CORE FACULTY
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 Carrie E. Brintz, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Pain Medicine
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Brintz is a clinical health psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Pain Medicine and affiliate faculty in the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt. She specializes in the delivery of psychosocial and behavioral treatments for people with chronic pain. Dr. Brintz holds a doctoral degree from the University of Miami and has completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral research fellowship in Complementary and Integrative Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Her research aims to develop, test and optimize psychosocial and mindfulness-based interventions to improve outcomes and increase accessibility for people with chronic pain conditions and post-surgical pain. Dr. Brintz is a co-investigator on multiple NIH-funded studies and her work is currently funded by an NIH K23 Career Development Award to adapt and test a mindfulness-based intervention to enhance patient recovery after lumbar spine surgery.
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 Stephen Bruehl, PhD
Professor, Department of Anesthesiology
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Bruehl’s research program focuses on the mechanisms and treatment of chronic pain. He has been principal investigator on nine NIH-funded pain research projects, and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers. His NIH-funded work has examined the role of endogenous pain regulatory system dysfunction in chronic low back pain, the links between psychosocial factors and endogenous opioid (EO) system function, mechanisms and predictors of differential responses to opioid analgesics, mechanisms underlying links between stress and opioid misuse risk, and the biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise, mindfulness training, and spinal manipulation therapy for management of chronic back pain. His NIH funded work has also examined the role of oxidative stress mechanisms in development of postoperative chronic pain in osteoarthritis patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty, with future plans to conduct a trial of a potent antioxidant intervention in this population as a means to reduce postoperative chronic pain. Dr. Bruehl is an Associate Editor for the journal Pain and was chair of the NIH Biobehavioral Medicine Health Outcomes (BMHO) Study Section (2021-2023). Dr. Bruehl has a masters and a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kentucky.
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Keith Cole, DPT, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Dr. Cole is a Physical Therapist with an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialty and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He holds doctoral degrees in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science from the University of Iowa, and a Master of Biomedical Engineering from University of New South Wales. Dr. Cole’s research interests combine his biomedical engineering and physical therapy education by working with multidisciplinary teams to adapt emerging technology to examine the relationship between cognition, movement dysfunction, physical activity, and community participation. His current research uses dual-tasks and movement performance during instrumental activities of daily living to identify behavioral biomarkers that detect early cognition and movement dysfunction in older adults. Dr. Cole is currently funded under an NIH R21 from the National Institute for Aging.
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 Rogelio A. Coronado, PT, PhD
Research Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Research Associate Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Coronado is a collaborating investigator on several research trials examining the comparative effectiveness of behavioral interventions for improving musculoskeletal pain outcomes and postoperative recovery. He also conducts research focused on the implementation of psychosocial strategies within physical rehabilitation in patients with musculoskeletal pain. He has published 35 peer-reviewed papers and received funding as principal investigator from the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association, Cervical Spine Research Society, and Foundation for Physical Therapy. Dr. Coronado received his doctoral degree from the University of Florida and his masters in physical therapy from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
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 Leslie J. Crofford, MD
Director, Division of Rheumatology & Immunology
Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Professor of Medicine
Wilson Family Chair in Medicine
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Crofford is Wilson Family Chair in Medicine, Professor of Medicine and of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Division Chief of the Division of Rheumatology & Immunology. Her research is focused on understanding inflammation, pain, and stress as mediators of rheumatic diseases. In addition to her work in arthritis, she is an international leader in fibromyalgia research. She has maintained active research support the National Institutes of Health, Rheumatology Research Foundation, Arthritis Foundation, and industry sources throughout her career. More than 250 journal articles and book chapters have been published as a result of her research. Dr. Crofford is a past president of the American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation (now the Rheumatology Research Foundation) and the executive committee of the Board of Directors for the American College of Rheumatology. Other significant leadership positions include service on the American Board of Internal Medicine for Rheumatology and Advisory Council to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Crofford is active as a clinical Rheumatologist and has been named one of America’s Top Doctors and Best Doctors.
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 David J. Kennedy, MD
Professor and Chair, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Kennedy is a Professor and Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where his practice focuses on non-operative and interventional spine. He completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Washington in Seattle where he served as Chief Resident, and then a Spine and Sports Fellowship at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles, over 50 published abstracts, and over 20 book chapters. He has been the recipient of numerous grants, and he has won numerous awards for his research. He has given over 100 lectures at national meetings, over 50 lectures at international meetings, and numerous local presentations and invited grand rounds. He is a Deputy Editor for The Spine Journal, and on the editorial board for Pain Medicine. He is on the Board of Directors for the Spine Intervention Society. He is also on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R).
