Primary Faculty

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D.J. Kennedy, M.D. is a Professor and the Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where his practice focuses on non-operative and interventional pain medicine. 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 (now Shirley Ryan Ability Lab).

His research has focused on the safety and efficacy of interventional procedures. He has pioneered safe injection techniques and is an internationally recognized expert in interventional spine procedures. He has been the recipient of numerous research grants, and has published over 100 journal articles, over 80 published abstracts, and over 20 book chapters. As a spine researcher, he has had publications in the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). He has also won multiple research awards from The Spine Journal, the Spine Intervention Society (SIS), and the North American Spine Society (NASS).

Additionally, he is a renowned lecturer and teacher who has given over 100 lectures at national meetings, over 50 lectures at international meetings, and numerous local presentations and invited grand rounds. He has also won multiple teaching awards, including teacher of the year from Stanford University and the University of Florida. He is currently a Deputy Editor for The Spine Journal and a Senior Editor for Interventional Pain Medicine. He is on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) where he serves as the President Elect. He is also the current President for the Spine Intervention Society and a member of the NASS Board of Directors as the chair the Clinical Guidelines Committee.

William Sullivan, MD received his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and completed residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) from Northwestern University / Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University and Service Chief of PM&R at Nashville VA/Tennessee Valley Health Care System. Prior to that, he served as PM&R Fellowship director and Musculoskeletal Block Director for the University of Colorado School of Medicine. 

His time in Colorado included appointments at University of Colorado Hospital Spine Center and Denver/Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center.  He was Assistant Professor from 2004-2007, and Associate Professor from 2007-2019 at University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.  He has been elected as President of the North American Spine Society (NASS) for 2019-2020. 

He has served as Coding Committee Co-Chair and NASS Advisor to the AMA/RUC committee as well as member of the Nominating Committee and Membership Committee. He was also Co-Chair of the Medical program for the Emerging Technology Spine Education Summit for 10 years.  He enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including snowboarding, cycling, wake surfing, waterskiing, hiking, camping and rock climbing.

Jeff Johns, M.D. is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he also serves as Medical Director of Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital and Executive Medical Director of the Physiatry, Pain and Rehabilitation Patient Care Center.  He is Board Certified in PM&R as well as Spinal Cord Injury Medicine.  He completed his residency in PM&R at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he also served as Chief Resident. 

His clinical interests in addition to spinal cord injury medicine include the rehabilitation of individuals following brain injury, stroke, neurologic disorders, amputations, multiple traumas, and burns.  He is very involved as a national leader in PM&R and currently serves as Vice Chair the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s Board of Directors.  He also served as the President of the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals from 2017-2019.

Dr. Johns is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, the Panel Chair for the Paralyzed Veterans of America and Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction in Adults after Spinal Cord Injury.  He was also an Associate Editor for the sixth edition of Braddom’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, one of the primary textbooks in PM&R.

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Dr. Gurjeet Birdee is an Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University, where he also serves as the Director the of the OSHA Center for Integrative Health at Vanderbilt. Dr. Birdee completed his undergraduate degree and medical degree at University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. He then completed his Internal Medicine residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital at the University of Miami in Florida. Dr. Birdee completed a fellowship in Academic and Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School while obtaining a Master’s in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and is also a certified Yoga Therapist.

For over 10 years, Dr. Birdee performed research on integrative medicine and mind-body therapies supported by the National Institutes of Health at Harvard Medical School and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He formerly served as the Research director at the Osher Center at Vanderbilt. Dr. Birdee has a strong interest in preventative medicine and use of integrative medicine for management of chronic disease. He is also the founder and CEO of Mind-body Evolution, a company focused on creating and leveraging new technologies to deliver traditional mind-body practices. 

Ruth Q. Wolever, PhD, NBC-HWC is a Professor (Clinician Educator Track) of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with secondary appointments in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She leads the Vanderbilt Health Coaching Certificate Program. Ruth is also the Chief Science Advisor and a subject matter expert for eMindful.

