Deborah Thorpe

Deborah “Debbie” Thorpe was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Hall of Fame in 2018.

Thorpe earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education (1979) and her master’s degree in motor development and motor learning (1983) from West Virginia University. She taught elementary school for six years at North Elementary in Morgantown before pursuing additional training in physical therapy, earning her degree from the University of New England in 1988. She later received a doctorate in developmental and child psychology from the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University in 1998.

Thorpe joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1999 as assistant professor in the Division of Physical Therapy. Over the course of more than two decades at UNC, she advanced to associate professor in 2007, professor in 2018, and ultimately became professor emerita upon her retirement in 2021. She also held an adjunct appointment in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science.

Her research centered on children and adults with developmental disabilities, particularly cerebral palsy. She conducted groundbreaking studies on aging with cerebral palsy, bone density, aquatic rehabilitation, and the long-term impact of physical therapy interventions across the lifespan. She received a five-year K23 award from the National Institutes of Health and additional grants from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) to support her research. Her work led to collaborations with the Cerebral Palsy Research Network and the development of national registries and multidisciplinary approaches to care.

Thorpe’s honors include the United Cerebral Palsy Association Ethel Hausman Clinical Research Scholars Award (2003), the APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy Anniversary Award (2013), and the APTA Aquatic Section Richard Ruoti Award for Excellence in Research (2015). In 2017, she was named a “Health Care Hero” by the Triangle Business Journal in North Carolina.