Jennifer Howanitz, PT, DPT, GCS
Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Education
Dr. Howanitz is an assistant professor and Director of Clinical Education in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. She earned her Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Physical Therapy from St. Joseph’s University Philadelphia (formally the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science). She completed her transitional DPT from Arcadia University.
Dr. Howanitz has over 28 years of clinical experience, practicing in a variety of settings. She currently practices in the inpatient acute care setting. She is a Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist by the ABPTS. Her area of expertise includes the rehabilitation of older adults with neurocognitive disorders and adults with oncologic diagnoses.
She is a member of the APTA Academies of Geriatrics, Education, and Oncology. She is the current Co-Chair of the APTA Academy of Education for the Education and Leadership Conference. She has served as an item writer for the geriatric credentialing exam, as well as past-Chair of the Global Health for Aging Adults special interest group and a research liaison for the Cognitive and Mental Health special interest group, both of the APTA Academy of Geriatrics. She is the former program chair for the APTA Academy of Oncologic Physical Therapy.
Dr. Howanitz is responsible for the coordination of student clinical education experiences within the DPT curriculum. She develops clinical education relationships with outside organizations to cultivate new experiences for the program and enhances the expertise of partnered clinical education faculty by providing educational opportunities and resources. She also lectures within the DPT curriculum in her areas of specialty.
Dr. Howanitz has presented clinical and educational research at multiple national conventions and has performed numerous continuing education courses for physical therapists and other healthcare professionals on the rehabilitative management of patients with geriatric and oncologic rehabilitation needs.
She has authored and co-authored several articles on the role neurocognitive impairment has in the rehabilitative process. Her current research interest focuses on factors that affect the development of DPT students in the clinical environment, such as self-efficacy.