Ruth is a nationally-board certified health and wellness coach (NBC-HWC) and a clinical health psychologist. She has over 25 years’ experience training and mentoring medical and allied health professionals in behavioral medicine, emotional health and coaching. She also has over 25 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating behavior change programs for medical patients and those at risk for chronic disease. Ruth is internationally recognized for her expertise on Health and Wellness Coaching, is a founding member of the National Consortium for Credentialing Health and Wellness Coaches and served as the inaugural President of the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching from Jan 2016 - Feb 2019 (formerly named the International Consortium for Health and Wellness Coaching). 

In addition to her focus on training, Ruth studies integrative health coaching and mindfulness-based approaches to self-regulation and lifestyle change for those with, or at elevated risk for, diabetes, heart disease, insomnia, tinnitus, chronic pain and other stress-related disorders. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NCCAM – now NCCIH, Office of Women’s Health, NHLBI, NIDCD, and NIDDK), United States Air Force, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, industry, and philanthropy. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Ruth was the Founding Research Director for Duke Integrative Medicine and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke School of Medicine.  

Ruth has co-authored over 80 articles and academic chapters, and collaboratively given over 260 peer-reviewed or invited presentations. She also co-authored The Mindful Diet, released in 2015 by Simon & Schuster. Ruth has served as an expert consultant in emotional health and behavior change for Everyday Health, for GlaxoSmithKline, for Nurtur (a fully owned subsidiary of Centene), for the Samueli Institute, for Nokia, and for clinics on better integrating behavioral health into primary care models. She is particularly interested in the intersection of mindfulness, inter-professional training, and behavior change.

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Gerasimos Bastas, MD, PhD is an assistant professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and serves as the Director of Limb Loss Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

He completed his residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received the Resident Educator Teaching Award. His clinical responsibilities include the coordination and direct care of patients, in an interdisciplinary service-line continuum, relating to issues of limb loss/difference and prosthetic restoration/enablement. He is involved in teaching PM&R residents, medical students, and inter-departmental education across the health system.

He has been invited to speak regionally and nationally on topics relating to the medical care of patients with limb loss, and the ethics of medical decision-making surrounding amputation surgery. His research focuses on the longitudinal evaluation of lower limb prosthetic enablement, and the medical care of people with limb loss.

He served as the Inaugural Chair of the Limb Restoration Rehabilitation Group (LRRG) within the American Congress for Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), having championed the creation of an interdisciplinary educational and research action space for all rehabilitation professionals working to ensure the medical care, wellbeing, and prosthetic enablement of people with limb loss/difference.

Kevin M. Berry, MD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Born outside of Scranton, PA, he attended The University of Scranton for college and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science. Dr. Berry completed medical school at the Pennsylvania State University in Hershey, PA, internship at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY, and residency at Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School/Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey.

Dr. Berry is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and works at Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital treating patients with traumatic injuries including brain injuries and orthopedic injuries. His main academic focus is medical education of residents and medical students, and he has been awarded the Resident as Teacher award during residency and Teacher of the Year award from the Vanderbilt PM&R Residency.

Heidi Chen, M.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) specializing in musculoskeletal and spine conditions. She completed residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at New York Presbyterian-Columbia and Cornell. She subsequently completed a North American Spine Society accredited interventional spine and musculoskeletal medicine fellowship at OSS in York, PA. 

Dr. Chen understands the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to any neuromusculoskeletal or spine-related problem including physical therapy, occupational therapy, exercise, nutrition, lifestyle modifications, and targeted interventional procedures. Her fellowship training affords her the expertise to provide non-operative spine care including fluoroscopic and ultrasound guided procedures, electrodiagnostic evaluations, minimally invasive pain management, and regenerative options to treat a variety of spine and musculoskeletal disorders. She enjoys working with patients to build a comprehensive care plan to address their specific needs and goals. 

She is also passionate about medical education, global health, lifestyle, and longevity medicine. 

