Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, PhD, Dip.MDT

Brief Bio:

Allan Besselink has a unique voice in health care, education, and sport, defined by his experiences as a physiotherapist, McKenzie practitioner, educator, coach, author, patient, and athlete. Allan has been bloggin since 2006 and authored the book "RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Injury-Free Running" in 2008. You can contact Allan here or connect with him on Twitter.

Curriculum Vitae:

Last updated August 2022; download here

Overview:

If you’re wondering why you’re bothering to read anything Allan writes, here are a few bullet points of things that he’s done in his past that might be relevant:

- Associate Professor at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (2017-present). Please note that all views expressed here are mine and are not those of USAHS.
- Awarded the Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in 2022 for his research entitled "Data Modeling of Cognitive Structure in Physiotherapy Students Learning Gross Anatomy."
- Founded the Besselink Project (formerly the Smart Life Project/Institute) in 2007 and serves as its CRO (Chief Revolutionary Officer).
- Founded Smart Sport International, a clinical practice seamlessly integrating physiotherapy, performance, and prevention (1992 - present).
- Actively involved in consumer legislation regarding Direct Access to Physical Therapy in the state of Texas, speaking to legislators and providing testimony in this role (2009/2011/2013/2015/2017).
- Editor for the McKenzie Institute USA journal (1998-2006) and the McKenzie Institute International journal (2007).
- Authored "RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Injury-Free Running" (2008).
- Created and recorded "Consumer's Guide To Health," a 30-minute podcast covering health and fitness topics for consumers (2009-2012). The podcast will return as "Live A Smart Life" sometime in 2023.
- Ironman USA (Lake Placid) finisher (2005) and three-time Buffalo Springs Lake Half Ironman finisher; both races are considered by many to be the most difficult of their kind in North America if not internationally.
- Awarded the Hal Dunlop Shield for significant contribution to athletic therapy at Queen's University (1988).

Extended Remix Bio:

Allan Besselink is the CRO (Chief Revolutionary Officer) of the Besselink Project. Allan is a physiotherapist (physical therapist) with 35 years of clinical experience. He is a graduate of Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. In his final year at Queen's, after working with the men's varsity basketball program, he was awarded the Hal Dunlop Shield – one of the seven highest athletic awards at Queen’s - for significant contribution to athletic therapy at Queen’s University. While residing in Canada, he developed an athletic injury prevention and rehabilitation program for recreational and high school athletes and coaches. He has been in Austin since 1990.

Allan specializes in sport- and fitness-related injuries and injury prevention for recreational and elite-level athletes. He has extensive experience with athletes in track and field, cycling, duathlon, and triathlon. In his 25 years of clinical and on-site experience, he has served as a physical therapist at several international sporting events, including the medical team for track and field at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, the 1996 USA Track and Field Olympic Trials, the 1995 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, and the 1988 World Junior Track and Field Championships in Sudbury, Canada. He worked with the United States National Track and Field team at the 1994 World Cup of Athletics in London, the 1997 World Cup Racewalk in Prague, and the 2001 World Half Marathon Championships in Bristol. Allan has been a rehabilitation and performance consultant to several world-class athletes.

Through Smart Sport International, Allan maintains a consistent clinical caseload as a PT. Allan is one of approximately 500 practitioners internationally that have attained the Diploma in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy from the McKenzie Institute International in New Zealand, the highest level of achievement and training in the McKenzie method. In 1998, he became the 151st clinician worldwide to complete the Diploma training. He has been a Certified McKenzie practitioner since 1996. He is one of a handful of clinicians globally that has focused his clinical practice on the application of MDT in the sports community. Allan provides clinician mentorship for those wishing to integrate the McKenzie Method into their clinical practice, especially in the sports medicine community. He served as the Chief Editor of the McKenzie Institute USA Journal from 1998-2005 and was the Chief Editor of the inaugural International Journal of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy in 2006.

Allan has been involved in coaching and performance optimization since 1985. Whether working with high school track and field athletes, elementary school-aged basketball, recreational runners, pro triathletes, or those new to exercise, Allan’s strong coaching skills and understanding of the sports sciences shine through.

He has been actively involved in furthering his coaching expertise via his self-guided research and writing and through the certification processes of numerous groups such as USA Triathlon (Level One), USA Track and Field (Level One), and the National Coaching Certification Program in Canada. In 1992, he also completed an Elite Coaching Development Program under the instruction and mentoring of the Elite Training Group in Austin, Texas.

Allan has coached various athletes of all experience and skill levels, including first-time runners to experienced age-group and professional Ironman distance triathletes. He is currently coaching endurance athletes in Canada and the US. He has coached five athletes that have qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii over the past 5 years, with a top 20 finisher in 2003. In 2011, Allan coached a double World Masters Athletics gold medalist in the 800m and 1500m - just one month after one of his age group athletes completed the Western States 100-mile endurance run in 23 hours!

Allan's approach to both physiotherapy and coaching involves a significant foundation in client education. As the saying goes, "knowledge is power" - and Allan truly integrates this belief into his approach. Not only does he implement a high level of teaching into his clinical and coaching practice, he is also involved in the educational process in other venues. He was an adjunct assistant professor in the PT Assistant program at Austin Community College for over 13 years and a guest lecturer for more than 24 years at Texas State University in San Marcos. Allan is also involved in the continuing education of his peers, having developed the program "Sports Science Solutions for Rehabilitation and Training”, a continuing education program for physical therapists, physicians, chiropractors, and massage therapists.

Allan is the author of "RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach to Injury-Free Running". This book provides the running community with an innovative perspective on injury prevention and performance optimization.

Though his passion for his profession shines through, Allan is multi-faceted. It all started riding half pipes on a skateboard - but from these extreme beginnings, Allan has crossed the line as an Ironman triathlon finisher. Along the way, he's played soccer, tennis and has been on a bicycle since he was a wee tot. His sports experiences have given him an understanding of the athlete’s perspective and that gained from his experiences as a physiotherapist and coach.

Allan will be the first to say everything involves balance. Life wouldn't be complete without a well-rounded and healthy dose of music and literature in his world. Allan has played guitar for over 39 years and has performed his songs in a live venue or two. Don't let that fool you, though - Allan has also been the webmaster and developer of this website! Add to that a love of photography, reading, and F1 racing, and somewhere in there, you'll find the balance that makes Allan a visionary and thought leader in the health and wellness world.