Directory

Dr. Pierce Boyne, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise Science and Nutrition Sciences. He earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Cincinnati in 2010, Neurologic Clinical Specialist certification from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties in 2013 and his PhD in Epidemiology in 2017, examining aerobic exercise testing and training for people who have had a stroke. His current research aims to understand how the brain contributes to walking capacity, how that control is affected by brain injuries like stroke and how to best intervene to facilitate walking recovery. This work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, and other organizations. Dr. Boyne also co-directs the interdisciplinary UC Neurorecovery Laboratory and the PhD Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at UC.

Michael Riley studies human perceptual-motor behavior from the perspectives of complexity science and ecological psychology with a focus on applications to rehabilitation and human performance. He has taught many undergraduate and graduate courses including Research Methods in Perception & Action, Motor Control & Human Performance, Movement Science II, and Control and Coordination of Action. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command.

Sarah Schwab-Farrell, PT, DPT, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise, and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. She earned her DPT from the University of Cincinnati (2018) and MA (2020) and PhD (2022) in Experimental Psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She also completed post-doctoral training in the Neurorecovery Lab at the University of Cincinnati. Sarah has advanced specialty training in non-linear time-series analysis methods and in the collection and analysis of a variety of movement data from clinical and non-clinical populations (e.g., postural control, interpersonal coordination).

Sarah's empirical and theorectical work merge rehabilitation, disability studies, and ecological psychology to understand the creative and adaptable movement strategies people with disability use to engage with their environments. Sarah's research seeks to re-conceptualize disability as a complex construct that is inherently shaped by and given meaning through context. In doing so, her research challenges medicalized/biomedical assumptions commonly made in rehabilitation and works to empower people with disability. Sarah’s current projects are focused on creating meaningful, relevant, and authentic rehabilitation research experiences for people with disability. Adults with cerebral palsy and individuals with chronic stroke are involved in a process of co-design to build prioritized rehabilitation research studies from start to finish. Sarah’s research has been funded by the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research and the Ohio Physical Therapy Association and internal mechanisms at UC.

Sarah mentors PhD students and teaches in the Health & Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Program. Her courses focus on foundational research skills necessary for students to become successful and independent investigators, including data collection and processing, statistics/analysis methods, and scientific writing and presentation.

Seung-Yeon Lee is an Associate Professor at the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise, and Nutrition Sciences.  She obtained her PhD in Human Nutrition at Michigan State University (MSU) and completed her post-doctoral training at MSU.  She started her faculty position at the University of Cincinnati in 2008.  She teaches two undergraduate courses (Advanced Nutrition I and Community Nutrition) and two graduate course (Nutrition Education for Behavior Change and Research Methods in Topics in Nutrition).  She has breadth and depth of experience in behavioral nutrition research, including nutrition education intervention program development nutrition and evaluation using mixed methods. Her research interests include food insecurity, health disparity, and health promotion and disease management via community-based nutrition intervention targeting underserved populations, particularly food pantry clients. In addition, she serves as the faculty advisor of UC Nutri-Ed, a student organization, which provides nutrition classes to food pantry clients. Furthermore, she has been actively involved in the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior and Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.  She served as the 2016-2017Chair for International Nutrition Education division and editorial boards of the journal between 2011 and 2017.

Vicki McQuiddy has been a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati since 2018. She has been the Occupational Therapy Program Director since 2021. Vicki's content expertise is in pediatrics, with additional training and certifications in the area of sensory processing and integration. She worked at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in the outpatient setting full time from 2004-2018; she continues to evaluate and treat clients one day per week at Cincinnati Children's. When working full time at Cincinnati Children's, Vicki was also a self-management trainer who focused on coaching and partnering with children and families to provide family-centered care. Vicki completed a research residency for her PhD at the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder and received her certification to administer the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test through Western Psychological Services. Vicki is currently a regional coordinator for data collection for the Sensory Processing in 3-Dimensions assessment, which is a new performance-based measure to better identify and categorize the types of sensory challenges a person is experiencing. Vicki has developed and teaches a variety of courses within the OT program at UC including Occupational Therapy Theory and Process, Pediatric Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention, OT Group Process and Intervention, Research in Occupational Therapy, etc. She is passionate about advancing research and practice in occupational therapy. 

Kari Dunning, PT, PhD is Chair and Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Cincinnati College of Allied Health Sciences. She has a MS in Neuroscience, a PhD in epidemiology and has been a physical therapist for 35 years, specializing in neurological diagnoses. In addition to teaching evidence based practice, research and neurological rehabilitation, Dr. Dunning has been conducting research for over 25 years including 7 years as Director of Clinical Research at a local hospital. She has been involved in over 35 research studies funded by a variety of agencies including National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private industry, publishing over 75 peer reviewed articles including results from a recent multi-site trial investigating electrical stimulation for gait after stroke. Dr. Dunning is the recipient of a previous four-year American Heart Association Scientist Development Award and was PI of a Majistro Family Foundation Research Grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy.

Dr. Chris Allen, PT, DPT, DSc is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise Science and Nutritional Sciences. He earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy from Baylor University. He is board certified clinical specialist in orthopedics by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. He joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati in 2019 after 20 years as an active-duty military physical therapist.