About the Team
Libby Krause, PT, DPT
Co-founder, Trellis.Ed
Dr. Libby Krause has spent over a decade inside real classrooms designing courses, facilitating classes and labs, and sitting with students and faculty who are capable, driven, and quietly overwhelmed. As a Clinical Assistant Professor in the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, she has taught since 2013 and led the design and evolution of hybrid graduate-level courses, faculty development programs, and curriculum initiatives.
Along the way, Libby began to see how instructional design, along with the well-being of both students and faculty, shapes learning outcomes. She expanded her expertise through a fellowship at the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching and through ongoing scholarship focused on education, inclusion, and belonging.
Libby’s approach is grounded in the belief that effective teaching can and should be cultivated in higher education. She believes teaching is not about having the right personality or delivering content perfectly. It is about creating the conditions where learning can take root. Through Trellis.Ed, Libby helps educators slow down, clarify what matters most, and build learning experiences that support motivation, confidence, and learning that persists beyond the classroom.
Libby has shared this work through workshops and presentations at institutional and national levels, including APTA, ACAPT, and 2U/edX. Trellis.Ed was created in alignment with Libby’s personal mission to support educators in building the conditions where learning can take root and endure.
Elise Ruckert, PT, DPT, EdD
Co-founder, Trellis.Ed
Dr. Elise Ruckert is the co-founder of Trellis.Ed, where she partners with faculty and clinical educators to strengthen teaching, mentorship, and professional growth in health professions education. At Trellis.Ed, Elise brings together her experience as a clinician, educator, scholar, and mentor to help others grow.
Elise is currently Associate Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program at the University of Southern California, where she teaches in the hybrid pathway and leads large-scale mentoring and faculty development initiatives. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Ithaca College and her EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC, blending teaching expertise with a strong foundation in leadership and change management. Her early career in neurologic physical therapy—including completion of a neurologic residency at USC and Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center—sparked a lasting commitment to educating future clinicians and the faculty and mentors who teach them.
Over the past decade, Elise has held multiple national leadership roles in physical therapy education. She served as the founding Program Director of the MedStar National Rehabilitation Network–George Washington University Neurologic Residency Program and currently directs USC’s DPT Mentor Program, supporting hundreds of students and faculty mentors each year. She also chairs USC’s Educational Scholarship & Research Lab and contributes to faculty development efforts within the USC Division Institute for Excellence in Teaching and an annual national New PT/PTA Faculty Development Workshop through Pagliarulo and Associates.
Elise’s scholarly work centers on evidence-based teaching practices, instructional design, reflection, and the thoughtful use of technology to promote learning and belonging. She has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on teaching and learning in physical therapy and currently serves as Editor of the 3rd edition of Teaching and Learning in Physical Therapy (Plack & Driscoll). She is a frequent national speaker and an active member of the APTA Academy of Education’s Professional Development Committee.
Her teaching and mentorship have been recognized with multiple awards, including USC’s Commendation for Excellence in Teaching and GW’s Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. She was also honored with the Distinguished Young Alumni Award from Ithaca College in 2013.
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