David Walton

David Walton is an Associate Professor with the School of Physical Therapy at Western University (Ontario, Canada). Following a 10-year career as a clinical physical therapist, he returned to academia and completed a PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Science in 2010. Since that time he has grown a successful clinical and translational research program with foci in areas such as pain measurement and prognosis, use of consumer technologies in rehabilitation, and professional education and development. Other affiliations include his role as Associate Scientist with the Lawson Health Research Institute, Director of the Pain and Quality of Life Integrative Research Lab, and a member of international steering committees for the International Whiplash Consortium and the 2018 Global Year for Excellence in Pain Education. He has been recognized as an opinion leader for and by Canadian physical therapists, and has won a number of awards for his roles such as the 2014 Canadian Physiotherapy National Mentorship Award, twice winner of Western’s Faculty of Health Sciences Teaching Award of Excellence, and in 2017 became the first faculty member in Western University’s history to hold the titles of Faculty Scholar and Teaching Fellow simultaneously.

He is an active researcher and scholarly author with over 70 publications, and continues to build research capacity through grants and supervision of graduate students. He has spoken at several national and international conferences, most commonly on the topics of measuring pain and related experiences, and understanding the mechanisms of the acute-to-chronic pain transition following trauma. More recently he has launched a series of professional development workshops for clinicians intended to develop knowledge, skills and behaviours in areas such as pain assessment and prognosis, interpersonal ('soft') skills development, and teaching skills for providers of continuing professional development.