Educating for Impact: The Imperative of Health Systems Science in Physical Therapy

While health systems science (HSS) is now recognized as a foundational pillar in medical education, the profession of physical therapy has yet to fully integrate this unifying framework into its educational models. Health systems science offers a structured lens through which the profession can align its long-standing values such as patient-centered care, equity, and interprofessional collaboration, with the demands of a health care system that is complex, fragmented, and driven by accountability, data, and value. Without explicit incorporation of HSS into Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) curricula, the profession may have a diminished voice in critical conversations around health care equity, health system innovation, policy reform, and care redesign. This perspective presents an example from the University of Miami's DPT program, where HSS was systematically embedded across the curriculum using Kern's 6-step model for curriculum development. The process included comprehensive content mapping and intentional faculty development to promote a shared understanding of systems thinking and its relevance to physical therapist practice. As a result, DPT students are now engaged in learning that situates their clinical decision making within the broader structures, policies, and processes that shape patient outcomes at both individual and population levels. Health systems science enables physical therapists to move beyond implicit alignment with health system goals to active participation in advancing them. A physical therapist educated in HSS is positioned to contribute to population health by designing community-based interventions, participating in cross-sector partnerships, addressing social determinants of health, and applying data to reduce disparities in function and access. The framework also supports engagement in value-based care delivery, quality improvement initiatives, health informatics, and health policy development; areas central to the sustainability and evolution of health care. To remain relevant and impactful, this perspective offers a call to action for physical therapist educators to integrate HSS as a core component of professional formation and practice readiness.