Journeys Beyond the Horizon
Authors: Rothstein Jules M 
Published: February 2017

Jules M Rothstein, clinician, researcher, educator, author, and speaker, entered into the field of physical therapy in 1975 following graduation from the Department of Physical Therapy at New York University. He completed his Master of Arts Degree in Kinesiology in 1979 and his Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Therapy in 1983, also at New York University. During his training, he worked as Staff Physical Therapist at Peninsula Hospital Center in Queens, as Research Fellow with the Arthritis Foundation, and in private practice in Cedarhurst, New York.

From 1977 to 1980, Dr Rothstein was Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Physical Therapy at New York University. From 1980 to 1983, he was Instructor and Coordinator of Clinical Research and Training Programs at Washington University School of Medicine, and from 1984 to 1990, he was Associate Professor at the Medical College of Virginia. A tenured professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago since 1990, Dr Rothstein also served as Head of the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago and as Chief of Physical Therapy Services at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago until 1999. During that period, the department obtained more than $6 million in research funding and received APTA's 1997 Minority Initiative Award for consistently recruiting and maintaining ethnic and racial diversity among its students. He continues to serve as Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and remains active in all areas of physical therapy, practice, research, and service.

Dr Rothstein's expertise in measurement and research design has been used by many professionals—across disciplines—in the allied health community. He is in great demand as an invited guest speaker, having given professional presentations and keynote speeches on the topic of rehabilitation sciences at numerous national and international forums, including Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. He has also served as a consultant and visiting professor in South Africa, the Netherlands, and Poland.

Dr Rothstein has made extensive contributions to the physical therapy profession's body of knowledge, including the publication of more than 60 refereed articles and abstracts. In 1985, he edited the text Measurement in Physical Therapy. He chaired the APTA Task Force on Standards for Measurement in Physical Therapy that produced the first APTA Standards for Tests and Measurements in Physical Therapy Practice in 1993. As part of that task force, he co-authored the Primer on Measurement: An Introductory Guide to Measurements Issues. Since 1989, Dr Rothstein has served as Editor of Physical Therapy and has been appointed to that position for three 5-year terms by the APTA Board of Directors.

Dr Rothstein is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Golden Pen Award, the Outstanding Service Award for Research, the Outstanding Service Award for Continuing Education, and the Outstanding Therapist Award in the State of Illinois.

[Rothstein JM. Thirty-Second Mary McMillan Lecture: Journeys beyond the horizon. Phys Ther. 2001;81:1817–1829.]