Neurological and Rehabilitation Sciences Training

Program Faculty

The faculty mentors selected for this training program are skilled in building multidisciplinary collaboration.

The faculty mentors selected for this training program know how to build multidisciplinary collaboration as they have successfully brought together professionals from diverse fields for similar initiatives. They believe that cohesive groups are built on mutual respect, support, and shared opportunity and reward. Measures of their effectiveness include:

their continued success at recruiting and retaining interdisciplinary research team members;
the number of publications in which young investigators are given first authorships along with extensive support and mentoring; and
their ongoing ability to maintain complex research projects in neuroscience with multiple team members.

Both basic and clinical scientists participate in the Neurological and Rehabilitation Sciences Training Program. Many of our program mentors focus primarily on animal models, while others utilize human models of the three program themes:

basic "mechanisms"
characterization of pathology
therapeutic intervention

Name/Degree(s)	Rank	Primary (& Secondary) Appointment(s)	Role in Program	Research Interest
Arnold, Paul M., M.D.	Professor, Vice Chair of Research	School of Medicine, Neurosurgery	Mentor	Complex and degenerative spine disorders
Barohn, Richard J., M.D.	Professor & Chair	School of Medicine, Neurology	Mentor	Myopathies, motor neuron disease, neuropathies, and myasthenia gravis
Billinger, Sandra, Ph.D., PT, FAHA	Professor	School of Medicine, Neurology	Mentor	Cellular mechanisms that influence vascular function after stroke and how exercise, as a therapeutic intervention, may affect vascular health
Brooks, William M., Ph.D.	Professor & Director, Hoglund Brain Imaging Center & Professor	School of Medicine, Neurology (Hoglund Brian Imaging Center)	Mentor	Brain imaging approaches to CNS disorders, traumatic brain injury & aging
Burns, Jeffrey M., M.D.	Professor & Director, Alzheimer and Memory Center	School of Medicine, Neurology (Alzheimer & Memory Center & AD Clinical Research Program)	Mentor	Alzheimer's Disease & Brain Aging
Cheney, Paul D., Ph.D.	Professor & Chair	School of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology	Mentor	Cortical mechanisms of motor function
Choi, In-Young, Ph.D.	Associate Professor	School of Medicine, Neurology	Mentor	In vivo imaging of brain energy metabolism
Durham, Dianne, Ph.D.	Professor	School of Medicine, Otolaryngology	Mentor	Noise-induced hearing loss
Griebling, Tomas L., M.D., MPH	Professor, Assistant Dean	School of Medicine, Urology	Mentor	Geriatric Urology
Kluding, Patricia, Ph.D., PT	Professor and Chair	School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training	Mentor	Rehabilitation interventions in people with stroke; exercise interventions in people with diabetes
Levant, Beth, Ph.D.	Professor	School of Medicine, Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics	Mentor	Neuropharmacology; Neurochemistry
Liu, Wen, Ph.D.	Associate Professor	School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training	Mentor	Human Sensorimotor control, Neurological & orthopedic rehabilitation
McIff, Terence E., Ph.D., MPPM	Assistant Professor	Orthopedic Surgery, (Physical Therapy & Rehab Science, & Mechanical Engineering)	Mentor	Orthopedics, Extremity War Injuries, Wound Healing, Orthopedic Biomechanics, Trancutaneous Prosthetic Attachment, Bone Fracture and Defect Healing, Fat Embolism, Peripheral Nerve Injury, Surgical Instrument and Implant Design
Nudo, Randolph J., Ph.D.	Professor, Director Landon Center on Aging	School of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology	Principal Investigator, Mentor, Chair IAC	Motor dysfunction; Mechanisms of stroke recovery; Novel interventions after stroke
Siengsukon, Catherine F., PT, Ph.D.	Associate Professor	School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training	Mentor	Role of sleep in motor skill learning in individuals with stroke. Understand the sleep characteristics of individuals with stroke and how these sleep characteristics influence overnight skill enhancement.
Sharma, Neena, Ph.D., PT	Associate Professor	School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training	Mentor	Biochemical and neural mechanisms contributing to chronic pain syndromes and the efficacy of various physical therapy interventions in modulating pain
Smirnova, Irina V., Ph.D.	Associate Professor	School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training	Mentor, IAC member, Rehab Sci Director	Diabetic heart disease, diabetic neuropathy and benefits of exercise on these diabetic complications; proteomics
Smith, Peter G., Ph.D.	Professor and Director, Kansas Intellectual Disabilities Development Research Center	School of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology	Mentor	Reproductive physiology; Mechanisms govering neuronal growth and degeneration
Staecker, Hinrich, Ph.D.	Professor	Otolaryngology	Mentor	Cochlear implantation effect on the Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) and sudden hearing loss induced tinnitus)
Stanford, John A., Ph.D.	Associate Professor	School of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology	Mentor	Basal ganglia dysfunction in animal models of aging and Parkinson's disease
Swerdlow, Russell H., M.D.	Professor	School of Medicine, Neurology (School of Medicine, Molecular and Integrative Physiology)	Mentor, IAC member	Molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS)
Wright, Douglas E., Ph.D.	Professor	School of Medicine, Anesthesiology	Mentor	Sensory biology; Neurotrophins; Peripheral neuropathy
Zhu, Hao, Ph.D.	Professor	School of Health Professions, Clinical Laboratory Sciences	Mentor	Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes; lipid metabolism