Paula Donahue, PT, DPT, MBA, CLT-LANA is a Research Associate Professor and Physical Therapist IV in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  She engages in clinical research and provides clinical care at the Vanderbilt Dayani Center for Health and Wellness. She received her training at Duke University (BS), Northwestern University Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences (DPT), The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School (MBA), and The Academy of Lymphatic Studies (CLT).  She has additional lymphatic certification from the Lymphology Association of North America (LANA). Her primary research interests are in the areas of lymphedema, lipedema, and cancer rehabilitation. 

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Dr. Ashley Eaves is an Assistant Professor of Clinical in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and the Department of Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, specializing in Pain Medicine.

This Iowa native earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, received a Masters in Medical Science from Boston University, and graduated with her medical degree from Tulane University in New Orleans. She completed her residency in PM&R at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she also served as President of the Network of Underrepresented Residents and Fellows in her final year there. She went on to complete a Comprehensive Pain and Spine Medicine Fellowship at Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Eaves enjoys collaborating with patients to develop a treatment plan to improve their function and quality of life. She is passionate about improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in patient care, medical education and training, and community engagement.

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Dr. Barton Huddleston is an Assistant Professor of Clinical in the Department Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is a graduate of Baylor University and University of Tennessee Medical School. He has served as a teaching physician at the Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital, and now is the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Physical Medicine and Rehab Acute Care Consultant.

Dr. Huddleston’s clinical interests include establishing the specialty of PM&R in the tertiary care, level I trauma hospital setting, and creating clinical pathways integrating PM&R into the acute care continuum. Additionally, his interests include enhancing clinical treatment options through provision of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound evaluations and injections in the acute care and rehab hospital setting. Over the past 8 years, Dr. Huddleston has provided Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in-office injection education to clinical practices across the United States. His research interests include efforts to establish benefit of integrative, functional medicine concepts within the clinical setting of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Huddleston has been recognized by several organizations for patient satisfaction that include Pres Ganey, Health Texas Provider Network, Baylor Healthcare System, and Dallas’ D Magazine. He has served on the Medical Director Advisory Council with HCA, and as Medical Representative for the Dallas Sports Marketing Committee. He has served as Event Medical Director for the United States Triathlon Association, for NCAA Women’s Basketball, and for the United States Gymnastics Association. He was also selected as the treating physician for Cirque du Soleil in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Huddleston is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and in Pain Medicine.

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Dr. Jacob Jeffers, MD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  He is board-certified in PM&R and specializes in brain injury medicine. His clinical interests include providing comprehensive care for patients with traumatic/acquired brain injuries, spasticity management, and neuropharmacology.

Dr. Jeffers graduated with distinction from the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Following medical school, he completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado and fellowship in Brain Injury Medicine at UTHealth McGovern Medical School/TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, Texas.

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Dr. William Mosi Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) where his practice focuses on sports medicine, musculoskeletal medicine, and peripheral nerve injuries.  Dr. Jones uses electrodiagnostic testing (EMG/ nerve conduction studies) and ultrasound-guided procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. Dr. Jones has a special interest in chronic tendinopathies, peripheral nerve injuries, osteoarthritis, and regenerative medicine, including platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections. 

Dr. Jones completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard University and received his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine; he then completed his residency in PM&R at the Emory University which was followed by a sports medicine fellowship at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham under the tutelage of Drs. James Andrews, Tracy Ray, and Lawrence Lemak. Prior to joining VUMC, Dr. Jones served as the head team physician for the Indy Eleven (USL Soccer) and as one of the head team physicians for the University of Indianapolis (NCAA Division II). 

Dr. Jones holds board certifications in physical medicine and rehabilitation, sports medicine, and electrodiagnostic medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM). On a national level, Dr. Jones serves on the Inclusion and Engagement Committee for the AAPM&R. 

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Cristina Kline-Quiroz, DO is an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Kline-Quiroz holds Board Certification in Cancer Rehabilitation. She completed her residency in PM&R at Rutgers – New Jersey Medical School/Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation where she served as Academic Chief Resident followed by a fellowship in Cancer Rehabilitation at MedStar Georgetown University/ National Rehabilitation Hospital.

