I am pleased to be joining Physical Therapy Reviews Editorial Board as the incoming Media Review Editor. In this role, formerly called the Book Review Editor, I am eager to expand PTR’s review of all types of media that deliver information to patients, clinicians, and other relevant stakeholders. I am an Assistant Professor at High Point University in the Department of Physical Therapy and an avid podcast listener, blog reader, and book lover who can personally speak to the benefits, and challenges, of media consumption in the current digital age.
While my birthdate classifies me as a ‘millennial’, and I cannot deny my love of technology, I remain a traditionalist in the belief that physical, paper-based mediums of information (e.g. textbooks, printed articles), allow readers to interact with the material more efficiently than on a digital device. Indeed, there is research to support this belief [Citation1], but PTR would be remiss to ignore the fact that consumption of digital media will only increase, as will our collective responsibility to discern its relevance, authenticity, and applicability.
It is of no surprise to our readership that we live in an ever-expanding, digitally connected world. Not only can information be retrieved in milliseconds at one’s fingertips, but this information can also be created, posted, and shared by any individual who has a smart device and an audience. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok are no longer just a place for users to post about their social lives; they are influential platforms through which dissemination of medical information occurs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Rather than shy away from this rapidly developing movement of digital media creation and consumption, I commend PTR for leaning into this space and exploring it further. To this end, I welcome submissions of print, digital, and audio media (e.g. health-related apps and podcasts; innovative textbooks with online-based modules, etc.) related to the practice of physical therapy – I look forward to reading and reviewing your submissions!
High Point University, USA
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