Scott M. Lephart, PhD

lephart@pitt.edu

Dr. Lephart is the founding director of the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition.  He completed his undergraduate degree at Marietta College (Marietta, OH) and both his Master's and Doctoral degrees in Sports Medicine at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA). Dr. Lephart's research interests include musculoskeletal sports and military injury prevention and performance optimization.  He has over 25 years of experience in neuromuscular and biomechanical analysis of human movement associated with musculoskeletal injury, surgery, rehabilitation, and prevention.  His research has resulted in 125 published papers and more than 250 national and international presentations.  He has been invited to deliver 20 keynote lectures at professional events round the world. He is the Principle/Senior Investigator leading $25M+ of Department of Defense research grants to establish Human Performance Research Centers and study injuries and performance of our most elite warriors. The DOD sponsored laboratories include work with  the US Army 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division at Fort Campbell, and US Special Operations with Naval Special Warfare at NSW Group 2, Little Creek, VA,  Naval Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) Special Boat Team 22, Stennis, Mississippi and the NSW Center , Coronado, CA, and with US Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, NC.

Timothy C. Sell, PhD, PT

tcs15@pitt.edu

Dr. Sell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science. He is the Director of Graduate Studies in Sports Medicine and the Associate Director of the University of Pittsburgh's Neuromuscular Research Laboratory (NMRL). Dr. Sell's research interests and current ongoing projects include several injury prevention and performance optimization research studies with the Department of Defense, several studies aimed at female anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention, knee biomechanics during athletic tasks, pathomechanics, integration of accelerometers into injury prevention research, and rotator cuff injury prevention. He is in charge of instruction for the NMRL's graduate course in Laboratory Techniques in Sports Medicine and Nutrition (I and II), Research Seminar in Sports Medicine, and Pathokinesiology of Orthopedic Injury. In addition, Dr. Sell serves as an academic and research advisor to graduate students in the department. He earned a bachelor's degree in physical therapy in 1993 and a master's degree in human movement science in 2001, both at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his PhD in rehabilitation science in 2004 at the University of Pittsburgh.

Kevin M. Conley, PhD, ATC

kconley@pitt.edu

Dr. Conley is the Director of the Undergraduate Athletic Training Education Program for the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Conley completed with PhD in Rehabilitation Science as well as his Masters degree in Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA). Prior to serving as the Director of the Athletic Training Education Program, he was a clinical instructor and staff athletic trainer for the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Conley's research interests include neuromuscular control and dynamic stabilization of the ankle and the contribution to injury prevention provided by external ankle supports.

John P. Abt, PhD, ATC

jabt@pitt.edu

Dr. Abt is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh and Associate Director of the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory. Dr. Abt completed his PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) as well as his Masters degree in Sports Medicine. His research interests include injury prevention and performance optimization in military personnel.

Mita Lovalekar, MBBS, PhD, MPH

MitaL@pitt.edu

Dr. Lovalekar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a physician trained in India, and completed both her Master's and Doctoral degrees in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh . Dr. Lovalekar's research interests include injury epidemiology and surveillance, injury prevention, and chronic disease epidemiology.

Takashi Nagai, PhD, ATC, CSCS

tnagai@pitt.edu

Dr. Nagai is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Nagai completed his PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Pittsburgh and MS in Exercise Physiology at the University of Utah. He managed various research projects at the Human Performance Research Center at Fort Campbell, KY past 5 years prior to returning to Pittsburgh. His research interests include injury prevention and performance optimization in the military, musculoskeletal/neuromuscular factors that are associated with neck/low-back pain in the Army Aviators, and the role of proprioception and neuromuscular control in joint stability.

Kim Beals (Crawford), PhD, RD, CSSD

kcrawfor@pitt.edu

Dr. Beals (Crawford) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Crawford completed her PhD in Exercise Phisiology at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics. Her research interests include nutrition and exercise strategies to modify body composition and to enhance physical performance. In addition, she is interested in the evaluation of dietary supplements and the impact they have on health and performance.

Rachel Froehlich, MS, RD, CSSD

raf64@pitt.edu

Rachel is a Registered Dietitian and Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She holds a Bachelor and Master's degree in Nutrition from both the University of Vermont and Boston University, respectively. Her previous research experience includes work at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard School of Public Health on popular diets for weight management, as well as the influence of the glycemic index for the prevention of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Prior to starting at Pitt's NMRL, Rachel was employed at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Nursing, teaching group behavior modification classes and counseling individuals for weight management using motivational interviewing techniques. Rachel's interest in sports nutrition research is much inspired by her passion for and participation in endurance sports.

