Research/Areas of Interest
Dr. Cook's area of research interests include:
Pain, distress, comfort, and well-being in individuals with cerebral palsy and other neurologic conditions.
Empathy, relational attunement, and person-centered care for individuals with complex neuromotor impairments and their families.
Phenomenological, qualitative, and mixed-methods research approaches.
Lived experience, embodiment, and meaning-making in health and disability.
Dynamic systems perspectives on human development, adaptation, and rehabilitation.
Clinical education and the integration of qualitative inquiry into healthcare practice.
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy, Nova Southeastern University, USA, 2019
- Doctor of Physical Therapy, Des Moines University, USA, 2007
- Master of Science, Des Moines University, USA, 2003
Biography
Dr. Jason E. Cook, DPT, PhD is a board-certified pediatric clinical specialist, core faculty member in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Tufts University School of Medicine, and practicing clinician at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. He earned his bachelor's degree from Drake University, his master's and doctoral degrees in physical therapy from Des Moines University, and his PhD from Nova Southeastern University.
Dr. Cook teaches and practices in the areas of pediatric and neurologic physical therapy. His research has focused on pain, distress, comfort, and well-being in individuals with neurologic differences using phenomenological, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. More broadly, he is interested in how lived experience, embodiment, perception, and meaning-making shape human development, health, and adaptation across the lifespan.
Drawing from clinical practice, phenomenology, neuroscience, and dynamic systems perspectives, his current scholarly interests explore how complex human experiences emerge through the interaction of body, environment, relationships, and time. His work seeks to bridge first-person lived experience with contemporary approaches to understanding development, regulation, learning, and human flourishing.
Dr. Cook has served in multiple leadership roles, including Director of Membership, Communications, and Public Relations and Board Member of the APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, and Specialty Council Pediatric Chair of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, among numerous other professional service positions.
Through his clinical practice, scholarship, teaching, and leadership, Dr. Cook is committed to advancing compassionate, evidence-informed care while fostering interdisciplinary dialogue about embodiment, human experience, and the conditions that support well-being.
Dr. Cook teaches and practices in the areas of pediatric and neurologic physical therapy. His research has focused on pain, distress, comfort, and well-being in individuals with neurologic differences using phenomenological, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. More broadly, he is interested in how lived experience, embodiment, perception, and meaning-making shape human development, health, and adaptation across the lifespan.
Drawing from clinical practice, phenomenology, neuroscience, and dynamic systems perspectives, his current scholarly interests explore how complex human experiences emerge through the interaction of body, environment, relationships, and time. His work seeks to bridge first-person lived experience with contemporary approaches to understanding development, regulation, learning, and human flourishing.
Dr. Cook has served in multiple leadership roles, including Director of Membership, Communications, and Public Relations and Board Member of the APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, and Specialty Council Pediatric Chair of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, among numerous other professional service positions.
Through his clinical practice, scholarship, teaching, and leadership, Dr. Cook is committed to advancing compassionate, evidence-informed care while fostering interdisciplinary dialogue about embodiment, human experience, and the conditions that support well-being.