Our diverse cadre of faculty spans a wide range of scientific disciplines, from anatomy and neurological surgery, to pediatrics, epidemiology & biostatistics, radiology & biomedical imaging, chronic pain, and more.
Executive Committee & Bylaws
The program's Executive Committee includes the following faculty and current student members. If you'd like to know more about how the program is governed, you can read the PhD in Rehabilitation Science bylaws by clicking here.
PhD Program Director & Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lead: Richard Souza, PT, PhD, Professor
Learn more about the Souza Lab- Neuroscience Lead: Valerie Block, PT, DPTSc, Assistant Professor
- UCSF Department Chair: Amber Fitzsimmons, PT, MS, DPTSc, Professor
- Internal UCSF/SFSU Faculty Member: Jeannette Lee, PT, PhD, Professor
- Internal UCSF/SFSU Faculty Member: Victor Cheuy, PhD, Associate Professor
- Internal UCSF/SFSU Faculty Member: Matthew Miller, PT, PhD, Assistant Professor
- External Faculty Member: Karunesh Ganguly, MD, PhD, Professor
- Student Representative: Jessica Wagner, DPT
Program Faculty
Musculoskeletal Faculty
B
Jeannie Bailey, PhD, Associate Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery; lumbar spinal conditions and low back pain
C
Victor Cheuy, PhD, Associate Professor, Physical Therapy & Rehab Science; lower extremity musculoskeletal, complications in diabetes
Kelsey Collins, PhD, Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery; bioengineering, endocrinology, physiology
D
Sibel Demir-Deviren, MD, Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery; chronic low back pain, degenerative disc disease
F
Brian Feeley, MD, Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery; knee and shoulder orthopedic injuries and surgical procedures
G
Kristine Godziuk, PhD, Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy & Rehab Science; sarcopenia, obesity, osteoarthritis
H
Kate Hamel, PhD, Professor, Kinesiology, SFSU; biomechanics and falls in the elderly
K
Galateia Kazakia, PhD, Professor, Radiology & Biomedical Imaging; biomechanics of bone failure to load
L
Thomas Link, MD, PhD, Professor, Radiology & Biomedical Imaging; imaging of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis
Anthony Luke, MD, MPH, Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery; running overuse injuries and osteoarthritis
M
Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery; orthopedic post-surgical biomechanics
Sharmila Majumdar, PhD, Professor, Radiology & Biomedical Imaging; osteoporosis, osteoarthritis
Matthew Miller, PT, PhD, Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy & Rehab Science; geriatrics, physical activity, health services research
S
Richard Souza, PT, PhD, Professor, Physical Therapy & Rehab Science & Radiology & Biomedical Imaging; biomechanics; osteoarthritis
Neuroscience Faculty
A
Gary Abrams, MD, Professor, Neurology; neurorehabilitation, stroke
B
Allan Basbaum, PhD, Professor & Chair, Anatomy; neurological basis of pain & its control
Michael Beattie, PhD, Professor, Neurological Surgery; spinal cord injury
Valerie Block, PT, DPTSc, Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy & Rehab Science & Neurology; digital tools to monitor and treat neurological disorders (multiple sclerosis related symptoms); digital technology
Riley Bove, MD, Associate Professor, Neurology; multiple sclerosis
Jacqueline Bresnahan, PhD, Professor, Neurological Surgery; spinal cord injury
D
Dena Dubal, MD, PhD, Professor, Neurology; mechanisms of resilience in aging
F
Adam Ferguson, MS, PhD, Professor, Neurological Surgery; informatics, spinal cord injury
Donna Ferriero, MD, Professor, Pediatrics; neonatal hypoxia, ischemia
G
Karunesh Ganguly, MD, PhD, Professor, Neurology; neurorehabilitation, machine-brain interface
Jeffrey Gelfand, MD, Professor, Neurology; neuroinflammatory disorders, neuroimmunological disease
H
Cathra Halabi, MD, Associate Professor, Neurology; vascular neurology, neurorecovery, neuromodulation
K
Nikos Kyritsis, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery; traumatic spinal cord & brain injuries
L
Jon Levine, MD, PhD, Professor, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery; signaling in pain sensory neurons, neural-endocrine control of inflammation
Jialing Liu, PhD, Professor, Neurological Surgery; stroke
M
Mervyn Maze, MB ChB, Professor & Chair, Anesthesia & Perioperative Care; anesthesia, brain function
Patrick McQuillen, MD, Professor, Pediatrics/Critical Care; disorders of brain development
Christine Miaskowski, RN, PhD, Professor, Physiological Nursing; pain, symptomatology in oncology
N
Srikantan Nagarajan, PhD, Professor, Radiology & Biomedical Imaging; functional brain imaging, brain plasticity, learning, sensorimotor control
S
Mark Schumacher, MD, PhD, Professor, Anesthesia & Perioperative Care; treatment of chronic pain
Raymond Swanson, MD, Professor, Neurology; neuronal death pathways in Parkinson's disease
T
Abel Torres-Espin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery; biostatistics
V
Zena Vexler, PhD, Professor, Neurology; neonatal stroke
W
Doris Wang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery; human neurophysiology, movement disorders, Parkinson's Disease, gait control, motor learning
Y
Midori Yenari, MD, Professor, Neurology; stroke
Additional Contributing Faculty
A
Diane Allen, PT, PhD, Professor (Emeritus), Physical Therapy, SFSU; multiple sclerosis
B
Nancy Byl, PT, MPH, PhD, Professor & Chair (Emeritus), Physical Therapy & Rehab Science; focal dystonia; Parkinson's Disease, stroke
F
Amber Fitzsimmons, PT, MS, DPTSc, Professor & Chair, Physical Therapy & Rehab Science/Anatomy; interprofessional education
L
Jeannette Lee, PT, PhD, Professor & Chair, Physical Therapy, SFSU; rehabilitation in oncology
S
Betty Smoot, PT, DPTSc, MAS, Associate Professor (Emeritus), Physical Therapy & Rehab Science/Anatomy; breast cancer-related lymphedema
T
Kimberly Topp, PT, PhD, Professor & Chair (Emeritus), Physical Therapy & Rehab Science/Anatomy; chemotherapy, induced neuropathy
W
Linda Wanek, PT, PhD, Professor & Chair (Emeritus), Physical Therapy, SFSU; motion analysis, chronic low back pain, early biomechanics education