Dr. Jeffrey (Jeff) Hathaway, member of the Sidney Central School Class of 1980, is a physical therapist and CEO and Founder of Breakthrough Physical Therapy, a North Carolina company that is a division of Confluent Health. Jeff attended Herkimer Community College majoring in sports medicine, earned his B.S. degree in Physical Therapy at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Ithaca College, and attained a doctorate in Physical Therapy from the Evidence in Motion Health Institute.
Jeff began his career as a physical therapist in an outpatient clinic in Watertown, NY, and then progressed to owning/partnering in a statewide collection of more than twenty clinics in North Carolina, as well as 220 clinics nationwide. Colleague Dr. Laurence Benz stated that, "Dr. Hathaway is amongst the most well-known private practice physical therapists in the United States. He has accomplished this the old-fashioned way of sacrificial service, hard work, mentoring and astute business leadership. His practices have always been respected by his peers for innovation, culture, patient first priority, and marketing."
Words such as honest, ethical, innovative and passionate have been used by his colleagues to describe Jeff's character as he proceeded down his diverse career path. His areas of expertise included the development of the medical management of injured workers, becoming a certified business coach, and teaching negotiation and conflict management. He has gone from employee, industrial consultant, business owner, certified business coach, and president of a national physical therapy business organization, to being the founder and owner of several businesses.
Dr. Hathaway is a highly regarded speaker and teacher in the areas of both business and physical therapy. This is exemplified by his annual selection to present at the conference held by the American Physical Therapy Association. He is renowned for his unique approaches to physical therapy, such as his Virtual Reality program designed to address chronic pain, the opioid crisis, and costs and outcomes of low back pain
Jeff, through his many organizations, is well known for sponsoring numerous community events and supporting local charities in the various communities where his clinics are located. Through his present businesses, he provides part of the funding for free rehabilitation services to the citizens of Haiti, through a clinic in Jacmel, Haiti. He and his partners have also formed and funded a foundation to provide financial grants to employees encountering unexpected qualifying circumstances.
In speaking on Jeff's behalf, his associate Dr. Laurence Benz states that "Jeff's grace, humility, impeccable credentials and his purpose driven leadership in his chosen field of physical therapy would further this (Sidney Central School's) legendary fame."