Virginia Commonwealth University names First OTTO Payton Professor of Physical Therapy

By Michael Ford
University News Services

RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 30, 2004) – Virginia Commonwealth University has named one of its faculty researchers as the first Otto D. Payton Professor of Physical Therapy, an endowed position made possible by an anonymous alumni donation.

Daniel L. Riddle, P.T., Ph.D., 48, professor and assistant chair of VCU’s Department of Physical Therapy, is the coordinator for the School of Allied Health Professions’ multidisciplinary doctoral program. He teaches measurement and assessment in the musculoskeletal track of the professional curriculum.

Riddle’s areas of research interest are low back and neck pain and the reliability and validity of measurements in orthopedic physical therapy. He was a reviewer for the Journal of Physical Therapy for 10 years and has been an editorial board member since 1997. He also serves as a reviewer for the journal Medical Care and the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy. 

The professorship is named for Otto D. Payton, P.T., Ph.D., a retired professor and former chairman of the physical therapy department who spent 28 years at VCU. A former student donated $250,000 to endow the professorship.

“Dr. Payton was instrumental in fostering excellence in physical therapy education and research at VCU and nationally,” said Thomas P. Mayhew, P.T., Ph.D., associate professor and chair of physical therapy. “Dr. Riddle is an eminent researcher in physical therapy whose outstanding reputation in both those areas make him richly deserving of this important appointment.”

Riddle earned his doctoral and master’s degrees from VCU and his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University.

VCU's Department of Physical Therapy, established in 1945, was the first accredited physical therapy program in Virginia and one of the first accredited programs in the country. U.S. News & World Report ranks VCU’s physical therapy program among the top 25 programs in the United States.