Ronald G. Peyton

Ronald G. Peyton was inducted into the College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. He was previously inducted into the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Hall of Fame in 1997.

A native of Wheeling, W.Va., Peyton graduated from WVU in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, where he was a four-year member of the Mountaineer track and weightlifting teams. He later earned a graduate degree in physical therapy from Duke University and went on to become one of the most recognized figures in the field of sports medicine and physical therapy.

Peyton founded the Dogwood Institute in Alpharetta, Georgia, in 1970, serving as president and CEO for 40 years. His consulting work in sports medicine spanned more than 75 centers worldwide and included serving as director of sports medicine services at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and providing care to President Jimmy Carter in 1976. He also served on the President’s Council on Fitness and Sports and held numerous faculty roles, including adjunct professor positions at Duke University and Georgia State University.

In addition to his clinical and academic leadership, Peyton was a published author, keynote speaker, patented inventor, and nationally recognized educator. 

Peyton was the founding chair of the Sports Physical Therapy Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. He received the Catherine Worthingham Fellowship, the highest honor in physical therapy. He received the Barbara C. White Award twice from the University of Florida for outstanding accomplishments in physical therapy. In 2015, the Duke Medical School faculty started a yearly series of innovative topics presented to medical and physical therapy students and school faculty and named it in his honor: the Ronald G. Peyton Transformative Innovative Series. 

He was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame in 2019.