Katelyn Fleishman Allison, PhD, ACSM-HFS

kaf14@pitt.edu

Dr. Allison is a faculty member of the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining the NMRL as faculty, Katelyn completed her Bachelors degree in Exercise Science, Masters degree in Exercise Physiology, and Doctoral degree in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Pittsburgh, where she also competed in Cross Country and Track. She also spend four years as Graduate research associate at the NMRL while completing her PhD. Her research interests include methods for performance enhancement, neuromuscular control relating to lower extremity injury prevention, and overuse injury prevention in females.

Mary Murray, MS(ABD), ATC

mmurray1@pitt.edu

Mary Murray is a faculty member in the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining the faculty, Mary was the Director of Clinical Education in the Department of Athletic Training at Seton Hall University.  She is currently completing her doctoral studies in the Department of Educational Leadership, Management and Policy at Seton Hall University (South Orange, NJ). She completed her Masters degree in Physical Education, Exercise, & Sports Science at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC) and a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Athletic Training at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA). Her research interests are in clinical education and student success in graduate health science programs.

Qi Mi, PhD

qim3@pitt.edu

Dr. Mi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. He is also a member of Center for inflammation and Regenerative Modeling within McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his PhD in Mathematics at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA). His research interests include: systems biology, musculoskeletal modeling and mathematical modeling of inflammation.

COL Rusty Rowe, MD

Colonel Rusty Rowe, MD is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. COL Rowe is the Command Surgeon of Special Operations Command Europe and former Division Surgeon of the Army 101 st Airborne (Air Assault) at Ft Campbell, KY. COL Rowe received his medical degree from the Baylor College of Medicine ( Houston, TX) and his family practice residency at the Martin Army Community Hospital (Columbus , GA). COL Rowe's research interests include the prevention of unintentional musculoskeletal injury in the military and performance optimization of the tactical athlete.

David A. Stone, MD

Dr. Stone is an assistant professor in the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine and the medical director of the NMRL's UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research project. Dr. Stone completed his medical degree at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, NJ. He is a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation and sports medicine. His research interests include injury prevention and rehabilitation of athletes and military personnel.

Susan Casino

NMRL Administrator

svc3@pitt.edu

Susan is an Administrator of the NMRL within the University of Pittsburgh's School of Health and Rehabilitation Science. She has been with the University of Pittsburgh since 2003 and the NMRL since 2008.

Meaghan Beck

Administrative Research Coordinator

mbeck1@pitt.edu

Meaghan is an Administrative Research Coordinator at the NMRL within the University of Pittsburgh's School of Health and Rehabilitation Science. She is a member of the National Council of University Research Administrators and the Society of Clinical Research Associates, Inc.

Robert Kornosky, MPA

Fiscal and Personnel Administrator

kornosky@pitt.edu

Rob Kornosky is the Financial Manager for the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his Master's Degree in Public Administration and Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. Rob has experience in grants management, accounting, and human resource administration. Prior to joining the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition Rob worked for the University's School of Medicine as an Accountant.

Jeffrey Parr, PhD, ATC, LAT, HFS

jparr@pitt.edu

Jeffrey is an Assistant Professor assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Injury Prevention Initiative at the NMRL's UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory at Little Creek Amphibious Base, VA. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from University of Florida in 2010, and his Master of Science degree in athletic training from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2000. Prior to joining the NMRL, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Florida working in the Comprehensive Center for Pain Research. Jeffrey's research interests include the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries through identification of biopsychosocial risk factors, prevention of injury related to faulty running biomechanics, and identification of optimal therapeutic interventions for use during physical therapy.

Stennis Lab Staff

Left to Right: Carrie and Paul

Paul Morgan, MS.Ed

pmorgan1@pitt.edu

Paul is a research associate assigned to the NMRL's UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory at Stennis, MS. He completed his MS.Ed in Exercise Physiology and BS.Ed in Physical Education (K-12) from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. While attending NIU, he taught exercise physiology laboratory classes, supervised physical education clinical student teachers, and conducted research with Dr. Amanda Salacinski and ACSM Fellow Dr. Craig Broeder. Paul's research interests include contrast water therapy, thermoregulation in extreme environments, and flotation R.E.S.T.

Carrie Pockrandt, DHSc, ATC

pockrand@pitt.edu

Carrie is an Assistant Professor assigned to the NMRL's UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory located in Stennis, MS.  She received her Doctor of Health Science degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2010, and her Master of Science degree in athletic training from The University of Tenneessee at Chattanooga in 2000. Prior to joining the NMRL, she was an athletic trainer at the United States Coast Guard Basic Training Center located in Cape May, New Jersey. Carrie's research interests include the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries and health promotion in the military population.

