Laura C. Schmitt, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Professor of Physical Therapy
Director of Research
Division of Physical Therapy
HRS Office of Research
Atwell Hall
453 W. 10th Ave.
Columbus OH, 43210
Primary Professional Areas of Interest
Overview
Dr. Schmitt is a Professor of Physical Therapy with Tenure in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HRS), College of Medicine, Ohio State University. She serves as the School’s Director of Research and is a principal investigator in the OSU Sports Medicine Research Institute. As a physical therapist and biomechanist, she has accumulated decades of experience as a productive clinician-scientist, focusing on the neuromuscular, biomechanical, and functional outcomes of individuals across the lifespan who experience knee injuries or pathology. Her work aims to inform effective rehabilitation guidelines and optimize patient quality of life. Within the DPT program, she teaches courses covering biomechanics, research methodology, and musculoskeletal physical therapy. Dr. Schmitt recently completed a fellowship in Higher Education Leadership. She is dedicated to mentoring learners at various stages along their educational journey, including undergraduates, DPT students, and trainees in the HRS MS and PhD programs.
A primary focus of Dr. Schmitt’s research is recovery and knee joint health following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstruction. For more than twenty years, she has co-led a collaborative clinical-research team on the implementation of a longitudinal, observational cohort study, which has achieved national recognition as one of the most comprehensive and robust datasets concerning young, active individuals after ACL reconstruction. Her collaborative efforts have broadened to include multiple areas of outcome measurement, including physical activity, quantitative MRI/post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis and functional brain imaging. Dr. Schmitt’s overarching goal is to equip patients and clinicians with actionable insights to guide rehabilitation and recovery decisions, ultimately optimizing both recovery and long-term quality of life.
Dr. Schmitt’s research has been supported by several national organizations, most recently the National Institutes of Health and the Arthritis Foundation. She is widely recognized as a leader in the field, earning the distinction of Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association, and has received multiple national research awards throughout her career.
Recent Research
Culiver A, Andrushko JW, Rosati E, Schmitt LC, Oñate J. Focus of Attention Impacts Brain Activity and Connectivity Early After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. J Athl Train. 2025 Dec 23;60(12):837-844. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0633.24. eCollection 2025 Dec.PMID: 41473121
Culiver A, Riemann BL, Bennion D, Schlichting E, Perry J, Brunst C, Schmitt LC. Performance across the isokinetic velocity spectrum: Interpretation for individuals after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Clin Biomech (Bristol). 2025 Jun;126:106544. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2025.106544. Epub 2025 May 2. PubMed PMID: 40344989.
Kronenberg JM, Arhos EK, Riley MA, Kuznetsov N, Morton SM, Silbernagel KG, Schmitt LC. Gait after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction fails to exhibit task-sensitive modulations of dynamic stability: A preliminary analysis. Clin Biomech (Bristol). 2025 Aug;128:106634. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2025.106634. Epub 2025 Jul 26. PubMed PMID: 40749430.
Zwolski CM, Paterno MV, Rethorn TJ, Thomas SM, Quatman-Yates CC, Schmitt LC. Physical, psychological, and environmental shifts experienced during the young athlete journey after ACL reconstruction. Phys Ther Sport. 2024 Nov; 70: 44-52
Zwolski CM*, Paterno MV, Magnussen RA, Thomas SM, Goodway JD, Hand BN, Quatman-Yates CC, Schmitt LC. The association of physical competence with psychological readiness among young athletes at time of return to sport after ACL reconstruction. 2023 Sep; 51(11): 2908-2917
Schmitt LC, Brunst C, Ithurburn M, Ilardi D, Thomas S, Huang B, Paterno MV. Identification and predictors of age-relevant and activity-relevant hop test targets in young athletes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. J Athl Train. 2022 Sep; 57: 946-954.
Recent Presentations
“Get Back in the Game! Optimizing Return to Sport Decision-Making: State of the Science, where are we and where do we go?” Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society (PRiSM) 2025 Annual Meeting (Columbus, OH)
“RTP milestones: are we returning athletes too fast?” 2024 Panther Symposium and the Rehabilitation and Return to Sports Symposium (Pittsburgh, PA)
“Optimizing long-term health following ACL reconstruction.” Emory Sports Medicine Hybrid Symposium 2023 (Atlanta, GA)
“Short-term gain, long-term pain? Joint health after ACL injury.” ACL Research Retreat 2022 (High Point, NC)
Awards
- 2024 – Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association
- 2024 – Best Original Research, International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy
- 2023 – Excellence in Research Award, American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy, American Physical Therapy Association
- 2022 – Best Poster Award, Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society
- 2018 – STOP Sports Injuries Award, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
- 2016 - Eugene Michels New Investigator Award, American Physical Therapy Association
Education
- Fellowship in Higher Education Leadership, APTA Academy of Education
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Sports Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- PhD, Biomechanics and Movement Science, University of Delaware
- MPT, Physical Therapy, University of Delaware
- BA, Psychology, Biology, University of Delaware