PT Professor Named Finalist for Best Presentation at International Shoulder and Elbow Congress

By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

Tim Uhl, PT, PhD, ATC, FNATA, a professor in the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences Department of Physical Therapy, has been named a finalist for the Best Presentation award at the 8th International Congress on Shoulder & Elbow Therapy (ICSET), to be held Sept. 23-25 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Uhl will present his research, “Direct Access to Care Reduces Days Lost to and Costs in Firefighters with Shoulder Injuries,” at the international conference, which brings together clinicians, researchers and other professionals focused on shoulder and elbow care. This research was part of a larger study that was funded by the Department of Homeland Security/ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with co-PIs Phillip Gribble, PhD, ATC, FNATA, and Nick Heebner, PhD, ATC, from the College of Health Sciences and Mark Abel, PhD, from the College of Education.

“I am honored to even be considered a finalist to represent our College of Health Sciences, the University of Kentucky,

 and the American Society of Shoulder Elbow Therapist, of which I have been a member for 30 years,” Uhl said. “This represents the quality of research that is generated in our College, and can positively impact employment opportunities for physical therapists and athletic trainers to work directly with these tactical athletes.”  

Gribble, who also serves as Dean of the College of Health Sciences, expressed his excitement for Dr. Uhl’s recognition.

“Our FEMA-funded project demonstrates the importance of musculoskeletal experts such as athletic trainers and physical therapists in improving wellness and mitigating musculoskeletal injuries for the men and women in the fire service,” Gribble said. “Dr. Uhl’s abstract highlights that direct access to these health care experts lessens the burden that shoulder injuries have on firefighters, helping them to serve their communities more effectively and safely.”

The recognition highlights Uhl’s decades of work in physical therapy, athletic training, musculoskeletal rehabilitation and shoulder research.

Uhl has practiced physical therapy and athletic training since 1985 in a variety of sports medicine settings. He began his career in Lexington, where he practiced at the Lexington Clinic Sports Medicine Center and served as head athletic trainer at Transylvania University. He later earned a master's degree in kinesiology from the University of Michigan and worked with the university's football and wrestling teams.

He earned his doctorate in sports medicine from the University of Virginia in 1998, studying shoulder motor control under renowned athletic training and orthopedic faculty.

Today, Uhl is a professor in UK’s Department of Physical Therapy, and a member of the UK Sports Medicine Research Institute. His clinical and research interests include musculoskeletal assessment and rehabilitation, neuromuscular control and shoulder function.

Throughout his career, Uhl has helped secure more than $9 million in research funding and has authored 185 peer-reviewed publications.

He is an active member of the American Academy of Sport Physical Therapy, APTA Orthopedics and APTA Hand and Upper Extremity. He is a two-time past president of the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists and has been an affiliate member of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Society since 2004. He currently serves as co-chair of the ASES Research Committee.

In 2023, Uhl was honored by the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy Executive Committee, as well as the Hall of Fame Committee, with the Turner A. Blackburn Hall of Fame/Lifetime Achievement Award.

Uhl's selection as a finalist at ICSET adds another international recognition to a career dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of shoulder injuries and helping patients return to the activities that matter most to them.

Uhl will present his research in Vancouver in September, where the conference will determine the recipient of the Best Presentation Award.