Skip to Search
Skip to Navigation
Skip to Content

University of Connecticut Neag School of Education Department of Kinesiology


Photo of Denise Ward

Denise Ward

  • Director of Clinical Education
Ms. Ward has been a physical therapist for over 40 years. She has practiced in Maine, Connecticut, New Mexico and Minnesota. She spent many years in clinical practice working with patients in hospitals, adult and pediatric rehabilitation, outpatient orthopedic clinics and in home care. Her graduate program at the University of Connecticut included focused study in program evaluation for rehabilitation agencies. Ms. Ward has served as a consultant for several rehabilitation centers where she assisted in the development of systems for program evaluation. For 13 years, she was a consultant and medical reviewer for a large Medicare intermediary insurance company. In this capacity, she worked closely with the FBI in fraud cases and developed policies used for determing appropriateness of rehabilitative services. She is currently a consultant for the Conn. Dept of Public Health where she is asked to offer opinions in cases where the standard of practice for physical therapists is questioned. She is a disciplinary panelist for Connecticut’s Medical Board and participates in disciplinary hearings concerning physicians. 
Ms Ward's faculty responsibilities include teaching in the area of professionalism and managing all Physical Therapy student internships.
Ms. Ward is a career-long active member of the American Physical Therapy Association and was a member of the Quality Management Committee for many years.  She was inducted into the Alpha Eta Honor Society in 1995.
Ms Ward is credentialed by the APTA Clinical Instructor Education Board as an advanced clinical instructor and is approved to teach the APTA's Clinical Instructor Training Course.
  • Contact Information:
  • Office:
    • Location: Koons 102
  • Mailing Address:
    • Dept. of Physical Therapy
    • NEAG School of Education
    • 358 Mansfield Rd, Unit 2101
    • Storrs, CT 06269
  • Areas of Expertise:
    • Professional Development
    • Policies and Practices
    • Medicare
    • Consultation
  • Currently Teaching:
    • Physical Therapy 5461, Acute Care Practicum
    • Physical Therapy 5438, Professional Issues in Physical Therapy
    • Physical Therapy 5647, Neuromuscular Practicum
    • Physical Therapy 5468, Individual Practicum
    • PT 5460, Introduction to Clinical Education
  • Associations/Organizations/Outreach:
    • American Physical Therapy Assoc.
    • Connecticut Physical Therapy Assoc.
    • New England Consortium of ACCE's
    • Connecticut Medical Board
    • Consultant, CT Dept. of Public Health
  • Educational Background:
    • BS, Physical Therapy, University of Connecticut, 1971
    • MS, Allied Health, University of Connecticut, 1983
    • BS, Horticulture, University of Connecticut, 1990
  • Selected Publications/Presentations:
    • Clinical Instructor Training Course, Groton, CT
    • Conn. APTA Fall Conference, PT Documentation
    • Clinical Instructor Training Course, Springfield, Ma
    • Conn. APTA Fall Conference, Guide to Practice