April D. Newton, PT, DPT, MA, FNAP, is the Director of Interprofessional Practice Development she is also an Assistant Professor in the IU School of Medicine’s department of family medicine and an adjunct Assistant Professor in the department of physical therapy.
Dr. Newton is responsible for developing and integrating interprofessional clinical practice curricula; promoting and developing innovative interprofessional clinical training models; and collaborating with administrators, faculty, clinical faculty, healthcare providers, staff, and learners throughout academia and at varying healthcare facilities regarding team-based care. She is currently involved in interprofessional collaborative practice with the Comprehensive Pain Clinic (CoPAC), the Well Child and Oral Health Clinic, and the IU Student Outreach Clinic (IU SOC) in Indianapolis.
Prior to joining Indiana University, Dr. Newton was at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS), North Chicago, in the DeWitt C. Baldwin Institute for Interprofessional Education and department of physical therapy. In the Institute, she held roles as the Executive Director, Director of Interprofessional Education and Clinical Experiences, and Interprofessional Clinical Specialist. Dr. Newton was an assistant professor in the department of physical therapy and coordinated interprofessional education and global health experiences. Previously, she was the Director of Clinical Education in the department of physical therapy at Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA. She has co-authored peer-reviewed publications and presented nationally and internationally on interprofessional education and collaborative practice, clinical education, and global health.
Dr. Newton received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from A.T. Still University and a Master of Physical Therapy degree from The University of Iowa. She is a member of the Alpha Eta National Scholastic Honor Society for Allied Health Professions. Additionally, she has a certificate in Health Professions Education from RFUMS and holds an MA in Mass Communications and Journalism from Drake University and a BBA from East Tennessee State University.
In 2016, Dr. Newton was named a Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow of the National Academies of Practice. She also received the 2016 Interprofessional Advocacy Award from the College of Health Professions at RFUMS. She was awarded the 2018 RFUMS Deans’ Award for Diversity and Inclusion in and was presented the inaugural 2019 Legacy Award from the Interprofessional Community Clinic for her leadership and contributions of the RFUMS’ “student-run” clinic. Dr. Newton is a charter member of the National Interprofessional Education Consortium in the American Council for Academic Physical Therapy and of the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative. She is active in the American Physical Therapy Association’s Academy of Physical Therapy Education.
Dr. Newton has been instrumental in leading a student-facilitated and faculty collaborative, pro-bono Interprofessional Community Clinic, developing and integrating an Interprofessional Community Health Fair, and coordinating interprofessional socialization experiences for health professions students and faculty. Her primary interest is in creating and implementing interprofessional collaborative practices with healthcare providers, clinical faculty, and health profession students.
She has presented nationally and internationally on interprofessional education and collaborative practice, clinical education, and global health at the Iowa Physical Therapy Association conferences, APTA NEXT conferences, APTA Combined Sections Meetings, and APTA PT/PTA Student Conclave in addition to interprofessional conferences that include Collaborating Across Borders and All Together Better Health.