Marianne Beninato, PT, DPT, PhD, was a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. She was awarded Professor Emerita status in 2017.
Dr. Beninato earned her degree in Physical Therapy at Quinnipiac College and earned her PhD in anatomy with a concentration in neuroscience from the Medical College of Virginia. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in the area of neuropharmacology where she studied the interconnections between brainstem structures and the basal ganglia.
Dr. Beninato taught in the area of gross anatomy, neuroscience, and motor control in the entry-level and post-professional curricula. The anatomy and neuroscience courses taught by Dr. Beninato include cadaver dissection and examination of human nervous tissue. Dr. Beninato’s research interests are in the area of measurement qualities of the clinical outcome measures commonly used by physical therapists. Her research helps clinicians formulate a meaningful interpretation of the test scores they generate as part of their patient examinations.
Dr. Beninato is an active Neurology section APTA member and she also holds an appointment at the Massachusetts General Hospital where she practices physical therapy in the area of acute care neurology.
- BS, Physical Therapy, Quinnipiac College, Hamden, CT
- PhD, Anatomy, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA
- DPT, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Research Interests
Dr. Beninato is interested in research that helps clinicians interpret the meaning of change scores after physical therapy intervention.
Beninato M, Fernandes A, Plummer L. Minimal Clinically Important Difference of the Functional Gait Assessment in Older Adults. Phys Ther 2014; 94: 1594-1600.
Beninato M, Parikh V, Plummer L. 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 2014;30:149-156.
Tinl M, Kale M, Doshi S, Guarino AJ, Beninato M. Prediction of Discharge Destination After Acute Hospitalization: The Mobility Scale for Acute Stroke (MSAS). Rehabil Med. 2014;46:219-224.
Beninato M., Parikh V, Plummer, L. Analysis of Individual SIS-16 Items Relative to Fall History in People with Stroke. Physiother Prac Res. 2012;33:81-88.
Beninato M., Portney LG. Applying concepts of responsiveness to patient management in neurologic physical therapy. JNPT. 2011;35:75-82.
See Curriculum Vitae for complete list.