Emily Dunlap, PT, PhD

Meet Emily

Her clinical roots span inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient orthopedic care. That bedside clarity still shapes how she teaches: evidence that clinicians can use, not just cite. As owner of Aquatic Therapy Pro in Austin, Texas, she works at the intersection of practice, research consultation, and professional education. She is a postdoctoral affiliate with the Cardiovascular Aging Research Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, and she leads an international aquatic rehabilitation journal club that keeps therapists reading together across borders.

Emily served as the inaugural chairperson of the APTA Academy of Aquatic Physical Therapy Clinical Competency Certificate program, helping establish national standards for competency and rigor in the specialty. The Academy has honored her with the Judy Cirullo Award (2019) and the Richard Ruoti Research Award (2023). See the AAPT awards page. She also serves on the Aquatic Therapy Foundation Advisory Council for Research and Education.

Her accomplishments

Highlights from a career spent expanding the evidence base in aquatic rehabilitation and mentoring the next generation of aquatic therapy professionals.

Austin & where she teaches

Emily is based in Austin, Texas, through Aquatic Therapy Pro. She teaches for Aquatic Therapy University online, for the APTA Academy of Aquatic Physical Therapy (Clinical Competency Certificate and PathLMS), and she shares research through the Aquatic Therapy Foundation Encyclopedia and Evidence Library.