Meaghan Costello, PT, DPT, is a PhD student in the Rehab Sciences Program within the School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. Her mentor is Dr. Prue Plummer, PhD, PT, BPhysio(Hons) in the Cognitive-Motor Behavior Lab. Meaghan is interested in developing novel interventions for patients with stroke with an interdisciplinary lens. She also serves a term instructor at the IHP for a summer elective in the Physical Therapy School as well as a lab instructor.
Meaghan is a graduate of the MGH Institute of Health Professions, receiving her doctorate in physical therapy and spending the past 21 years as an inpatient physical therapist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. She has been recognized as a clinical scholar and has been a neurologic clinical specialist since 2010, recertifying in 2020. Meaghan has also been a mentor and adjunct faculty within the neurologic physical therapy residency program at MGH.
Meaghan volunteers with the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties having held various roles including as a member of the Committee of Content Experts and currently serves as the Chair of the Neurologic Specialty Council with term ending January 2025. She has been named as a Task Force Subject Matter Expert for the Description of Specialty Practice Revalidation of Neurologic Physical Therapy.
Meaghan’s passion for research was solidified when she was a data collector and became involved in the multi-disciplinary lab of David Lin, MD in 2017, both his Stroke Motor Rehabilitation and Recovery Study (SMaRHT) and now SMaHRTer: Interdisciplinary Stroke Expanded and Reimagined within the Laboratory for Translational Neurorecovery at MGH.
- Bachelor of Science, Biology, Bridgewater State College (University), Bridgewater, MA
- Doctor in Physical Therapy, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
- Neurologic Physical Therapy with a focus on stroke.
Task Force Subject Matter Expert, Description of Specialty Practice Revalidation of Neurologic Physical Therapy, American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. This group will be seeking publication but is currently in the development stage to classify and set standards for Neurologic Physical Therapy practice that are also representative of groups across the United States. It is funded by APTA until 2026, when it aims to be completed and published.
Dr. Costello regularly presents at conferences and industry events. Please see her CV for a complete list of presentations.
Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) in Acute Stroke Predicts Disability at 3 Months at the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy 2nd Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN. *Awarded “Best Poster of Stroke-Related Content” by the Stroke SIG of ANPT 2022
GBM: Emerging Evidence of Neuroplasticity and Implications for Physical Therapy at the APTA of MM Annual Conference, Norwood, MA
Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Evaluation, Interventions, and Outcomes at the APTA of Ma Annual Conference, Norwood, MA.
Scaffolding Clinical Education from Integrated Experiences to Residency and Beyond at the APTA of Ma Annual Conference, Norwood, MA.
Acute Physical Therapy Management of a Patient with Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) encephalitis: A Case Report at the APTA CSM, San Antonio, Tx