Margaret W Norton, PhD, MPT

Associate Professor

Margaret W Norton, PhD, MPT - Dr. Margaret W Norton is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Biomedical Sciences at the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine. She joined the SOM faculty in July 2017 after 11 years teaching at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in the Department of Physical Therapy. She received a BA in Biology from Trinity University in 1980, a BS in Health Care Sciences 1997, a PhD in Physiology 1998, and an MPT in 1999 from UTHSCSA. Her research areas in graduate school included the physiology of neuromuscular diseases and aging neuromuscular systems in rodents. While in PT school, she examined the effects of proprioceptive training and ACL injury prevention in high school female soccer players.

She was the course director in the Exercise Physiology of Rehabilitation course for 11 years and an Anatomy I and II lab instructor for Doctorate of Physical Therapy students for 7 years in the Department of Physical Therapy at UTHSCSA. She also assisted in gross anatomy labs for Physician Assistant, Occupational Therapy and Biomedical Engineering programs before coming to UIWSOM. As an instructor at UTHSCSA, she supervised two groups of student studies from inception to completion of their research projects, using mobile technology. The most recent project involved a combined inter-professional physical therapy and dental student project focusing on educating and improving seated posture of third year dental students during their first clinical experiences. In addition, she helped prepare and present anatomy (prosections) for continuing education courses for health care professionals.

As a physical therapist, she worked in home health assisting our elderly population recover from a wide range of diagnoses for 20 years. She continuously tries to explore research projects that combine her love of human anatomy and knowledge in rehabilitation of physical dysfunction. Currently, she is interested in exploring the general use of ultrasound in MSK, the use of ultrasound to detect anatomical variations, and illustrating the efficacy of various DO manual techniques.