Daniel Dale

Senior Advisor

Dr. Daniel Dale, PT, DPT is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of Clinical Education in the Department of Physical Therapy at Mercer University. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Health Science from Kennesaw State University in 2007 and his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia in 2011. Dr. Dale is a certified lymphedema therapist. 

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Dr. Dale has over seven years of clinical experience as a physical therapist, working at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA. Shepherd Center is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury and brain injury, and has been consistently ranked as a top-ten rehabilitation hospital worldwide. Dr. Dale worked in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation managing patients with traumatic spinal cord and brain injuries, non-traumatic neurologic injuries, pressure injuries and lymphedema. Dr. Dale was also the chair of a subgroup of the Wound Prevention Workgroup, with a focus on reducing pressure injuries through early mobilization, proper positioning, and regular rounding. Dr. Dale continues to see patients regularly along with his teaching responsibilities.

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Dr. Dale’s current teaching responsibilities include assisting and coordinating courses related to acute and intensive care environments, including patient management in these environments. This includes safety, early mobility, and safe patient handling and mobility devices and training. Dr. Dale also functions as the Assistant Director of Clinical Education, assisting with the service-learning series, coordinating integrated clinical experiences, and assisting in coordination and management of the long-term clinical experiences for his students. Finally, Dr. Dale oversees the health policy course in the leadership series, and assists with teaching the spinal cord injury unit of the neurologic series.

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Dr. Dale’s passion related to early mobility stems from helping students and staff change their perspectives related to fear and early mobility of those that are deemed medically fragile. He believes that when those being trained in early mobility begin to see the benefits and understand how to minimize and mitigate any risks to patient safety, then the process of early mobility can really begin to take shape within the learner’s mind. 

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Dr. Dale is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association and is a member of multiple sections and academies. He has served on multiple national committees and has been elected to leadership positions within the professional association. Dr. Dale has served as a volunteer leader for the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia, the American Physical Therapy Association, and the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy. Currently, Dr. Dale is Chair of the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy Student Leadership Development Committee. Dr. Dale will also serve as President of the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia starting in March of 2019.