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 Cathy Maxwell, PhD, RN, FAAN
Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Dr. Cathy Maxwell's research is directed at understanding outcome trajectories of older adults after physical injury and development and implementation of interventions to facilitate patient-centered, post-injury care. Dr. Maxwell's identification of the high incidence of physical frailty among injured older adults led to a study that determined the influence of pre-injury functional status on one-year outcomes (functional decline, mortality, and readmissions). Dr. Maxwell is interested in interventions with a nursing focus to help older adults understand what is happening to their bodies as they age, so that they can make informed decisions that improve quality of life.
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 Lindsey Mckernan, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
VUMC Faculty Profile
Lindsey Colman McKernan, Ph.D., MPH has been a member of the Vanderbilt faculty and Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt since July of 2014. Dr. McKernan is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in research and treating the intersection of co-occurring chronic health conditions and mental health. Dr. McKernan currently works in the Vanderbilt Osher Center and in the Department of Urologic Surgery, researching and developing innovative psychosocial treatments for co-occurring conditions. She is currently funded by the NIH to develop a patient-centered psychosocial intervention for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
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Matthew C. Morris, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology
Dr. Morris is a clinical psychologist whose program of research is focused on early psychosocial and neuroendocrine risk and resilience factors for the development of trauma-related psychopathology and persistent pain, with a particular emphasis on racial disparities in pain outcomes. He is currently principal investigator for an NIMHD-funded longitudinal study evaluating biobehavioral and social factors associated with the transition from acute to chronic pain in non-Hispanic Black and White orthopedic injury patients, and site PI for an NIMHD-funded study evaluating social stressors and allostatic load as contributors to racial differences in the development of chronic low back pain. Dr. Morris serves as co-principal investigator on a study focused on improving care for pregnant and postpartum women with co-occurring substance use disorders and exposure to intimate partner violence. He is also a co-investigator on studies focused on improving access to evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders among adults participating in rural drug court programs (funded by HRSA) and a study that will develop and implement community- and hospital-focused interventions to prevent firearm-related violence, injury, and mortality (funded by NIMHD). Dr. Morris obtained his doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Vanderbilt University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Meharry Medical College.
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 Jeffry S. Nyman, PhD
Director, Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology
Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
VUMC Faculty Profile
The ultimate goal of my research is to lower the number of bone fractures associated with osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer, genetic diseases, and aging. Towards that end, my research team investigates ways to improve the clinical assessment of fracture risk and to identify regulators of bone toughness (lack of brittleness). Specifically, there are active projects i) to determine whether matrix-bound water and pore water, as determined by 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, can explain age- and diabetes-related decreases in bone’s resistance to fracture, ii) to identify the determinants of matrix-bound water, iii) to elucidate the mechanisms by which tissue resists impact micro-indentation, a new technique for directly assessing bone tissue quality in vivo, and iv) to develop a Raman Spectroscopy technique that provides clinical assessment of bone quality.
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 William T. Obremskey, MD, MPH, MMHC
Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Director, Division of Orthopaedic Trauma Research
Fellowship Director, Orthopedic Trauma Fellowship
VUMC Executive Medical Director of Technology Assessment and Product Acquisition
VUMC Faculty Profile
William T. Obremskey, MD, MPH, MMHC, Professor of Orthopaedics, Vice-Chair of the Department, Director Orthopaedic Trauma Research and has expertise in musculoskeletal trauma outcomes, fiscal analysis, and study design. He serves as the Chairman of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association Evidenced Based Medicine Committee. He has authored four chapters on Outcomes in orthopaedic trauma and three meta-analysis articles on orthopaedic trauma conditions as well as > 200 articles. He has served on the Steering committee of the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC) that has been awarded $70,000,000 to conduct nine prospective randomized trials for the Department of Defense. Dr. Obremskey is the principal investigator (PI) on two of these nine projects. He is currently PI on a $4.5 million grant on early weight bearing of ankle and tibia plateau fractures. He has a clinical and research interest in knee dislocations, scapula fractures and necrotizing fasciitis. He has a strong record of mentorship for orthopaedic trauma fellows, orthopaedic residents, and medical students.
