Dr. Thomas Riegler

Work at ZHAW

Position

• Senior Lecturer
• Research Project Manager

Focus

• Expertise: Diseases of internal organs, respiratory diseases (pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, Long/Covid), examination of organ systems (clinical differential processes of viscerogenic and musculoskeletal origins), differential diagnosis and screening in physiotherapy, diagnostic ultrasound in physiotherapy, non-invasive ventilation, oxygen therapy, blended-/eLearning and multimedia design in higher education
• Research Focus: Lung Fibrosis, COPD, Advanced Practice in Physiotherapy, Implementation Science in Healthcare

Teaching

• BSc Physiotherapy
• MSc Physiotherapy
• Postgraduate Course Clinical Medicine in Physiotherapy
• Postgraduate Course Screening and Differential Diagnosis in Physiotherapy

Experience

• Postdoctoral Researcher
  Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich
  02 / 2026 - today
• Senior Lecturer
  ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  11 / 2019 - today
• Project manager 'Development and evaluation of a blended education and selfmanagement program for patients with interstitial lung disease'
  ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  09 / 2022 - 01 / 2026
• Head of Pulmonary Therapy
  Berner Reha Zentrum
  03 / 2017 - 08 / 2022
• Clinical Specialist for Pulmonary Therapy
  Berner Reha Zentrum
  03 / 2015 - 02 / 2017
• Physiotherapist
  Berner Reha Zentrum
  09 / 2014 - 02 / 2015

Education and Continuing education

Education

• PhD in Medical Sciences
  University of Zurich, Faculty of Medicine
  02 / 2023 - 12 / 2025
• Master of Science in Physiotherapy / Physiotherapy and Musculoskeletal
  ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences & BFH Berner Fachhochschule
  09 / 2017 - 07 / 2020
• Bachelor of Science / Physiotherapy
  FH Gesundheitsberufe Oberösterreich
  09 / 2011 - 07 / 2014

Continuing Education

• Certificate in Public Health
  Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), Inter-University Graduate Campus
  03 / 2026
• Certificate of Advanced Studies for Higher and Professional Education
  ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning
  07 / 2021
• Diploma in Orthopaedic Manual Therapy (OMT)
  Swiss Association for Orthopaedic Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy (svomp)
  06 / 2020
• Diploma of Dry Needling Association Switzerland (DVS)
  David G. Simons Academy (DGSA)
  08 / 2018
• Certificate of Advanced Studies Swiss Working Group for Manual Therapy Basic
  BFH Berner Fachhochschule
  06 / 2016
• Certificate in Respiratory Physiotherapy
  BFH Berner Fachhochschule
  06 / 2015

Network

Membership of networks

• European Respiratory Society (ERS)
• Audit Expert, Commission of Prevention and Rehabilitation - Swiss Society of Pulmonology (SSP)
• Interessengemeinschaft Physiotherapie Rehabilitation in der Pneumologie (IGPTR-P)
• Swiss Association for Musculoskeletal and Orthopaedic Physiotherapy (svomp)
• Swiss Dry Needling Association (DVS)
• Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+)
• Physioswiss

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6213-239X

Awards

PhD grant
Foundation for Physiotherapy Science
08 / 2024

Social media

LinkedIn

Media presence

Durch Implementation Science den Know-Do Gap schliessen. Physioactive, 10/2024: 36–39, Deborah Nydegger.

