Kellee Hanigan, DPT, PhD
Fall 1980 - Fall 2120
Professor I
Current Position
Biography
Dr. Harper-Hanigan currently serves as the Program Director for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at SCU in Arizona. She was the founding Program Director of the DPT Program at LMU-Knoxville, guiding it through full accreditation in 2024 and early implementation. Previously, she was a member of the founding core faculty in the DPT program at Indiana State University that successfully gained accreditation in 2018.
Dr. Harper-Hanigan earned her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Physiological Psychology from Dartmouth College and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. Following clinical practice in outpatient orthopedics, she completed a Post-Doctoral Research Assistantship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center focusing on qualitative research methods and community-based participatory research. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology from Indiana University-Bloomington with an emphasis on Biomechanics and Physical Activity Epidemiology.
Dr. Harper-Hanigan brings extensive clinical experience spanning outpatient orthopedics, acute/intensive care, and inpatient wound care at a Level I Trauma Center. She is Board-certified as a Geriatrics Clinical Specialist and Wound Care Certified through the American Board of Wound Management.
Her teaching philosophy centers on fostering inclusive learning environments that promote holistic student success. Recognizing that each student learns differently, she encourages students to make material their own through andragogical principles by integrating past experiences and context to help content "click and stick." Her research interests focus on applying rigorous epidemiological methods to rehabilitation research and secondary data analysis.
Degrees
Ph.D., Epidemiology, Indiana University - Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, United StatesDissertation: The Relationship Between Non-Running Physical Activity and the Development of Running-Related Overuse Injuries
D.P.T., Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
B.A., Biochemistry, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States
Professional Licensures (Healthcare)
PT, Tennessee, United States, 13101, Active, 2020, June 2026
Certifications (Healthcare)
American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, Board Certification, Geriatrics, 47566, 2016-07-01, 2026-06-30
National Alliance of Wound Care & Ostomy, Wound Care, 8160606, 2016-08-19, 2026-08-19
National CPR Foundation, Basic Life Support - BLS, C633C4, 2024-07-02, 2026-07-01
Interests
Wound Care, Geriatrics, Clinical reasoning, Anatomy, Epidemiology, Biomechanics, Student Success, Providing physical therapy services to those experiencing homelessness