Professor Yuying Chen, M.D., Ph.D. has been promoted to Director of Research in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. Chen served as Interim Director prior to her promotion.
Dr. Chen is a board-certified physiatrist from Taiwan and epidemiologist with extensive training and experience in database management, research methodology, and statistical analysis. Since 2005, she has served as Project Director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, which is within the department of PM&R, and has led a number of studies and published more than 87 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, most of which involved the use of the National SCI Database.
“We are tremendously fortunate to have a researcher with Dr. Chen’s stature. She is a well-respected national leader in the arena of spinal cord injury care and research,” states Vu Nguyen, M.D., chair of the Department. “I am pleased that she has accepted the responsibility of leading our research team to the next level and very much look forward to seeing all of the great things that they will accomplish over the next five years.”
Dr. Chen has gained international recognition for her research involving epidemiology, mortality, and secondary conditions after SCI including obesity, racial health disparities, and social determinants of health. Among her most recent honors, Dr. Chen was selected for the UAB Healthcare Leadership Academy Class of 2023, nominated for the UAB 2022 Dean’s Excellence Award in Service for Senior Faculty, received the Best Paper Award at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Association of Academic Physiatrists, and recognized by The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with the Most Cited Original Research Article Award.
“I am very excited about this new role and grateful for the opportunity to work collaboratively with the Department’s high-caliber research team to expand our research portfolio and advance rehabilitation sciences”, said Dr. Chen.
Dr. Chen also serves the department as Chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee and a member of the Finance, Journal Club, and Grand Rounds Committees.