PhD Graduates
Alumni of our Ph.D. program are serving on leadership positions in research and academia.
We are proud to say many of our graduates in the Ph.D. in rehabilitation science program receive job offers and secure roles nationally and around the world in research and teaching prior to graduation. Learn about alumni accomplishments and individuals' current positions.
2005-2009
Seok Hun (Huny) Kim, Ph.D. '05, PT
Associate Professor, School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences
University of South Florida
Tampa, Fla.
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Muhammed Al-Jarrah, Ph.D. '06, PT
Recipient of the Early Career Achievement in Health Professions Award, 2014
Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences
Jordan University of Science and Technology
Irbid, Jordan
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Marcio Dos Santos, Ph.D. '06, PT
Associate Professor, College of Rehabilitative Sciences
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
St. Augustine, Fla.
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Emmanuel B. John, Ph.D. '06, PT
Recipient of the Early Career Achievement in Health Professions Award, 2019
Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
Chapman University
Orange, Calif.
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Kevin McIntire, Ph.D. '06
Health Research Science Specialist
VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif.
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Mukul Mukherjee, Ph.D. '06, PT
Associate Professor at Associate Professor, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences
University of Nebraska-Omaha
Omaha, Neb.
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Marcie Swift, Ph.D. '07, PT
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy Education, College of Health and Human Services
Rockhurst University
Kansas City, Mo.
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Rajprasad Loganathan, Ph.D. '07, PT
Research Associate, Department of Cell Biology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore, Md.
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Eric Vidoni, Ph.D. '08, Honors, PT
Associate Professor, Department of Neurology
KU School of Medicine
Director, Outreach, Recruitment, and Education Core,
University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Center
Kansas City, Kan.
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Catherine Siengsukon, Ph.D. '08, Honors, PT
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training
University of Kansas School of Health Professions
Kansas City, Kan.
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Neena Sharma, Ph.D. '08, PT, CMPT
Recipient of the Early Career Achievement in Health Professions Award, 2012
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training
University of Kansas School of Health Professions
Kansas City, Kan.
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Sandra Billinger, Ph.D. '08, PT, FAHA
Recipient of the Early Career Achievement in Health Professions Award, 2013
Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training
University of Kansas School of Health Professions
Kansas City, Kan.
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Benjamin Tseng, Ph.D. '09
Associate Professor, Director of Laboratory of Brain Aging, Department of Health and Kinesiology
University of Texas at Tyler
Tyler, Texas
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Kendra Gagnon, Ph.D. '09, PT
Chair and Clinical Professor, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
Baylor University, Waco, Texas
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2010-2014
Kevin Farmer, Ph.D. '10
Senior Regulatory Writer
Synchrogenix
Durham, N.C.
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Natalia Loskutova, M.D., Ph.D. '11, Honors
Senior Scientist and Director of Evaluation, National Research Network
American Academy of Family Physicians
Leawood, Kansas
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Stephen Jernigan, Ph.D. '11, PT
Associate Professor and Director, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training
University of Kansas School of Health Professions
Kansas City, Kan.
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Bin Deng, Ph.D. '11
Staff Data Scientist
Walmart Labs
San Bruno, Calif.
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Ming Xu, Ph.D. '11
Assistant Professor, UConn Center on Aging and the Department of Genetics & Genome Sciences
UConn Health
Farmington, Conn.
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Read about Xu's research featured by the Guardian
Lisa VanHoose, Ph.D. '11, PT, CLT-LANA, WC
Recipient of the Early Career Achievement in Health Professions Award, 2018
University of Louisiana at Monroe
Monroe, La.
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Han-Hung (Floyd) Huang, Ph.D. '11, PT
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
Angelo State University
San Angelo, Tex.
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Mariko Nishibe, Ph.D. '12, Honors
Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine/Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences
Osaka University
Osaka, Japan
Dave Burnett, Ph.D. '13, RRT, AE-C
Associate Dean for Faculty Practice and Community Partnership
Chair and Assistant Professor, Department of Respiratory Care Education
University of Kansas School of Health Professions
Kansas City, Kan.
