Position: Assistant Professor
Department: College of Healthcare Professions
Phone: 610-282-1100, x2164
Office: 213 Wills Hall
Education
Dr. Jessica Watson is an Assistant Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at DeSales University and an APTA Board-Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS). She has developed extensive clinical expertise across acute care and inpatient rehabilitation settings, having practiced within leading regional healthcare systems including Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Lehigh Valley Health Network, and St. Luke's University Health Network, where she continues to maintain clinical practice. Her professional interests center on the rehabilitation of older adults, particularly within acute rehabilitation environments.
At DeSales, Dr. Watson serves as the primary faculty coordinator for the DeSales Community Wellness and Physical Therapy Clinic, the program's student-run, faculty-supervised pro bono clinic. Through this role, she helps integrate community engagement, service, and clinical education while expanding access to care for underserved populations. She teaches throughout all three years of the curriculum, with primary responsibilities in Foundations of Patient Care I and II, Differential Diagnosis and Intervention: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy and Promoting Health and Wellness.
Dr. Watson is actively engaged in professional leadership and service. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and its Academies of Geriatrics and Acute Care and serves as Treasurer of the Northeast District of APTA Pennsylvania.
Her scholarship focuses on community-based programming, neurologic rehabilitation, and health promotion. She is the author of the publication High-Intensity Exercise in Community-Based Boxing Improves Functional Limitations in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease in the International Journal of Exercise Science and has presented research and case reports at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting and the APTA Pennsylvania MOVE PA Conference. Her recent work has explored Parkinson's disease, rehabilitation for individuals experiencing homelessness, delirium management, balance interventions, and neurologic rehabilitation outcomes.
Dr. Watson's commitment to service and professional excellence has been recognized with the Salesian Spirit Award and the Best Special Interest Report Award at the APTA Pennsylvania MOVE PA Conference (2023) for her work addressing physical therapy services for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Through her combined roles in clinical practice, community engagement, teaching, and scholarship, Dr. Watson advances the program's mission of preparing competent, compassionate, and service-oriented physical therapists.