APTA Spokesperson Theresa Marko is the founder and owner of Marko Physical Therapy, PLLC, a private practice in New York City, specializing in orthopedics and adolescents. She is also adjunct faculty for Touro University’s Manhattan Campus and Tufts University Seattle hybrid program.

Marko is passionate about making a change in health care and has made advocacy a cornerstone of her practice. She has lobbied nationally and at the state level on behalf of her patients and the profession on topics such as repealing the Medicare cap, reducing student loan debt burden, and lowering copays.

She received a master’s degree in physical therapy and a doctor of physical therapy degree. She is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy and a certified early intervention specialist. She is currently pursuing a doctor of education degree in interdisciplinary leadership. Marko is also Titleist Performance Institute Golf Level 1 certified and Select Functional Movement Assessment Level 1 certified. She has a certificate in health care leadership from the LAMP Leadership Institute, a part of APTA’s Academy of Leadership and Innovation.

Marko serves on the Private Practice Section’s Government Affairs Committee and recently finished her six-year term on the Finance Committee of the APTA Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy. She also served on APTA’s Public Policy & Advocacy Committee, an advisory group to the Board of Directors. In her home state of New York, she has served as the appointed Federal Affairs liaison for the past five years, is the elected Chief Delegate to APTA’s House of Delegates, and serves on their Public Policy Committee. Marko has been an elected delegate to APTA’s House of Delegates since 2019 and has been a clinical site reviewer for the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency & Fellowship Education since 2023.

In 2022, Marko was awarded the National Government Affairs Award by APTA, and in 2020, she was awarded the Doreen Frank Legislative Award by APTA New York for her outstanding advocacy work. She has spoken at several academic institutions about patient and physical therapy advocacy at the national level for APTA’s student advocacy events. She was awarded the Tracy Sawyer Public Relations Award in 2022 by APTA New York for fostering public awareness of the physical therapy profession through media utilization. Marko’s expertise has been featured in many prominent online news organizations’ articles, and she has served on the Verywell Health Medical Expert Board since 2023.

To request an interview, please email Colleen Fogarty, senior public relations specialist, or call 703-706-3216.