Amber Fitzsimmons, DPTSc, PT
Professor
Physical Therapy
School of Medicine

Dr. Fitzsimmons is an Assistant Professor with joint appointments in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science and the School of Medicine’s Anatomy Department. Prior to her return to academia for her doctorate research, she worked for over a decade in clinical practice with an emphasis on acute care and acute rehabilitation.

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She is the course director for PT 201: Physical Therapy Assessment, for first-year physical therapy students; PT 735: Psychosocial Issues in Rehabilitation Sciences, for second-year students; and PT 215: C.A.R.E. (Compassion, Accountability, Responsibility, and Excellence), a longitudinal course for first-year and second-year students focusing on professionalism and social responsibility in healthcare. Her anatomy appointments include teaching duties in PT 200: Neuromusculoskeletal Anatomy and as a gross anatomy laboratory instructor in the School of Medicine's essential core curriculum. In addition, she serves as the physical therapy faculty lead in the Interprofessional Education (IPE) program. She also serves on the committee of educational technology, and is the faculty liaison for UCSF diversity initiatives.

Awards

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• Fellow of the National Academies of Practice, UCSF, 2018
• UCSF Chancellor's Award in LGBTQ Advocacy, UCSF, 2018
• ACADEMY OF MEDICAL EDUCATORS, UCSF, 2016
• TEACHING SCHOLARS PROGRAM, UCSF, 2016
• 2014 UCSF School of Medicine, Essential Core Teaching Award: Commitment to Teaching, UCSF, 2014
• UCSF School of Medicine, Excellence in Teaching Award, UCSF, 2014

Education & Training

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• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training University of California 2017
• DPTSc Graduate Division University of California, San Francisco 2013
• MS Physical Therapy Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR 1996
• BS Biochemistry California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 1993

Websites

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• American Anatomy Association (anatomy.org)
• INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION (senate.ucsf.edu)
• American Physical Therapy Association (apta.org)

Publications (14)

Top publication keywords:
Interdisciplinary StudiesLeadershipOrganizational CulturePatient SimulationPatient Care TeamHealth PersonnelWorkplaceAcademic Medical CentersCrisis InterventionStudents, Health OccupationsHealth OccupationsInterprofessional RelationsStudents, PharmacyPhysical Therapy SpecialtyCultural Competency

• Cultural Responsiveness in Academic Physical Therapy: An Administrative Case Report.
  Physical therapy 2024 Kennedy VK, Temple S, Pak S, Scheid A, Teherani A, van der Schaaf M, Fitzsimmons A
• Implementation of High-Value Care for Physical Therapy Residents Through Systems-Based Practice Curriculum Development: Case Report.
  Journal, physical therapy education 2024 Pak SS, Scheid A, Hoang C, Fitzsimmons A, Topp KS
• Commentary on Chapter 20: Perspective from the School of Physical Therapy, University of California, San Francisco.
  Remediation in Medical Education 2023 Amber Fitzsimmons, Kai Kennedy, Theresa Jaramillo, Andrew Lui
• Grappling With Professionalism: A Developmental Approach to a Dynamic Concept.
  Journal of Physical Therapy Education 2021 Kathryn C. Nesbit, Amber Fitzsimmons
• Interprofessional peer teaching: The value of a pharmacy student-led pharmacology course for physical therapy students.
  Currents in pharmacy teaching & learning 2020 Hsia S, Tran DN, Beechinor R, Gahbauer A, Fitzsimmons A, Brock T

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• Integrative Health: An Interprofessional Standardized Patient Case for Prelicensure Learners.
  MedEdPORTAL : the journal of teaching and learning resources 2018 Rivera J, de Lisser R, Dhruva A, Fitzsimmons A, Hyde S, Reddy S, Tsourounis C, Adler SR
• Teaching interprofessional collaborative care skills using a blended learning approach.
  Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice 2017 Angel K. Chen, Cathi Dennehy, Amber Fitzsimmons, Susan Hyde, Kirby Lee, Josette Rivera, Rebecca Shunk, Maria Wamsley
• Investigation into Physical Therapist Students’ Interprofessional Experiences During an 8-Week Clinical Clerkship: A Qualitative Study.
  Journal of Physical Therapy Education 2017 Amber Fitzsimmons, Kimberly S. Topp, Bridget C. O'Brien
• Interprofessional team debriefings with or without an instructor after a simulated crisis scenario: An exploratory case study.
  Journal of interprofessional care 2016 Boet S, Pigford AA, Fitzsimmons A, Reeves S, Triby E, Bould MD
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Inclusion in Physical Therapy: Advocating for Cultural Competency in Physical Therapy Education across the United States
  J Phys Ther Educ 2016 Copti N, Shahiri R, Wanek L, and Fitzsimmons A. J Phys Ther Educ
• A learner developed longitudinal interprofessional education curriculum.
  Journal of interprofessional care 2013 Fitzsimmons A, Cisneros B, Samore J
• Interprofessional Standardized Patient Exercise (ISPE): The Case of “Elsie Smith”.
  MedEdPORTAL 2013 Josette Rivera, Michi Yukawa, Susan Hyde, Amber Fitzsimmons, Janelle Christman, Alice Gahbauer, Alison Scheid, Maria Wamsley
• Interprofessional Standardized Patient Exercise (ISPE): The Case of “Elsie Smith”. MedEdPORTAL; 2013
  Interprofessional Standardized Patient Exercise (ISPE): The Case of “Elsie Smith”. MedEdPORTAL; 2013. Rivera J, Yukawa M, Hyde S, Fitzsimmons A, Christman J, Gahbauer A, Scheid A, Wamsley M.
• Investigation into physical therapy students’ interprofessional experiences during an eight-week clinical clerkship: Qualitative Study (in press)
  J of Phys Ther Educ Fitzsimmons A, Topp K, O'Brien B