• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, San Diego State University

in the SDSU School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences

intranet    |    clinical education   |    careers
  • About Us
    • Mission
    • Program Philosophy
    • Primary Goals/Degree Learning Outcomes
    • Career Prospective
    • Accreditation
    • Upcoming Events
  • Why SDSU
    • Cutting-Edge Curriculum
    • Service Opportunities
    • Doctoral Research
    • Faculty Scholarship
  • Prospective Students
    • Admission Requirements
    • Application Process
    • Curriculum
    • Tuition
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • DPT Student Association
    • Graduate Outcomes
  • Current Students
    • Useful Links
    • Benefits of APTA Membership
  • Faculty & Staff
    • DPT Program Director
    • DPT Faculty
    • DPT Staff
  • Research & Labs
    • Overview
    • Faculty Research Interests and Laboratories
    • Research Assistant Application
    • Participate In A Research Study!

Katrina S. Maluf

Katrina Maluf
Katrina Maluf

Professor

Phone: (619) 594-5553
Office: ENS 126
Email: kmaluf@sdsu.edu

Download CV (pdf)

Education

  • University of Arizona, BS in Microbiology, 1996
  • Washington University in St. Louis, MS in Physical Therapy, 1999
  • Washington University in St. Louis, PhD in Movement Science, 2002 

Teaching responsibilities [Beginning 2016]

  • DPT 888 – Evidence Based Practice IV: Advanced Clinical Reasoning
  • DPT 878 – Psychosocial Aspects of Rehabilitation
  • DPT 897 – Doctoral Research
  • DPT 889 – Doctoral Project

Clinical Specialty, Interests, and Practice Sites

  • Chronic musculoskeletal pain
  • Psychologically informed physical therapy practice
  • Telerehabilitation

Research and Scholarship Interests (Funded Activity/Other Research and Scholarly Activity)

  • Applied Sensorimotor Research Laboratory

The mission of Dr. Maluf’s research program is to translate physiologic discoveries into innovative clinical strategies to assess, prevent, and manage chronic musculoskeletal pain.  Dr. Maluf has served as a principal investigator or faculty mentor for 20 research and training grants, with over $4 million in support from the National Institutes of Health, International Association for the Study of Pain, and Foundation for Physical Therapy.

Funded Studies

  • National Institutes of Health (NIMHD) U54 MD012397 (2018-2023). SDSU HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research. This project aims to improve infrastructure at SDSU and its partner organizations to advance minority health and health disparities research among racially/ethnically diverse and lower-income populations using a community-engaged transdisciplinary research approach. Maluf Role: Center Co-Investigator (MPIs: Dr. Guadalupe Ayala, Dr. Kristen Wells) and Project Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI: Dr. Sara Gombatto) for $1.6M clinical trial, Cognitive Behavioral Based Physical Therapy for Latinos with Chronic Spine Pain in partnership with Family Health Centers of San Diego.
  • National Institutes of Health (NINDS) R21 NS109852 (2019-2021). Imaging Central and Peripheral Impairments in Chronic Post-Traumatic Headache with Comorbid Neck Pain. This collaborative project between SDSU, UCSD, and VA San Diego uses magnetic resonance imaging and quantitative sensory testing to identify markers of brain and muscle dysfunction contributing to post-traumatic headache in veterans with mild traumatic brain injury, with the long-term goal of identifying biomarkers of clinical phenotypes to better inform treatment decisions. Maluf Role: Principal Investigator (Co-MPIs: Dr. Dawn Schiehser, Dr. Bahar Shahidi)
  • National Institutes of Health (NCMRR) F31 HD101274 (2019-2022). Role of Patient-Provider Communication on Clinical Outcomes of Chronic Pain Rehabilitation. This fellowship provides pre-doctoral training for a PhD student in the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health.  The dissertation study uses mixed methods approaches to examine the relationship between communication practices, patient-provider therapeutic alliance, and clinical outcomes in patients referred to physical therapy for the management of chronic pain. Maluf Role: Faculty mentor (Fellow: Chelsea Chapman)

Completed Studies

  • National Institutes of Health (NIAMS) R01 AR056704 (2010-2015). Stress-Evoked Muscle Activity in Occupational Myalgia. The goal of this prospective cohort investigation was to identify stress-evoked muscle activity and other modifiable physical, psychological, and neurophysiolgical risk factors for the development of chronic neck pain in a high-risk population of office workers. Maluf Role: Principal Investigator

Recent/selected Publications

  • Complete List of Published Work available at MyBibliography

Honors and Awards

  • WUSTL, Program in Physical Therapy Distinguished Alumni Award (2012)
  • Mortar Board Outstanding Faculty Award (2016)
  • SDSU School of ENS Most Influential Faculty Award (2017)
  • NOVEL Award for Outstanding Research (2002)

Connect With Us!
email: dpt@sdsu.edu
phone: (619) 594-0566, fax: (619) 594-6553

SDSU School of Exercise & Nutritional Sciences
5500 Campanile Drive,
San Diego, CA 92182-7251

© 2022 · Doctor of Physical Therapy, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences,
College of Health and Human Services, San Diego State University