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Alham Al-Sharman, Ph.D. '13, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences
Jordan University of Science and Technology
Irbid, Jordan
Ali Bani-Ahmed, Ph.D. '13, PT
Assistant Professor, College of Applied Medical Sciences
University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
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Saddam Kanaan, Ph.D. '13, Honors, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences
Jordan University of Science and Technology
Irbid, Jordan
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Rupali Singh, Ph.D. '13, PT
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
School of Health Sciences
The Sage Colleges
Troy, N.Y.
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Lezi E, Ph.D. '13, Honors
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wis.
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Jessica Witherspoon, DPT, Ph.D. '14
Research Fellow
Laboratory of Congenital Myopathy, Neuromuscular Symptoms Unit, Tissue Injury Branch
National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Md.
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Jason Rucker, Ph.D. '14, Honors, PT
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training
University of Kansas School of Health Professions
Kansas City, Kan.
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Tarang Jain, DPT, Ph.D. '14, Honors, PT
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Ariz.
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Linda Denney, Ph.D. '14, PT
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Ariz.
2015-2019
Jordan Taylor, Ph.D. '15, Honors, CSCS, ACE-CPT
Undergraduate Exercise Science Program Director and Lecturer, Department of Health, Sport, & Exercise Sciences
University of Kansas Edwards Campus
Overland Park, Kan.
Gurpreet Singh, Ph.D. '16, PT
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
School of Health Sciences
The Sage Colleges
Troy, N.Y.
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Linda D'Silva, Ph.D. '16, PT
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training
University of Kansas School of Health Professions
Kansas City, Kan.
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Anna Mattlage, Ph.D. '16
Staff Scientist, Program in Physical Therapy
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, Mo.
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Zaid Mansour, Ph.D. '16, PT
Chair and Assistant Professor, Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy
Hashemite University
Zarqa, Jordan
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Mayis Aldughmi, Ph.D. '16, PT
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Assistant Professor, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Jordan
Amman, Jordan
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Bryan Bond, Ph.D. '16
Professor and Co-Director of Research, Department of Physical Therapy
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth, Kan.
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Sonia Rawal, Ph.D. '16, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth, Kan.
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Jason-Flor Sisante, Ph.D. '17
Solar System Ambassador, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Fahed Mehyar, Ph.D. '17, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
Eastern Washington University
Spokane, Wash.
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Shaima Alothman, Ph.D. '18, PT
Associate Researcher, Lifestyle and Health Research Center
Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Abdulfattah Alqahtani, Ph.D. '19, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Rehabilitation Sciences
King Saud University
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Kosaku Aoyagi, Ph.D. '19, PT
Postdoctoral Trainee, Department of Rheumatology, Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases Research Center
Boston University School of Medicine
Boston, Mass.
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Sanghee Moon, Ph.D. '19, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
Ithaca College
Ithaca, N.Y.
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Caio Sarmento, Ph.D. '19, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
California State University
Fresno, Calif.
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Aqeel Alenazi, Ph.D. '19, Honors, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Rehabilitation Sciences and Physical Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences
Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University
Alkharj, Saudi Arabia
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Yasir Alshehri, Ph.D. '19, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medical Rehabilitation Science
Taibah University
Madinah, Saudi Arabia
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Abdalghani Yahya, Ph.D. '19, PT
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2020-Present
Ramzi Alajam, Ph.D. '20, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences
Jazan University
Jazan, Saudi Arabia
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Mohammed M. Alshehri, Ph.D. '20, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences
Jazan University
Jazan, Saudi Arabia
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Melike Kahya, Ph.D. '20, Honors, PT
Postdoctoral Fellow, Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Mass.
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Eber A. S. Beck, Jr. Ph.D. '20, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
Ithaca College
Ithaca, N.Y.
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David Heller, M.S., Ph.D. '20
Visiting Professor of Exercise Science and Visiting Professor of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Human Services
Rockhurst University
Kansas City, Mo.
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Sakher Obaidat, Ph.D. ‘21, PT
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
Hashemite University
Zarqa, Jordan
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"The Ph.D. program in Rehabilitation Science at KUMC will prepare you to become an independent researcher, a leader and a mentor to others in your future. You will also acquire fundamental and advanced skills, expertise, and character, that empowers you to rise up to any challenge that may come your way in your future."- Emmanuel B. John, PT, DPT, Ph.D. '06, Chair & Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Chapman University