 as the Director of Clinical Education. During her 20 years at VCU she continued to practice in the area of outpatient orthopedics, in addition to teaching and administrative roles on that faculty. She served in various leadership roles in the Virginia PT Association including Chief Delegate and Chapter President as well as serving on several national committees for the American Physical Therapy Association.
In 2012 she joined the faculty at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, VA to become the founding Program Director of a new physical therapy program that became part of the developing Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences. The program launched in 2014 and was successfully accredited under Dr. Shoaf’s leadership in 2017. In 2018 she took on the role as Director of the School of Health Professions with oversight of the PT, OT and PA programs. In 2021 she became the VP/Dean of that College and continued in that role until her retirement in 2023. She continues as VP/Dean Emeritus and Professor at MBU and is currently an adjunct professor for the physical therapy program. During 2023-2024 she worked with 3 other PT colleagues to develop and successfully launch a team-based leadership development program for the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy.
- BS, Physical Therapy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 1981
- MS, Health Science & Sport, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, 1990
- PhD, Education, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 2002
- Leadership development
- Curriculum development
- Educational research
- Clinical education
- Orthopedics, including performing arts medicine
Dr. Shoaf has published numerous papers - some titles are highlighted below. You can view a complete listing of Dr. Shoaf's publications in her CV.
Developing Student Professional Behaviors in the Clinical Setting.
Integrating the Shoulder Complex to the Body as a Whole: Applications for the Dancer.
In addition, Dr. Shoaf regularly presents at conferences and industry events. Please see her CV for a complete list of presentations.
Is it Burnout or Is it Moral Injury? Explorations Around Well-Being and Moral Resilience at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting, 2023.
Burnout Among Physical Therapy Clinicians at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting, 2023.
Inversion – Exploring Function of the Upper Body and Trunk for Safe and Successful Weight Bearing at the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science Conference, 2022.
Assessment of Physical Therapy Student Clinical Performance on Interprofessional Behaviors Using the IPA Tool at the APTA Educational Leadership Conference, 2021.
Perceived Barriers & Facilitators to Exercise During & Subsequent to Cancer Treatment in Cancer Survivors at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting, 2020. This poster was awarded a blue ribbon by the Global Health SIG for Social Responsibility.