Projects

• Return to work of people with Post-COVID Condition: A health equity project / Team member / completed
• Development and evaluation of a blended patient education and self-management program for patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease / Project leader / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Riegler, T., Marcin, T., Wirz, M., Brun, P., Puhan, M. A., Guler, S., & Frei, A. (2025). Living with pulmonary fibrosis : how affected people experience disease-related information, health services and self-management strategies. BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 12(1), e003303. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjresp-2025-003303
• Riegler, T. F., Frei, A., Wirz, M., Holland, A. E., Lindell, K., Brun, P., Puhan, M. A., Marcin, T., & Guler, S. A. (2025). Specific content for education and self-management programs for people with pulmonary fibrosis : a co-creation, multiphase, mixed-method study. ERJ Open Research, 11(6), 00245–02025. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00245-2025
• Guler, S. A., & Riegler, T. F. (2025). Pulmonary rehabilitation in interstitial lung disease : improving how patients feel, function – and potentially survive? Chest, 167(6), 1523–1524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2025.01.009
• Riegler, T. (2025). Atemphysiotherapie : wie, wann, für wen? der informierte @rzt, 15(5), 36–39. https://www.medinfo-verlag.ch/der-informierte-arzt/atemphysiotherapie-wie-wann-fuer-wen/
• Riegler, T., Marcin, T., & Brun, P. (2024). Implementation of an advanced practice role for oxygen prescription by physiotherapists in pulmonary rehabilitation : an explanatory sequential mixed-method quality evaluation. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 1585. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-12041-5
• Zumbrunnen, V., Riegler, T. F., Haile, S. R., & Radtke, T. (2022). The impact of seat height on 1-min sit-to-stand test performance in COPD : a randomised crossover trial. ERJ Open Research, 8(3), 00033–02022. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00033-2022
• Frei, A., Radtke, T., Dalla Lana, K., Brun, P., Sigrist, T., Spielmanns, M., Beyer, S., Riegler, T. F., Büsching, G., Spielmanns, S., Kunz, R., Cerini, T., Braun, J., Tomonaga, Y., Serra-Burriel, M., Polhemus, A., & Puhan, M. A. (2022). Effectiveness of a long-term home-based exercise training program in patients with COPD after pulmonary rehabilitation : a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Chest, 162(6), 1277–1286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2022.07.026
• Cerini, T., Hilfiker, R., Riegler, T. F., & Felsch, Q. T. M. (2022). 12 weeks high intensity interval training versus moderate intensity continuous training in chronic low back pain subjects : a randomised single-blinded feasibility study. Archives of Physiotherapy, 12(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40945-022-00136-3
• Riegler, T. F., Frei, A., Haile, S. R., & Radtke, T. (2021). Accompanied versus unaccompanied walking for continuous oxygen saturation measurement during 6-min walk test in COPD : a randomised crossover study. ERJ Open Research, 7(3), 921–2020. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00921-2020

Book chapters, peer-reviewed

• Riegler, T. (2023). Herz- und Lungenauskultation, Perkussion und Stimmfremitus. In J. Steier & A.-K. Rausch-Osthoff (eds.), Physiotherapie bei chronisch-obstruktiven Atemwegs- und Lungenerkrankungen (pp. 201–218). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-63613-8_20
• Riegler, T. (2023). Sauerstoff (O2) und Säure-Basen-Haushalt. In J. Steier & A.-K. Rausch-Osthoff (eds.), Physiotherapie bei chronisch-obstruktiven Atemwegs- und Lungenerkrankungen (pp. 23–36). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-63613-8_3

Oral conference contributions and abstracts

Riegler, T., Marcin, T., Guler, S. A., Wirz, M., Clack, L., Puhan, M. A., Brun, P., & Frei, A. (2025). Co-designing FILIP : the pulmonary fibrosis learning and self-management program [Conference presentation]. The European Respiratory Journal, 66(suppl 69), PA3006. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.congress-2025.pa3006

Publications before appointment at the ZHAW

Cerini, T., Hilfiker, R., Riegler, T. F., & Felsch, Q. T. M. (2022). 12 weeks high intensity interval training versus moderate intensity continuous training in chronic low back pain subjects: A randomised single-blinded feasibility study. Archives of Physiotherapy, 12(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40945-022-00136-3

Other publications

• Poster ‘Specific content for a patient education and self-management program for patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease: a patient-healthcare expert co-creation and international Delphi consensus approach’ at the International Colloquium for Lung and Airway Fibrosis (ICLAF), Athens, 2024
• Poster ‘Patient education and self-management content in fibrotic interstitial lung disease – results of an international multiphase Delphi consensus process with patient involvement’, at the European Respiratory Society Congress (ERS), Veinna, 2024
• Presenter on the topic ‘The Know-Do Gap – and how to address it with implementation science’ at Physioswiss Cadre Forum, Bern, 2024
• Presenter on the topic ‘Patient Education & Self-Management in Lung Fibrosis’ at the Congress of the Swiss Society of Pneumology (SSP), Baden, 2024
• Presenter on the topic 'Advanced Practitioner Oxygen - Oxygen Prescriptions by Physiotherapists' at Swiss Congress for Health Professions (SCHP), Neuchatel, 2022
• Poster 'The Impact of Walking Behind the Patient on Six-Minute Walk Test Distance in COPD: A Randomised Cross-over Study' am international European Respiratory Society Congress, 2020

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