2024 Distinguished Alumni

Kelly

McFarland

Dr. Kelly McFarland, PT, DPT, attended Texas Tech from 1988 to 1992 earning a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise ands sports science in the teaching track for secondary education and a minor in speech communications.

While at Texas Tech, McFarland was a Kappa Delta and was very active in her sorority. In 1989, her active role was recognized and was awarded the Miss Congeniality award for her sorority. Along with studying, participating in sorority activities, and leadership roles, she worked on campus as a lifeguard, aerobic instructor, personal trainer and at the university T-shirt shop. After graduating inn 1992, McFarland took a job as a junior high speech teacher. In addition to teaching, she helped lead the offseason athletes, sponsored and lead students in the districts area speech competitions, casting, directing and producing the junior high school play, and participating as a co-sponsor to the junior high cheerleading team. After realizing she wanted to get back into health and wellness of the body, McFarland went back to school to earn an additional 36 hours of post baccalaureate classes required before applying to physical therapy school.

McFarland then attended physical therapy school at Texas Women's University Dallas campus to earn her Master of Science Physical Therapy degree in July 1999. This is when she started to practice as an outpatient physical therapist in the Fort Worth area. Three years after graduating, Kelly opened her own outpatient physical therapy practice in 2003, Premier Rehab Physical Therapy. This was a longtime dream McFarland had had from the start of physical therapy school.

From 2003 to 2019 McFarland and her team, continued to build her single location practice into seven locations throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In December 2010, she completed her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Texas Woman's University as the education level was moving to all doctoral programs and she wanted to be a part of the progressive positive moves in the profession.

As her private practice grew to more than 80 employees in multiple locations, she had the privilege of partnering with a larger company in March of 2020, Empower Physical Therapy. As a continued private practice owner within the larger practice, McFarland continues to lead the Texas region as a Regional Vice President which includes 21 outpatient clinics, many clinicians and the responsibility of the world class care to many patients across the Texas state. Her passion can be seen and felt in all her interactions with her family, friends, colleagues, coworkers and patients alike.

Kelly continues to work alongside Texas Tech in speaking and mentoring the Kinesiology students who may or may not see physical therapy in their future but willing to be available to those who might consider this to be a part of their path. She is also the creator of the “Make an Impact Now” scholarship, funding Texas Tech students who are on track for physical therapy profession. In addition, McFarland and her company welcome physical therapy students to complete their clinical rotations within their facilities.