Coronado Lab Staff

Left to Right: Ryan, Darcie, Chris, John

John Haubenstricker, MS, RD, HFS

jhauben@pitt.edu

John Haubenstricker is a Research Associate at Neuromuscular Research Laboratory within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, a Master’s degree in both Nutritional Sciences and Exercise Physiology, and has completed his distance dietetic internship at Utah State University. John is deeply involved in professional development activities, as he has published research in the Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise journal, been a guest speaker at San Diego State University and Sharp Healthcare, and has been a preceptor for dietetic interns at American Red Cross Women, Infants and Children program. Currently, he is the President-Elect for the San Diego Dietetic Association and Legislative Ambassador Liaison for the California Dietetic Association. He personal research interests are to study the effects of exercise, nutrition, and dietary supplements on health, body composition, and performance. Leading by example, John embodies health and fitness through his own hobbies as a bodybuilder, salsa/ballroom dancer, recreational cyclist and hiker in San Diego County.

Chris Beck, MS

cbeck1@pitt.edu

Chris is a research associate assigned to the UPitt NMRL Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, CA.  Chris completed his bachelor’s of science in biology and his master's of science in exercise physiology, both from Indiana University, in Bloomington, IN.  Chris was commissioned as a Chemical Officer in the U.S. Army for 3 years between his bachelor's and master’s and is currently serving as the 79th IBCT Chemical Officer in San Diego, CA.  Before working with UPitt, Chris conducted physiology research for a private company funded by grants from the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Technology Research Center (TATRC) and Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) to help develop a saliva-based, hand-held assay for hydration assessment.  Chris's research interests include human performance, military medicine and nutritional strategies for improved health and performance.

Ryan D. Wedge, MPT, BS

rwedge@pitt.edu

Ryan is a research associate assigned to the NMRL’s UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, CA. Prior to joining the NMRL, he completed his Bachelors of Science degree in Physical Therapy and his Masters of Physical Therapy at Quinnipac University, Hamden, CT. He has also previously worked as a sports medicine clinician in South Portland, ME at Saco Bay Physical Therapy. Ryan’s research interests include neuromuscular and musculoskeletal patterns of endurance athletes with a history of pathology.

Ft. Bragg Lab Staff

Left to Right: Julie, Tony, and Amanda

Julie Kresta, PhD

jkresta@pitt.edu

Julie is an Assistant Professor working on the United States Army Special Operations Command Injury Prevention and Performance Optimization Research Initiative at the NMRL's UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory at Fort Bragg, NC. She received her PhD in Exercise Physiology from Texas A&M University in 2011 and her Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2005. She has previously worked in the Exercise and Sport Nutrition Lab at Texas A&M University coordinating research studies related to improving health, body composition and exercise performance. She has also worked as a Research Coordinator for Spinal Cord Injury Research at the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation in Dallas, Texas. Her research interests include the utilization of exercise training and nutrition for the improvement of physical performance in trained or athletic populations.

Tony Bozich, MS, ATC

ajb67@pitt.edu

Tony serves as a research associate at the NMRL's UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory at Ft. Bragg.   He returns to the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed his Bachelor's degree in Athletic Training and his Master's degree in Sports Medicine and Nutrition.  Prior to joining the staff at Ft. Bragg, he served as the certified athletic trainer for the University of Pittsburgh’s baseball program.  He has also worked for UPMC's Center for Sports Medicine as a Certified Athletic Trainer and completed an athletic training internship in the NFL with the New York Giants.  Tony’s research interests include the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries and identifying risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in athletic and military populations.

Meleesa Wohleber, DHSc, ATC

mew119@pitt.edu

Meleesa is an Assistant Professor assigned to the NMRL's UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory located at Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, FL. She received her Doctor of Health Science degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2010, Master of Science in Kinesiology/Athletic Administration at James Madison University in 2002, and Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 2000. Prior to joining the NMRL, Meleesa was an athletic trainer at the United States Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, NJ. She has also worked as an athletic trainer at the University of Louisville. Meleesa's research interests include injury prevention screening programs for active populations and prevention of musculoskeletal injury in the military.

