Position: Program Director and Associate Professor, DPT Program; Board Certified in Geriatric and Neurologic Physical Therapy
Department: College of Healthcare Professions
Phone: 610-282-1100, x2140
Office: 214 Wills Hall
Education
Dr. Ethan Hood is the Program Director and an Associate Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at DeSales University. He is a board‑certified specialist in both Neurologic and Geriatric Physical Therapy (ABPTS) and an experienced clinician‑leader with more than 28 years of practice across acute care, sub‑acute, and outpatient settings.
Dr. Hood’s clinical expertise focuses on neurologic rehabilitation, with an emphasis on balance and falls, vestibular rehabilitation, concussion management, and rehabilitation of neurologic conditions. In addition to clinical practice, he has served as a regional director for a large healthcare organization, managing multiple outpatient facilities, and has consulted with healthcare systems on the development of vestibular programs and specialty services.
At DeSales, Dr. Hood teaches primarily within the second year of the curriculum and serves as lead instructor for Motor Learning and Motor Control, Adult Neurologic Differential Diagnosis, Neurologic Clinical Medicine, and Geriatric Clinical Reasoning. He also teaches Pharmacology and Special Topics and serves as a faculty mentor across all four research courses, supporting student development in clinical inquiry and evidence‑based practice.
Dr. Hood is actively engaged in professional leadership and service within the physical therapy profession. He is a member of the APTA Geriatric and Neurologic Academies, has served as an item writer for the geriatric specialist certification examination, and contributed to professional education through the vestibular special interest group (SIG). He has also served on the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy (ANPT) Concussion/mTBI Clinical Practice Guideline knowledge translation taskforce and the APTA Combined Sections Meeting steering committee.
Dr. Hood contributes to the profession through scholarship and professional education, including peer‑reviewed publications, textbook chapters, and national presentations on concussion management, balance and falls, and neurologic rehabilitation. He has delivered continuing education courses for physical therapists and healthcare professionals nationwide and serves as an ad hoc reviewer for multiple peer‑reviewed journals, including the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy.
His work has been recognized with the Best Research Report Award at the APTA Pennsylvania MOVE PA Conference (2023) and the Best Clinical Relevance (Research) Award from the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy (2022).
In addition to his professional activities, Dr. Hood serves as a clinical mentor in the DeSales Community Health and Wellness Center and contributes to university service through departmental and college committees. Through his combined roles in leadership, clinical practice, and scholarship, he advances the program’s mission of preparing competent, reflective, and service‑oriented physical therapists.
Originally from just outside Philadelphia, Dr. Hood is an avid fan of Philly sports. When he is not in the classroom, he enjoys exercising, watching movies, being outdoors, and spending time with his wife and three children.