Deborah Doerfler, PT, DPT, PhD is Assistant Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy at the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Medicine. She is a board certified clinical specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy. She has practiced physical therapy in the areas of acute care, orthopaedics, sports medicine and gerontology. Currently, her clinical practice focuses on the complex needs of the geriatric client at the UNM Senior Health Clinic providing consultation as part of this multidisciplinary clinic. She teaches Evidence-Based Practice, Musculoskeletal Interventions, and Gerontology. She is a member of the Interdisciplinary Educational Geriatric committee and serves as a faculty facilitator during the case-based learning activities. Her research interests include examining factors associated with functional independence and fall risk in sedentary compared to active older adults. She is currently a co-investigator in a study examining the relationship between different types of sport participation and performance on single and dual task walking in athletes who participated in the 2020 National Senior Games.