Professor Emerita

Areas of Interest
Spinal Cord Injury, Acute & Long-term Reproductive Health for Women with Disabilities, Spina Bifida – Adult Transition, Transverse Myelitis

Biography

Dr. McLain is a tenured Professor and former Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R). She holds the Endowed Kyle Professorship in Rehabilitation Medicine and is a board-certified physiatrist. She is the Director of the UAB Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Model System. She has been listed as one of “America’s Top Doctors” by Castle Connolly since 2001.

Dr. McLain is the founder and director of the nation's first reproductive health clinic for women with disabilities. She has served on the NIH Advisory Committee for Health of Women with Disabilities, the United Spinal Association’s national committee, “Women Without Limits”, and was a panel member for the Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine to develop clinical practice guidelines for women with SCI. She served as president of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) and as a member of the ISCOS’s (International SCI Society) scientific committee and council. She has published a number of research studies in peer-reviewed journals and has served as a reviewer for Spinal Cord, Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, and Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. A great achievement was her authorship of the chapter “Women with Disabilities” in the well-known obstetric textbook, Obstetric Medicine; Management of Medical Disorders in Pregnancy. 6th ed., edited by Cohen and August, and published by People’s Medical Publishing House, USA. Prior to attending medical school, Dr. McLain worked for two years at Spain Rehabilitation Center in the SOM Division of Urology pursuing research activities involving basic science investigations of urological complications following SCI. She continued her training in the care of individuals with disabilities during her residency in PM&R at UAB, and, since joining the staff as a faculty member in 1988, has made her major focus of clinical research activity the medical management of spinal cord injuries and disorders.

Education & Training

MD, University of Alabama School of Medicine