Faculty

George Varghese, M.D.

Residency: New York Medical College
Board Certified: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Electrodiagnostic Medicine
Clinical Interests: Musculoskeletal Medicine, EMG, Pain, Disability Ratings, non-interventional spine

Dr. Varghese is Professor, Chairman, and Residency Program Director of the Department. Resident physicians and medical students consider his knowledge base in both musculoskeletal and electrodiagnostic medicine limitless. His resident and medical student education activities are so well respected that he has won all of the major educational awards in our department and in the medical school. He also won the 2004 Distinguished Clinician Award from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has been repeatedly honored by the departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery for excellence in resident teaching. In addition, he supervises EMGs in both the Kansas City VA and KU facilities and supervises the resident on the University of Kansas Medical Center outpatient rotation.

Lisa Hermes, MD

Medical School: University of Kansas, School of Medicine
Residency: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC
Board Certified: 1998 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; 2008 re-certified in PM&R
Clinical Interests: spine pain; musculoskeletal injuries/pain, electrodiagnostic medicine, prosthetics/amputee rehabilitation, fibromyalgia and women's health issues in rehabilitation medicine.

Linda Ladesich, M.D.

Residency: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Board Certified: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Clinical Interests: Stroke, Spinal Cord Injury, Brain Injury

Mary Jo Middleton, M.D.

Dr. Middleton is a clinical faculty physicians that supervises the resident physician at the Kansas City VA Medical Center. She is employed part time and also works as a private practitioner in the Kansas City area. She is interested in the general rehabilitation care of the VA population, prosthetic and orthotic prescription clinics, spasticity clinic, and diabetic PACT clinics. One of the largest outpatient spinal cord injury rehabilitation clinics in the city is at the Kansas City VA Medical Center.

Kimberly K. Mongeau, D.O.

Residency: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Fellowship: Osteopathic manipulation medicine: Kirksville, Missouri
Board Certified: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Clinical Interests: Musculoskeletal Medicine, Sports Medicine, Osteopathic Manipulation Medicine, Non-surgical orthopedics.

Monica Kurylo, PhD.

Dr. Kurylo is the staff neuropsychologist on the KUMC inpatient rehabilitation unit. Additionally, she participates in the monthly faculty-resident meetings, teaches the statistical analysis and research development educational block and is the main faculty advisor for the resident research requirement.

Ronal Novak, MD

Dr. Novak is the staff physiatrist at Kansas City Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Charles Kelly, M.D.  
Brad Steinle, M.D.

All of these physicians are prior graduates of our program who now work as private practitioners in the local community. Dr. Kelly has been a pillar of the KU PM&R community and has helped lay the foundation of training for generations of KU rehab residents as a former assistant professor. Dr’s. Steinle and Ladesich were previously awarded “PM&R Resident of the Year” during their KU PM&R residencies and continue their excellence in the field as staff physicians. Residents will rotate at St. Luke's Hospital to learn community based inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation.

Dr. McCartan, is employed at Children’s Mercy Hosital and previously at the University of Kansas Medical Center. A graduate of the KU PM&R program, her current focus at CMH involves the Pediatric Muscular Dystrophy population and other clinics specializing in Pediatric Rehabilitation. Dr. Rinaldi is a former KU PM&R graduate and Dr. Modrcin graduated from the University of Colorado PM&R program. Both staff physicians are well respected in the region for their knowledge of pediatric rehabilitation and the implication of disabilities in children. Together, they run a large inpatient and outpatient pediatric rehabilitation service at one of the top Pediatric Hospitals in the country. They are both trained in both pediatrics and PM&R and have recently started a pediatric fellowship program.