Year in Review 2025 (2)-combined - Flipbook - Page 3
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Craig M McDonald M D
Chair, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Distinguished Professor
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pediatrics
University of California Davis Health
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As we transition to a new year
we are proud of the many
accomplishments in 2025 of
the UC Davis Department of
PM&R as we continue our strong tradition of collaboration
reflected in our Mission: Transforming the lives of all
people by improving health and function through the
combined power of collaborative education, research,
clinical care, and community. This reflection fills me with
an incredible sense of pride in our continued growth,
numerous achievements and tremendous anticipation for
what the upcoming year will bring with the continued
support of our phenomenal UC Davis Health Leadership.
Please take a moment to review our annual publication
highlighting the PM&R Year in Review for 2025.
The Department of PM&R excels in all academic
missions. We have grown our faculty almost 4-fold in my
16-year tenure as Chair and we continue to have an
incredibly talented, collaborative, and diverse faculty that
all provide the highest quality of care to our patients. In
2025 we welcomed three new faculty in PM&R. Annelise
Rasmussen and Cosmo Kwok are stellar new additions to
our Pediatric PM&R division as committed and
accomplished faculty clinician educators.
Our educational programs are incredibly strong under
the leadership of our Vice Chair of Education, Professor
Loren Davidson, and we continue to train the next
generation of PM&R physicians and offer unique
fellowships in sports medicine, pediatric rehabilitation
medicine and neuromuscular medicine.
Our research program, which welcomed Professor Erik
Henricson as our new Vice Chair of Research continues
to rank 19th nationally among Departments of PM&R in NIH
grant funding. We are excited that Wilsaan Joiner,
Chancellor’s Fellow and an engineering scientist focused
on motor control of upper extremity movement, visualmotor integration and upper limb prosthetic control has
joined our PM&R faculty as well. Our department
continues to contribute many seminal contributions
leading to novel FDA-approved precision medicine
therapeutics by our team in the Neuromuscular Medicine
Research Lab which has contributed to 8 FDA-approved
treatments for patients with neuromuscular diseases.
Our service to the community and lifestyle medicine
initiatives have flourished under the leadership of our
Vice Chair of Wellness and Community Engagement,
Professor Brandee Waite who recently completed an
Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine training
program. We anticipate continued leadership
contributions by Professor Waite in both PM&R and
systemwide lifestyle and longevity initiatives.
This past year has brought tremendous growth in the
volume of patients served at the UC Davis Rehabilitation
Hospital on our Health campus in partnership with
Lifepoint Health. The new facility, now over two years
old, is led by UC Davis PM&R residency alumnus and
Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, Professor John Dorsett, who
serves as Medical Director, and hospital CEO Dennis
Sindelar. Our faculty in brain injury medicine led by
Assistant Professor Nick Race has launched exciting
collaborative programs with the Department of
Neurosurgery focused on traumatic brain injury.
This year’s report adds a new chapter to our story,
which is filled with optimism and bold progress. In this
report, you will also learn about a multidisciplinary clinic
earning a Center for Excellence designation, our
contributions to the School of Medicine, collaborative
research efforts, and impactful patient stories.
From faculty, clinic and academic staff, researchers,
research staff, allied health therapists, fellows, residents,
and students, everyone plays an essential role in shaping
the stories of our success. These stories tell about
growth, innovation, creative approaches, treatment
milestones, all rooted in the core missions of education,
clinical care service, and research. There is an immense
privilege and responsibility we have in caring for our
community and educating the next generation of
physiatrists.
This PM&R Year in Review is just a glimpse of what
we are accomplishing with your help and support. We
are immensely grateful to our faculty, trainees, alumni,
staff, and friends. Most importantly, we thank our patients
and families for trusting us to deliver the best care
possible anywhere. On behalf of our entire department,
I want to express our gratitude for your continued interest
in the affairs of the UC Davis Department of PM&R.
R
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
MP FO TNEMTRAPED HTLAEH SIVAD CU
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