Hung-Chun Huang, PT

huh8@pitt.edu

Hung-Chun (a.k.a. Gordon) is a doctoral student in Rehabilitation Sciences within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh (anticipated graduation 2012). Gordon is currently working at the Human Performance Research Center at Ft. Campbell. Prior to enrolling in the doctoral program, Gordon completed his bachelor degree in Physical Therapy at the National Taiwan University (Taipei, Taiwan) and master's degree in Sports Medicine within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests include neuromuscular contributions to military performance, such as marksmanship, load carriage, and lifting, and neuromuscular control in relation to low back injury prevention.

Jon Akins, MS

jsa14@pitt.edu

Jon's Webpage

Jon Akins is a doctoral student in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh (Anticipated graduation 2012). Prior to enrolling in the doctoral program, Jon completed his Master of Science in Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma State University. His research interests injury prevention and performance optimization of athletes, soldiers, and operators via kinematic and kinetic assessments.

Karen Keenan, MA, ATC

kak170@pitt.edu

Karen Keenan is a doctoral student in Rehabilitation Science within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh (Anticipated graduation in 2012). Prior to enrolling in the doctoral program, she worked as a certified athletic trainer in the university setting and taught in several accredited Athletic Training Education Programs. She completed her Masters degree in Physical Education, Exercise, & Sports Science at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with a Concentration in Athletic Training at the University of New Hampshire. Her research interests include spinal kinematics and kinetics, core stability, and neuromuscular control relating to lower extremity injury prevention.

Nicholas Clark, MSc, PG Dip, PT, CSCS.

ncc18@pitt.edu

Nick is a doctoral student in Rehabilitation Science within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to enrolling in the Doctoral Program Nick gained extensive clinical experience in the British National Health Service (NHS), private practice, elite sport, and the British Army. He has been a Visiting Lecturer to several British Manual Physical Therapy, Sports Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Master's Degree programs, and a Rehabilitation Consultant for the British Ministry of Defence. Nick completed his Master's Degree in Manual Therapy and Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation at University College London (UK), a Post-Graduate Diploma in Clinical Biomechanics at Staffordshire University (UK), and a Bachelor's Degree in Physiotherapy at the University of East London (UK). His research interests include knee proprioception and neuromuscular control, the role of different exercise training methods in lower limb injury prevention and rehabilitation, the correlation between laboratory and clinical measurement procedures, and the effective clinical application of laboratory-based research.

Matthew Darnell, MS, RD, SCCC

med30@pitt.edu

Matt is a doctoral student in Rehabilitation Science within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh (anticipated graduation in 2014). Prior to enrolling in the Doctoral Program, Matt completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Clinical Dietetics and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh, where he competed on the wrestling team. Matt is a Registered Dietitian and Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa) and has worked as an Assistant Strength Coach for the Olympic sports teams at Pitt.  His research interests include nutrition and exercise approaches to improve athletic performance, injury prevention, and rehabilitation.

Valerie Williams, PT, DPT, MS

williamsvj2@upmc.edu

Valerie is a part time doctoral student in Rehabilitation Science within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. She currently works full time as a physical therapist for Centers for Rehab Services in Pittsburgh. Valerie completed her Doctor of Physical Therapy at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, Master of Health and Rehabilitation Science- Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh and Orthopeadic Physical Therapy Residency at Centers for Rehab Services in Pittsburgh. Clinically, Valerie enjoys treating orthopeadic injuries and working with pre-professional and professional dancers. Her research interests include risk factor assessment for injuries in dancers and athletes, development of injury prevention programs, kinematics, postural stability and proprioception, and rehabilitation of orthopeadic injuries.

Nicholas Heebner, MS, ATC

nrh13@pitt.edu

Nick Heebner is a doctoral student in Rehabilitation Science within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh (anticipated graduation 2015). Prior to enrolling in the doctoral program, Nick received his Bachelor degree in kinesiology, Athletic Training, from the Pennsylvania State University and his Masters degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests include injury prevention and performance optimization in the athletic and military populations, the use of accelerometers in injury prevention, neuromuscular control, and postural stability.

Michelle Varnell, MS, ATC

msv11@pitt.edu

Michelle Varnell is a doctoral student in Rehabilitation Sciences within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh (anticipated graduation 2015). Prior to enrolling in the doctoral program, Michelle completed her bachelor degree in Athletic Training with a minor in Political Science at Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, Arizona) and a master's degree in Sports Health Care at A.T. Still University, Arizona School of Health Science (Mesa, AZ). She has spent the last four years as a research associate with the SHRI-CORE Orthopedic Research Labs, where she has developed expertise in the motion analysis of activities of daily living in both the upper and lower extremities. She has presented her work at various national conferences. Her research interests include shoulder biomechanics, specifically related to scapular kinematics, as well as sport performance and enhancement.