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 Jacquelyn Pennings, PhD, PStat®
Research Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Research Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Pennings conducts statistical analysis and assists with research design and data management for research projects in the Department of Orthopaedics. Her research interests include the relationship between mental health factors and outcomes such as obesity, general and physical health, and health care utilization such as hospital re-admission. Specific statistical areas of expertise include structural equation modeling, factor and cluster analysis, linear and hierarchical/mixed models, and non-parametric analyses including logistic regression techniques.
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 Lori Schirle, PhD, CRNA
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Schirle’s program of research focuses on achieving effective pain management in post-discharge surgical populations while maximizing opioid safety. She is interested in genomic influences on postoperative pain, opioid use, and adverse effects. Dr. Schirle holds a doctoral degree from the University of Miami School of Nursing, a masters in nurse anesthesia from Florida International University, and has completed a post-doctoral fellowship in health services research from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Dr. Schirle is a practicing nurse anesthetist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
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 Byron Schneider, MD
Associate Professor and Director of ISMM Fellowship Program, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Director, NASS Interventional Spine & Musculoskeletal Fellowship
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Schneider is currently an assistant professor with the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Prior to this, he completed his PM&R residency and Interventional Spine Fellowship at Stanford University. Born in Canada before moving to Lexington, Kentucky in 2002, he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science and then completed medical school at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Schneider has over 40 peer-reviewed publications and text-book chapters. He has also given over 60 lectures at national and international conferences. His research primarily focuses on safety and effectiveness of interventional spine procedures. Dr. Schneider serves on many national committees, including as the vice-chair of the section on Rehabilitation, Interventional, and Medical Spine (RIMS) of the North American Spine Society.
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 Byron F. Stephens II, MD, MSCI
Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
Director, Orthopaedic Residency Program
Co-Director, Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Fellowship
Chief, Orthopaedic Spine Division
VUMC Faculty Profile
Byron Stephens, M.D., received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University. He then attended the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, where he was awarded the Faculty Medal for achieving the highest academic class rank in his graduating class. Upon completing his residency at Campbell Clinic, Dr. Stephens pursued a fellowship in spine surgery at Emory University. While Dr. Stephens enjoys taking care of all conditions of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine, he has a special clinical and research interest in complex spinal deformity and tumors. He also offers his patients minimally invasive and motion-preserving procedures, when appropriately indicated.
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 Daniel J. Stinner, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Clinical Director, VUMC Orthopaedic Research Center
Vice Chair, VUMC Military Affairs Committee
VUMC Faculty Profile
LTC Daniel Stinner, MD, PhD, is an Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeon and Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. He currently serves as the Vice Chair for the VUMC Military Affairs Committee, facilitating the growth and success of the VUMC Military-Civilian Partnership. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts, guidelines, reviews, and book chapters. He has served on the Steering committee of the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC) that has been awarded $70,000,000 to conduct prospective randomized trials for the Department of Defense. Dr. Stinner is currently the principal Investigator (PI) on a $4 million grant on Rehabilitation enhanced by Partial Arterial Inflow Restriction (Repair study). His research areas include optimization of outcomes following high energy lower extremity trauma and strategies to improve readiness and preparedness of military medical providers to provide superior care in the deployed environment.
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 Laura H. Withrow, MS
Co-Director of Sports Medicine Research, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
VUMC Faculty Profile
Mrs. Huston Withrow is currently a Senior Associate and Co-Director of Sports Medicine Research within the Department of Orthopaedics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and has been a faculty member within the department since 2005. She came from the University of Michigan with a degree in Biomedical Engineering, and was a research member within the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory and the Sports Medicine Division at UM Orthopaedics since 1990.
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Eric Bowman, MD, MPH
Sean Collins, MD, MSc
Charlene Dewey, MD, MEd, MACP
Rebecca Dickinson, PT, DPT, COMT
Parul Goyal, MD
Carlos Grijalva, MD, MPH
Gurjeet Birdee MD, MPH
Kathryn A. Hansen, ANP-BC
Gloria T. Han
Adrien "Adie" MacKenzie, LMT, CLT-LANA
Matthew F. Mart, MD, MSc
Sarah Osmundson, MD, MS
Kimberly Rengel, MD
Russell Rothman, MD MPP
Flavio Silva, PT, ScD
Amanda Stone, PhD
Susanna L. Sutherland, PhD, MS, Med
Sarah Welch, DO, MA
Ruth Q. Wolever, PhD
Rick W. Wright, MD
Karl E. Zelik, PhD, MS