Dr. Thomas Riegler
Dr. Thomas Riegler
ZHAW
School of Health Sciences
Institute of Physiotherapy
Katharina-Sulzer-Platz 9
8400 Winterthur
Work at ZHAW
Position
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
Awards
PhD grant
Foundation for Physiotherapy Science
08 / 2024
Social media
Media presence
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
- Weber, M. et al. (2026) ‘Insights from a randomized controlled trial on a digital lifestyle intervention in non-small cell lung cancer survivors following inpatient rehabilitation’, Lung Cancer, p. 109433. doi: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2026.109433.
- Riegler, T. et al. (2025) ‘Living with pulmonary fibrosis : how affected people experience disease-related information, health services and self-management strategies’, BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 12(1), p. e003303. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2025-003303.
- Riegler, T. F. et al. (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), pp. 00245–2025. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00245-2025.
- Guler, S. A. and Riegler, T. F. (2025) ‘Pulmonary rehabilitation in interstitial lung disease : improving how patients feel, function – and potentially survive?’, CHEST, 167(6), pp. 1523–1524. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2025.01.009.
- Riegler, T. (2025) ‘Atemphysiotherapie : wie, wann, für wen?’, der informierte @rzt, 15(5), pp. 36–39. doi: 10.23785/ARZT.2025.05.005.
- Riegler, T., Marcin, T. and 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), p. 1585. doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-12041-5.
- Zumbrunnen, V. et al. (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), pp. 00033–2022. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00033-2022.
- Frei, A. et al. (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), pp. 1277–1286. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2022.07.026.
- Cerini, T. et al. (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), p. 12. doi: 10.1186/s40945-022-00136-3.
- Riegler, T. F. et al. (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), pp. 921–2020. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00921-2020.
Book chapters, peer-reviewed
- Riegler, T. (2023) ‘Sauerstoff (O2) und Säure-Basen-Haushalt’, in Steier, J. and Rausch-Osthoff, A.-K. (eds) Physiotherapie bei chronisch-obstruktiven Atemwegs- und Lungenerkrankungen. Berlin: Springer, pp. 23–36. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-63613-8_3.
- Riegler, T. (2023) ‘Herz- und Lungenauskultation, Perkussion und Stimmfremitus’, in Steier, J. and Rausch-Osthoff, A.-K. (eds) Physiotherapie bei chronisch-obstruktiven Atemwegs- und Lungenerkrankungen. Berlin: Springer, pp. 201–218. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-63613-8_20.
Oral conference contributions and abstracts
Riegler, T. et al. (2025) ‘Co-designing FILIP : the pulmonary fibrosis learning and self-management program’, in The European Respiratory Journal. European Respiratory Society, p. PA3006. doi: 10.1183/13993003.congress-2025.pa3006.
Publications before appointment at the ZHAW
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