Christopher G. Bise

Chris leads a double life. During the day he's an Associate Professor teaching orthopedics (mostly spine and screening) at the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Physical Therapy. During the rest of the day he's a Strategic Consultant at UPMC Health Plan, where he translates musculoskeletal care into language insurers understand. He's long believed that the first provider a patient sees for low back pain shapes everything that follows, a hunch that turned into a Jack Walker Award winning study and a career long soapbox (just ask his students) about first-contact care. That conviction has made him a vocal advocate for physical therapists as primary care providers for MSK injuries, not just treating what's in front of them, but serving as a real entry point into the system. He co-authored multiple CPG's, sits on the Editorial Board of PTJ, serves on the APTA's Payment reform task force and started the "Perspectives for Payers" series in JOSPT because someone had to explai