Clarisa Chavez joins UCSF as a PhD student in Rehabilitation Science in the biomechanics track, bringing a blend of human performance, clinical research and molecular biology to the department.
Raised in Mexico City, Chavez came to the U.S. to study at Hope College, where her love of biology and identity as an athlete drew her to exercise science. A term studying abroad at the University of Western Australia, where she assisted PhD students on biomechanics and exercise-intervention projects, sparked her interest in research.
“That was the moment I knew this is what I want to do,” she said. Chavez’s path since has spanned the lab bench and the clinic.
At the University of Michigan, she worked on exercise interventions for people with COPD, administering spirometry and functional tests. She then completed a master’s degree in exercise physiology at Ball State University’s Human Performance Lab, where she learned muscle physiology techniques, including biopsies and fiber typing, and contributed to MoTrPAC, a national, multi-site effort to map the molecular effects of physical activity.
Her thesis examined gene expression in muscle and adipose tissue following resistance exercise. Most recently, Chavez served as a Life Science Research Professional in Michael Snyder’s lab at Stanford, where she processed biospecimens for RNA sequencing and collaborated on multiple human performance projects, including studies of peak performance in female athletes integrating wearables with wet lab assays.
“I’ve explored exercise interventions, biomechanics, and transcriptomics,” she said. “Now I’m excited to bring those threads together.” Chavez will begin her first rotation with DPTRS Vice Chair of Research Rich Souza, PT, PhD, where she aims to integrate imaging and biomechanical analysis with a multimodal approach to study musculoskeletal conditions, especially knee osteoarthritis and lower-extremity injuries.
In the future, she plans to focus on women’s health, for example by investigating the higher prevalence of ACL injuries and knee osteoarthritis in women compared to men.
“Ultimately, I hope our findings translate into tools and practices that help clinicians and patients.” When she’s not in the lab, Chavez runs half-marathons, cycles and enjoys strength training. Now based at Mission Bay, she’s eager to explore San Francisco and Marin County’s bike routes and the next chapter of her research journey.