Spinal Manipulation Education Group
The principals of the Spinal Manipulation Education Group are Assoc. Prof. Peter Gibbons and Assoc. Prof. Philip Tehan who are authors of the textbook “Manipulation of the Spine, Thorax and Pelvis: An Osteopathic Perspective”. This text is published in English, Spanish, German, Polish and Portuguese and is now in its 4th English Edition published by Elsevier.
Assoc. Prof. Gibbons and Assoc. Prof. Tehan collaborate with university faculty, clinical instructors and practitioners from varying clinical backgrounds to provide education in the area of spinal manipulation, physical medicine and rehabilitation. The Spinal Manipulation Education Group draws upon the expertise of eminent educators, researchers and practitioners from the fields of medicine, physiotherapy, osteopathy and other related disciplines to offer high quality educational learning packages. Members of the Group have taught extensively in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Asia and Europe.
Faculty Members
Assoc. Professor Peter Gibbons MB, BS, DO, DM-SMed, MHSc.
Graduated from the British School of Osteopathy (London) in 1975 and gained his undergraduate medical degree from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine (London). He is a board certified medical practitioner and osteopath in Australia, holds postgraduate qualifications in musculoskeletal medicine and is Deputy Convenor of Medical Panels. Professor Gibbons has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, is a co-author of "Manipulation of the Spine, Thorax and Pelvis: An Osteopathic Perspective” and a founding director of the Spinal Manipulation Education Group. He has presented research and spinal manipulation workshops nationally and internationally, and currently lectures in the subject area of High Velocity Low Amplitude (HVLA) thrust techniques.
Assoc. Professor Philip Tehan DO, Dip. Physiotherapy, MHSc.
Graduated from the Physiotherapy School, Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences in Melbourne, Australia in 1971 and gained his osteopathic qualification at the British School of Osteopathy in 1975. He is a board certified physiotherapist and osteopath in Australia. Philip has lectured both nationally and internationally on the topic of musculoskeletal dysfunction, particularly relating to spinal manipulation.
Philip is a director of clinical services in osteopathy and physiotherapy at a multidisciplinary clinic in Melbourne, Australia and is an Associate Professor teaching into the Bachelors/Masters program in osteopathy at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
Philip is co-author of the text "Manipulation of the Spine, Thorax and Pelvis: An Osteopathic Perspective” and a founding director of the Spinal Manipulation Education Group.
Dr. Alastair Tehan BSc, BAppSc, MOst.
Alastair completed his Science degree at the University of Melbourne in 2002 before graduating, with distinction, from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Complementary Medicine) and Masters of Osteopathy.
He is a lead tutor in the HVLA thrust technique/Manipulation teaching program at RMIT University and has held clinical appointments with Victoria University and the London School of Osteopathy. Working with the Spinal Manipulation Group, Alastair has facilitated Manipulation workshops to Allied Health Professionals, both in Australia and internationally.
Alastair has over 15 years of clinical experience and has worked extensively with an array of leading Health Professionals. Currently he works in private practice as a director of the Geelong Osteopathy Group and consults for the Clinical Panel of the Transport Accident Commission in Victoria.
Dr. Dave Johnson PT, PhD, Grad. Dip. Manip. Ther., OCS, FAAOMPT.
Majored in civil engineering at the U. S. Air Force Academy. He earned a Graduate Certificate in Physical Therapy from the University of Iowa in 1980, a Graduate Diploma in Manipulative Therapy from Curtin University, Western Australia in 1982, and an MS in Biostatistics and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Iowa in 1992 and 1996. He is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, where he teaches thrust and non-thrust mobilization/manipulation to physical therapists and physical therapy students. In the 1980s he served as national chair of the Orthopaedic Specialty Council, American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, and patented the "Johnson Anti-Shear Accessory" to the Cybex dynamometer. Johnson has received four national scholarships including: APTA McMillan Scholarship in 1986, APTA McMillan Scholarship in 1996, NIDRR Traineeship in 1995, and NIDRR Switzer Merit Fellowship in 2000. In 2007, he received the Kennett Ball Award for service to OPTA.
Dr. Ken Schaecher PT, MS, DPT, OCS.
Earned a BS in Sport Science from Oklahoma State University, and earned MS and DPT degrees from Arizona School of Health Sciences.
Ken practices at Northern Therapy and Rehabilitation in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he specializes in manual therapy and exercise for persons with orthopaedic or sports disorders.
He has been an Assistant Professor in the physical therapy program at Langston University, where he taught thrust and non-thrust mobilization/manipulation to physical therapists and physical therapy students. He is board certified in orthopaedic physical therapy.
Ken has served the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Association (OPTA) as Western District Director, and in 2004 received the OPTA “Outstanding Clinical Instructor of the Year” award.
Dr. Tim Fearon PT, DPT, FAAOMPT
Received his PT degree from the Ohio State University and completed the Musculoskeletal Sequence graduate program at Northwestern University. He completed his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Northern Arizona University.
He founded Phoenix Manual Therapy, which has been offering short courses in orthopedic manual therapy since 1983. Phoenix Manual Therapy progressed to offering a long-term course frame for study of the Australian clinical reasoning approach to orthopaedic manual therapy with integration of Norwegian technique and therapeutic exercise. The course has been running over the last 25 years. He earned his Full Fellowship status in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapy by the challenge process in 1999 and successfully renewed that status in 2010. He has been specializing in orthopaedic manual therapy and spinal rehabilitation for the last 30 years.
Dr. Fearon is currently adjunct faculty at A. T. Still University where he teaches manual therapy of the spine and extremities. He has been a guest instructor for NAU, Arizona School of Health Sciences, Regis University, Langston University, and North Georgia College. He is lead faculty for Evidence in Motion manual therapy courses, the clinical decision making course and the fellowship virtual rounds.
He has taught manual therapy courses over the last 20 years, spoken at numerous meetings for the Arizona Physical Therapy Association, and other state associations and private entities.
Dr. Britt Smith PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT.
I am a physical therapist in private practice in Grand Junction, CO. My wife, Susie (also a PT), and our son Suriya (16) live in the ‘Redlands’, just out of the city limits. Our daughter, Katie (20), is an undergraduate at the University of Denver. Our home is a mile from the clinic and we live with my mother-in-law, two dogs, two cats, four chickens, five goats, two horses and a bunch of coyote, quail, dove, snakes, and foxes.
Hobbies…ha! I walk to work and back. We enjoy camping, sking and hiking when we can get away. I grew up in Flagstaff, AZ. I am a graduate of Northern Arizona University (NAU) (BSPT, 1981), Samuel Merritt College (SMC) (MSPT,1997) and Regis University (DPT, 2007). I now teach clinical courses in manual therapy and leadership & ethics at Regis University and EIM. I’m board certified in orthopaedics (OCS, 1995) and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy (FAAOMPT, 1999).
I am a board member of the Physical Therapy Board for the Dept of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) in Colorado (2012-present). I served as Chairperson for the Western District of the Colorado Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) (2005-2008, 2010-2011) and a chairperson position for American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) (2004-2008). I serve on the Ethics Committee at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Grand Junction.
I’ve taught with the University of Colorado Rocky Mountain Evidence-based Healthcare Workshop, EIM’s Manipaloosa in Denver. I’ve lectured across the United States at APTA, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), AAOMPT and American Osteopathic Association (AOA) conferences. I’ve coauthored a chapter in Secrets of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, and a articles and editorial commentaries in JOSPT, among other journals.