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Amy Martha Pastva

Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Therapy
DUMC 104002, Durham, NC 27710
311 Trent Drive, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


The major themes that embody Dr. Pastva's scholarly pursuits include:  a) mechanisms of physical reserve and resilience; b) rehabilitation strategies for improving the health and function of individuals living with chronic cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases and/or surviving critical illness; and c) pedagogical strategies that will optimize health professions curricula to address clinical practice expectations in aging and acute or critical illness. In addition to her faculty appointments, she is Director of Research in the Physical Therapy Division, a Senior Fellow in the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, a Duke Pepper Older American Independence Center (OAIC) Scholar, and co-lead of the Center’s Health and Mobility Measures Core. She serves as an advisor in Duke Health's Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy Residency Program. She also serves on the American Physical Therapy Association’s ICU Rehabilitation Clinical Guideline Development Group, on the Research Committee of its Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Academy, and on the Editorial Board of the Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery · 2022 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Therapy, Orthopaedic Surgery
Professor in Medicine · 2022 - Present Medicine, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Medicine
Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2022 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments
Professor in Cell Biology · 2022 - Present Cell Biology, Basic Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2023 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers
Member in the Duke Clinical Research Institute · 2023 - Present Duke Clinical Research Institute, Institutes and Centers

Recent Publications


Novel Strategies to Promote Intensive Care Unit Recovery via Personalized Exercise, Nutrition, and Anabolic Interventions.

Journal Article Crit Care Clin · April 2025 Survivors of critical illness experience significant morbidity, reduced physiologic reserve, and long-term complications that negatively impact quality of life. Although rehabilitative treatments are beneficial during early recovery, there is limited evide ... Full text Link to item Cite

The association between neighborhood social vulnerability and community-based rehabilitation after stroke.

Journal Article BMC Health Serv Res · January 10, 2025 BACKGROUND: Timely rehabilitative care is vital for functional recovery after stroke. Social determinants may influence access to and use of post-stroke care but have been inadequately explored. The study examined the relationship between the Social Vulner ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Remotely Monitored, Mobile health-supported High Intensity Interval Training after COVID-19 Critical Illness (REMM HIIT-Covid19)

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2027

Physical Rehabilitation for Older Patients with Acute HFpEF-The REHAB-HFpEF Trial - Site Per Patient

Clinical TrialIntervention Coordinator · Awarded by Wake Forest University Health Sciences · 2023 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Alabama, Birmingham · 2004 Ph.D.