Researchers from the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilition Science (DPTRS) work passionately to advance knowledge about human movement and to help people achieve optimal functioning.
Our stature and our dynamic Bay Area location attract innovators and leaders in science, education and care. We offer researchers the freedom to innovate in a diverse, stimulating and collaborative environment.
Research is funded by the NIH, NASA, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, internal UCSF grants, and private foundations.
Areas of study
Neurorehabilitation research
UCSF’s neurorehabilitation research harnesses cutting-edge technology and imaging approaches to better understand, detect and respond to neurological conditions and diseases.
Faculty
Labs and centers
The Chaumeil Lab focuses on magnetic resonance imaging of neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease.
UCSF Biorobotics focuses on the development and use of clinically deployable systems to assess function and augment the recovery process.
Musculoskeletal biomechanics research
Muskuloskeletal biomechanics research examines the causes and interventions for musculoskeletal disorders. By better understanding the mechanics of human movement, we are developing preventative and rehabilitative strategies for disease.
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Labs & centers
- The Biomechanics and Musculoskeletal Imaging Lab (Souza Lab) uses 3D motion analysis, quantitative MRI, multi-modal dynamometry and EMG to understand predictors of disease progression.
- The Cheuy Lab investigates lower extremity musculoskeletal impairments due to diabetes and its complications.
- The UCSF Human Performance Center partners with research labs, scientists and companies around UCSF, and the entire Bay Area, to carry out studies in the areas of biomechanics, exercise physiology and sleep & athletic performance. Its state-of-the-art equipment, and staff expertise, enables the center to handle a diverse range of research opportunities, from knee osteoarthritis to prostate cancer.
Health services research
Health services research is a multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation that studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviors affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, and ultimately, our health and well-being.
At DPTRS, this research leverages data, including electronic health record (EHR) systems, to provide quality improvements, provider education, performance metrics, and regulatory compliance. In addition, we are working to better understand the significance of psychosocial factors on physical activity and disability among older adults.
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Education research
Education research examines education and learning processes and the human attributes, interactions, organizations and institutions that shape educational outcomes. Scholarship in the field seeks to describe, understand, and explain how learning takes place throughout a person’s life and how the formal and informal contexts of education affect learning.
At DPTRS, we are investigating the impact that integration of clinical experiences has on the longitudinal physical therapy curriculum and on professionalism in medical education and assessment, as well as interprofessional quality improvement and patient safety initiatives addressing falls in the academic medical context. We are also examining the impact of workforce diversity and interprofessional collaboration on health disparities.
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