Deborah Walker, PT, DPT, OCS

Dr. Deborah Walker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at California State University Fresno. She received her Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 1990 and her Doctorate of Physical Therapy Degree from Regis University in 2011. She added additional qualifications of Orthopedic Certified Specialist in 1999/2009, Geriatric Certified Specialist in 2013, and holds an X-Ray Bone Densitometry License as of 2016. She has been a practicing physical therapist for twenty-eight years in private practice, government, and hospital-based settings with a focus on orthopedic concerns and geriatric patients. 

Dr. Walker began teaching full-time at Fresno State in 2015 and was previously a lecturer at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Walker's area of research interest is in geriatric physical therapy and includes health promotion for older adults, body composition of older adults, and sarcopenia prevention.  Her orthopedic research focuses on the use of electrical stimulation as a novel intervention for scapular dyskinesis, shoulder pain and chronic ankle instability.  She recently presented research on the effects of long-term exercise in athletes and published an article on the effect of electrical stimulation curing and exercise on scapular position and shoulder pain.

As a Fresno State professor, Dr. Walker teaches in the orthopedic curriculum, as is the course instructor for Geriatrics, Pharmacology, Physical Diagnosis, assists in supervision of the on-campus Musculoskeletal Care Clinic and oversees research and evidence-based projects. 

Dr. Walker is married and has four children (all boys). She lives in the mountains and enjoys the fresh air and outdoor activities.  You will find her hiking in the backcountry, walking her 3 dogs, or doing yoga.