James K. Buskirk, PT, DPT, PhD, SCS, MS Ed

Jim Buskirk, PT, PhD, DPT, SCS, MS Ed, has owned and operated for over 25 years a Physical Therapy private practice, BCA Holding, LLC, with offices in the Chicago area and Miami, FL.  He was also CEO/President at PEAK & Balance Centers of America, Inc. with offices located in metro Chicago, IL, and suburbs, and currently is President of The Institute of Research and Development in Chicago, IL. conducting research on topics of sports related injuries. 

Jim also has worked in conjunction with the Department of Defense (Depts. of the Navy and Air Force), the Department of State, and NASA on projects of mTBI/Concussion, involving vestibular components (dizziness and balance disorders), where he treated various active duty and retired military personnel, government agents, and astronauts at offices he established throughout the US and abroad. He has worked in conjunction with Neurology, Neurotology, ENT, and Sports Medicine physicians to develop the Comprehensive Hearing & Dizziness and Balance Center located in Chicago, Lake Forest, and Wilmette, IL where he treated patients with all disorders related to balance and dizziness, as well as acquired associated neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunctions. He established the Institute for Research and Development, in Chicago, which conducts clinical research on dizziness and balance disorder topics, including mTBI and Sports Related Concussion (SRC).

He is a graduate of the PT program at the University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School (now Rosalind Franklin University), and completed the Musculoskeletal track in the Orthopedic Master’s degree PT program at Northwestern University, as well as the Master’s degree program in Exercise Sciences at the University of Miami in Kinesiology and Sports Sciences. He completed his DPT degree in Physical Therapy at NOVA Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, where he also became a Certified Musculoskeletal Manual Physical Therapist. 

Jim works currently as a Research Consultant at the University of Miami in the Sports Medicine Concussion Program, and with the Departments of Otolaryngology, Neurology, and Sports Medicine at the Miller School of Medicine, conducting research with various sports teams at the University, while also developing new technologies for assessment and treatment techniques involving mTBI. He completed his PhD degree in Exercise Science at the U of Miami, with a dissertation project of “Validation of a Head Mounted Display Augmented Reality Device with Inertial Measurement Unit for Anywhere Administration for Executive Function Testing.”

Jim is an Assistant Professor at Rosalind Franklin University in the Dept. of Physical Therapy, teaching, conducting research, and is the Director of the PT Faculty Practice out-patient Clinic. Currently, his primary research interests are in assessment and interventions towards the recovery of function following mTBI/concussion in sports. He is involved in research of peripheral and central vestibular disorders, and the use of eye tracking, cognitive, and balance technologies for assessment and management of Concussion with balance and proprioceptive retraining for associated lower extremity musculoskeletal injury. 

Jim is certified by the FSBPT as a Sports Specialist by the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy (AASPT) of the APTA and by the ACSM in Sports Medicine as an Exercise Physiologist. He currently treats both professional and amateur athletes of all sports.  Jim is also certified as a Vestibular Specialist and by the American Institute of Balance as a Concussion Specialist. He served as the team Physical Therapist for the Chicago Wolves Professional Hockey Team for 23 years, and has worked with the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Lions, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, and other Chicago pro sports teams (White Sox, Bears, and Bulls).  Currently he works as a Consultant to INDYCAR, British Touring Cars, American Flat Track (pro motorcycles dirt-racing) and MotoAmerica (pro motorcycles road-racing) motorsports organizations, and with various amateur youth sports associations.  Jim has worked with Northwestern and DePaul Universities (NCAA and Club) teams and currently works with men’s and women’s sports teams at Lake Forest College, in IL.

He currently serves as Consultant to various companies towards development of novel hardware and software technologies for assessment and treatment of mTBI. Jim has appeared in numerous publications (Sports Illustrated, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, People magazine, etc.) and media (20/20 TV, WGN Chicago, The NBC Today Show, etc.) highlighting his work with brain trauma. He serves as a Reviewer for the Journal of CONCUSSION, Sage Publications, and has published “The Use of Oculomotor, Vestibular, and Reaction Time Tests to Assess Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) Over Time” in Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2017,  “Care Gaps and Recommendations in Vestibular Migraine: An Expert Panel Summit” in Front Neurol 2021, “Acute findings in an acquired neurosensory dysfunction” in Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2019, and “Comparative Analysis of Oculomotor, Vestibular, and Reaction Time Testing between Motorsports (Professional and Amateur) and Non-Motorsports (University multi-sports) athletes at baseline and after acute mTBI event”.

He published a book chapter titled “mTBI/Concussion: Assessment and Rehabilitation Strategy and Program Optimization in Neurosensory Disorders in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury”. Jim has presented at various national and international events on topics related to Physical Therapy interventions for Vestibular disorders and Sports related mTBI/Concussion, as well as topics related to Exercise Physiology.