Thomas, Dr. Amanda

Thomas, Dr. Amanda Graduate Faculty

Positions

Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy , Nicole Wertheim Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

amthomas@fiu.edu

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biography

Dr. Amanda Thomas has served as a full-time Clinical Assistant Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at Florida International University (FIU) for six years. Throughout this time, she has focused on shaping the future of physical therapy through education, research, and clinical expertise. As a licensed physical therapist, Dr. Thomas is deeply committed to providing high-quality care to patients, particularly children, and to ensuring that her students are well-prepared for their professional careers in the field. Her journey began at FIU, where she earned her degree, and she later worked as a clinical specialist at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, refining her skills in pediatric care.

A significant portion of Dr. Thomas’s research and creative work centers on integrating innovative technologies, particularly 3D printing, into physical therapy practice and education. As both a clinician and educator, she continuously seeks ways to enhance patient care, especially for children with neurological conditions. Her goal has been to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and clinical practice. By incorporating 3D printing into the DPT curriculum, she has provided students with the opportunity to work hands-on with this transformative technology. This approach not only enhances the student learning experience but also directly benefits patients. Through these experiences, students gain the skills to design and fabricate customized assistive devices for pediatric patients, resulting in more accurate, personalized, and cost-effective orthotics, prosthetics, and adaptive devices that significantly improve the quality of life for children with developmental or congenital challenges.

Dr. Thomas has also made interprofessional collaboration and experiential learning foundational elements of her teaching philosophy within the DPT program. She has strategically integrated these approaches across all neurological courses, ensuring that students gain authentic, hands-on experience with live patient demonstrations. Through partnerships with speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and other allied health programs, students learn to evaluate and treat patients in real-world, team-based environments. These sessions not only reinforce theoretical knowledge but also enhance students’ clinical reasoning, communication, and collaboration skills, key competencies in neurological rehabilitation. By engaging students in live, supervised patient care experiences, Dr. Thomas bridges the gap between classroom learning and clinical practice, preparing future physical therapists to deliver comprehensive, patient-centered care in interdisciplinary healthcare settings.

Dr. Thomas’s work in 3D printing and interprofessional collaboration has been widely recognized. In 2025, she received the Florida Physical Therapy Association’s (FPTA) Excellence in Teaching Award, and in 2024, she earned FIU’s RETI Award for Excellence in Teaching, which highlights her impact as an innovative and inspiring educator. These honors reflect her dedication to integrating emerging technologies into physical therapy education and to cultivating creative problem-solving in her students.

Her research contributions have also had significant academic and clinical impact. One of her most notable accomplishments was being featured in FIU’s 2025 Research Magazine for developing the world’s first rehabilitation protocol utilizing a 3D-printed hand for pediatric patients. This pioneering work has opened new avenues for pediatric rehabilitation by demonstrating how 3D printing can produce highly customized, cost-effective prosthetics for children with congenital limb deficiencies. This achievement not only underscores the transformative potential of 3D printing in rehabilitation but also highlights Dr. Thomas’s commitment to advancing accessible care solutions.

Beyond her own research, Dr. Thomas is deeply invested in mentoring the next generation of physical therapists. Through collaborations with TOM Global, FIU’s MBUS, and the iSTAR Center, she has provided students with real-world opportunities to apply 3D printing and other emerging technologies to address complex healthcare challenges. These interdisciplinary projects have included developing customized orthotics and volumetric simulations, equipping students with essential problem-solving and innovation skills that will carry into their clinical practice.

As an educator and researcher, Dr. Thomas’s work remains grounded in improving patient outcomes and advancing physical therapy practices. Her ongoing research includes several projects emphasizing pediatric rehabilitation and 3D printing. Among her published works are “A Rehabilitation Protocol for the Use of a 3D Printed Prosthetic Hand in Pediatrics” and “Advancing Pediatric Cycling: A 3D-Printed Adaptive Device for Congenital Upper Limb Deficiency-Case Report,” both published in the Journal of Hand Therapy. Additionally, she has co-authored “Printing the Future: A Collaborative Approach to Integrating 3D Printing in Physical Therapy Education,” “Enjoyment, Motivation, and Self-Efficacy Towards Physical Activity Among Physical Therapy Students,” and “Navigating the Path: Barriers and Motivators for Physical Therapy Students Pursuing Residency Programs or Board Certification,” which appear in the Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practices.

Dr. Thomas has presented numerous poster and platform sessions at prestigious conferences, including the APTA Combined Sections Meeting, FPTA Annual Conference, and Baptist Academic Health Week. Her presentations have addressed innovative topics such as 3D printing in physical therapy education, the creation of 3D-printed orthotics for hindfoot valgus, and pediatric rehabilitation protocols. She has also been invited to speak at events such as the FIU EdIT Conference and the FPTA Annual Conference, where she has presented on 3D-printed prosthetic hands in pediatric rehabilitation and reflection-based learning in pediatric curricula.

Currently, Dr. Thomas is conducting a case series on 3D-printed orthotics for hindfoot valgus in collaboration with students and colleagues, and she is examining third-year DPT students’ perceptions of reflection-based learning within an advanced pediatric curriculum. She is also analyzing student clinical performance outcomes in pediatric settings following completion of an innovative pediatric course. These studies reinforce her dedication to enhancing both clinical and educational aspects of the profession.

Dr. Thomas’s creative research portfolio bridges technical innovation and interprofessional collaboration. Her current projects include Custom Orthotics for a Child with Dandy-Walker Syndrome: The Power of 3D Printing, which explores personalized orthotic design for pediatric patients, and Generational Perceptions of Weightlifting, an emerging study examining cross-generational attitudes toward resistance training and physical health. Additionally, she co-leads Palpation Pathways: A Visual Atlas, a project aimed at developing a comprehensive visual guide to palpation techniques for physical therapy students.

Dr. Thomas is also actively engaged in externally funded and institutional grant initiatives that advance interprofessional education and innovative pediatric care. She currently serves as a Co-Investigator on two major projects. The first, ReServ Program: Preservice Improvement Enhancement Grants to Support Related Service Providers to Effectively Serve Children with Disabilities and Their Families (ALN 84.325S), funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs ($480,000), aims to enhance the preparation of preservice occupational, physical, and speech-language therapy students to meet the diverse needs of children with disabilities and their families. The second project, An Innovative Approach to Developing Interprofessional Collaboration Education Competencies Amongst Healthcare Students Utilizing 3D-Printed Adapted Toys for Children with Disabilities, funded by the FIU 202 Wertheim Endowed Innovation Fund through the Office of Research and Economic Development ($50,000), focuses on developing interprofessional collaboration competencies among healthcare students through the use of 3D printing and adaptive toy design. Both projects reflect Dr. Thomas’s commitment to interprofessional education, technological innovation, and improving outcomes for children with disabilities and their families.

Beyond her academic and research roles, Dr. Thomas remains committed to community engagement. She is collaborating with speech-language pathologists at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to 3D print tactile communication symbols for children with severe developmental needs. This initiative empowers children with customized tools to communicate more effectively, fostering greater independence and social participation.