NSCISC Team

NSCISC Project Director

Yuying Chen, M.D., Ph.D. is a University Professor in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Chen is Vice Chair of Research, Co-Director of the UAB Center for Engagement in Disability Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Associate Director of the NIH-funded Disability Health Promotion Research Center. An internationally recognized leader in spinal cord injury research and rehabilitation medicine, Dr. Chen has devoted more than two decades to advancing outcomes and quality of life for individuals living with disabilities.

Dr. Chen currently serves as Director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, on the HSOM Faculty Councils, and as a core scientist for several major UAB research centers, including the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Within her department, she chairs both the Research Faculty Search Committee and the Resident Research Oversight Committee.

Her scholarly portfolio includes more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, seven books or book chapters, and more than 17 million research funding as principal investigator. Chen’s research and leadership have earned national recognition, including the 2023 Margaret Nosek Award from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) and the Most Cited Original Research Article Award from the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation journal. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) and is an elected Fellow of both ASIA and ACRM.

Beyond her research accomplishments, Dr. Chen is recognized as a dedicated mentor and educator who has guided postdoctoral fellows, residents, medical students, visiting scholars, and junior faculty members toward successful academic careers.

NSCISC Project Co-Director

Jenn Coker, Ph.D., MPH, FASIA received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Berry College, a Master of Public Health from Emory University. and Ph.D. in Clinical Investigations from the University of Colorado – Anschutz Medical Campus.

Dr. Coker began her research career right after college as a clinical research coordinator at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She then went on to serve in various roles for in spinal cord injury (SCI) research programs in prestigious rehabilitation research institutions, such as Shepherd Center, Medical University of South Carolina’s College of Health Professions, and Craig Hospital.

Throughout her career, Dr. Coker has established herself as a leading investigator in SCI outcomes research. Her research portfolio includes pioneering investigations into self-efficacy interventions for individuals with SCI, the integration of complementary and integrative healthcare approaches, and the impact of oral health on overall well-being in this population. Through her research, she aims to enhance quality of life, improve rehabilitation outcomes, and address health disparities in these populations.

Her research has been supported by federal and foundation grants over the last 10 years totaling over $18 million in funding. She formerly served as Co-PD for the Rocky Mountain Regional Spinal Injury System, Site PI for the SCI Model Systems Collaborative project, both of which are funded by the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, PI for a project funded by the Craig H Neilsen Foundation, as well as Site PI for a prospective multi-center longitudinal cohort study sponsored by the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America. She currently holds a grant from the Neilsen Foundation, and as noted earlier, is Co-PD of the NSCISC.

Dr. Coker has authored an extensive body of peer-reviewed publications. Her reputation as a respected scientist and leader is underscored by her numerous awards, including the recent 2020 Mulcahey Award for Research in Outcomes Measurement and the 2022 Spinal Research Institute SCI Writing Prize. She serves on the Editorial Board for Topics in SCI Rehabilitation, as Review Editor of the Disability Rehabilitation and Inclusion section for the Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, and as a guest topic editor of Promoting Participation Following Neurotrauma for the Frontiers Research Topics. She has also served on grant review panels for the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and the Paralyzed Veterans of America Education Foundation.

Dr. Coker’s service contributions are equally impactful. At Craig Hospital, she played a pivotal role in multiple committees, including serving as the Founding Chair of the Research Think Tank and as Chair of the Women’s Health Initiative. Nationally, she has held leadership positions within the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA), including her recent appointment to its Board of Directors and designation as a Fellow of ASIA (FASIA) for her outstanding research and service to ASIA and the SCI community. Internationally, she currently serves on multiple committees and special interest groups for the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS). In the community, Dr. Coker is the former chair and current member of the Board of Directors for the Colorado Brain Injury Trust Fund and Board of the Shine Music Festival, an inclusive and accessible music festival that gives people of all abilities access to the power of live music.

Research Administrative Associate

Originally a Form I data collector for both TBI and SCI Model Systems at UAB, Sarah has moved up to working with the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center as of May 2022. Sarah has shifted her focus to helping Dr. Yuying Chen and Tori Allen in the data center. Her responsibilities including but not limited to, transitioning the four new data centers into the 2022-2026 funding cycle as well as helping all centers work through the process of the upcoming non-traumatic SCI data collection through July 2023. While Sarah’s main focus is handling the day to day management of administration of the UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation research group, Sarah does spend some of her time helping with data abstraction for SCIMS Form I and Form II follow-up for the Virginia and Missouri centers.

Programmer/Analyst II + Database Analyst

Troy holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from UAB as well as a degree in Audio Production & Engineering from Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA. He came to UAB in 2003 as the Systems Administrator for the Biostatistics & Bioinformatics Unit, where he provided computer and network infrastructure support for the management as well as designed efficient data management solutions for clinical/research data. He also led the Web Development Support Group to assist NSCISC with the initial implementation and continuing development of the SCIMS Database system for 2 years before he officially joined NSCISC in 2009 as a Web Programmer in order to provide more stable programming support. Currently, he manages the National SCI database and is also the programmer/analyst for the National SCI Statistical Center.

Program Director I

Mary Allison serves as the Program Director of Knowledge Translation and Dissemination. Prior to her role at UAB, she spent a decade creating disability-centered communications content for Lakeshore Foundation, a national adapted sports, research, and advocacy organization. Cook combines her professional and lived experience as a person with SCI to translate research data into engaging and accessible content for people with spinal cord injuries, care partners, researchers, and clinicians.

Clinical Research Coordinator III

Jill joined the NSCISC team in 2026. She previously worked with the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at UAB for five years where she coordinated the UAB arm of the national sickle cell registry. Prior to coming to UAB, Jill worked on several behavioral research studies in Louisiana with Pennington Biomedical Research Center and health literacy related projects at LSU Health Shreveport. Jill has a master’s degree in public health and has worked in research for over a decade. Her goals in research include collecting reliable high-quality data, improving efficiency, and ensuring that research patients are treated with integrity and respect. In her free time, Jill can be found with her two dogs or walking dogs at local animal shelters.

Statistician 

Dr. Zhang has been a statistician in Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care since 2018. She worked in various projects and collaborated with investigators both within and outside of the division and department. Her work has resulted in more than 35 publications. In 2024, Dr. Zhang started to provide statistical supports in NSCISC for the SCIMS Database research and collaboration. Dr. Zhang received her MS in Biostatistics and PhD in Cell Biology from University of Alabama at Birmingham.