New physical therapy department chair named

Dr. Krista Vandenborne, Ph.D., P.T., an internationally recognized leader in human muscle physiology and rehabilitation, has been appointed chair of the physical therapy department in the University of Florida’s College of Health Professions.

Vandenborne, whose appointment is effective April 1, succeeds Robert Garrigues, Ph.D., associate dean, who has served as interim department chair since July 2000. Before joining the UF physical therapy faculty in August 2001, Vandenborne held joint appointments in the departments of physiology, radiology and rehabilitation medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

“My goal is to continue the department’s mission to educate quality health-care professionals capable of providing excellent physical therapy services while rapidly expanding our research activities, ” Vandenborne said.

She also said she plans to advance the physical therapy department’s national ranking and become an equal partner in rehabilitation research initiatives across the university.

“Many fields are starting to recognize the importance of rehabilitation research and the role physical therapy can play. As a department we are uniquely positioned to help transfer laboratory research to clinical practice by teaching the next generation of physical therapists and working closely with the physical therapy clinical community,” Vandenborne said.

In her research, Vandenborne examines muscular dysfunction and rehabilitation with a focus on musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. She utilizes magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy techniques to study the effectiveness of specific rehabilitation interventions, including gene transfer. She is the principal investigator on several National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and has served on NASA and NIH study sections.