Dr. Kline-Quiroz is the only fellowship trained cancer rehabilitation physiatrist in the state of Tennessee. She is originally from Indiana and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame prior to attending medical school at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She enjoys collaborating in the interdisciplinary care of cancer survivors throughout the continuum of their care from time of diagnosis and throughout their survivorship. She has a broad range of clinical interests in optimizing the function and quality of life of cancer survivors.

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Caroline Lassen-Greene, PhD, is an Assistant  Professor in the Department of Physical, Medicine and Rehabilitation.  Her educational background is in clinical psychology with an emphasis in health and rehabilitation psychology. Dr. Lassen-Greene's primary interest is in cognitive rehabilitation, adjustment to chronic health conditions, and quality of life in patients and caregivers. Prior to her current position, she earned her bachelor's and master’s degree in neuroscience at Tulane University. She completed her doctorate at University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she was engaged in research with the UAB Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility.  Most recently, she completed a clinical internship with the Vanderbilt-VA Consortium in Professional Psychology.

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Vartgez Mansourian, M.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He also serves as the Medical Director of the Stroke Rehabilitation Program at Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital. He is triple board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Medicine, and Pain Medicine. He graduated from Medical College of Georgia and completed his internship at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. He then completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Temple University Hospital/Moss Rehab Center in Philadelphia.

Dr. Mansourian began his private practice in 1992 in South Florida. The scope of his practice included inpatient and outpatient services in general rehabilitation, musculoskeletal, stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and limb loss rehabilitation. His outpatient services included pain medicine with interventional procedures, electrodiagnostic, prosthetics, and orthotics. Additionally, he was Medical Director of the outpatient stroke program and chief of staff at Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital. While in private practice, he volunteered as an advisor for the Post-Polio Society in Florida. He has been recognized by Castle Connolly Top Doctors as a top physician in his specialty for 10 years in Florida and for the past 5 years in Tennessee. Additionally, he was nominated for the Frist Humanitarian Award in Tennessee in 2013. His publications include a chapter in the Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Fourth Edition by Walter R. Frontera, M.D. titled “Stroke in Young Adults.”

Dr. Mansourian’s current research interest is determining the prevalence and role of vitamin deficiency, specifically B1, in the inpatient stroke population. His priority is to encourage and counsel patients to choose a healthier lifestyle to prevent future strokes. His passion is to improve the current treatment and prevention of stroke through innovative rehabilitation techniques. Dr. Mansourian enjoys educating residents, medical students, and health care providers through his one-on-one teaching, grand rounds, public speaking, and poster presentations.

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Elizabeth Martin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of  Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Martin is the Medical Director for Pediatric Rehabilitation at the Monroe Carrell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. She is board certified in both Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Martin completed a master’s degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health before completing her medical degree and a master’s in public health at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. She trained in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Stanford and in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington.

Dr. Martin has been involved in national leadership as a resident and fellow physician in organizations including the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Association of Academic Physiatrists and is also a member of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine.

Dr. Martin’s research interests include improving rehabilitation outcomes and quality of life for children with special healthcare needs. Prior to practicing medicine, she worked on the development of an international registry for children and adults with Osteogenesis Imperfecta with the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation. She has a broad range of clinical interests including early diagnosis and intervention for children with cerebral palsy, spasticity and tone management, gait analysis and orthotic prescription, and rehabilitation for children with neuromuscular diseases.

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Lauren Massey, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Clinical in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, specializing in the care of patients with Spinal Cord Injury and Spinal Cord Disorders (SCI/D). Dr. Massey graduated medical school from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia, Missouri. She completed her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center followed by a Fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.

Dr. Massey’s clinical interests include providing comprehensive care for patients with paraplegia and tetraplegia, spasticity management and Neurorehabilitation. She is passionate about education, mentorship, and quality improvement with a special interest in enhancing education of medical staff in the management of patients with acute spinal cord injury.

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Brittany Mays, MD is an Assistant Professor inthe Department of  Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation with a secondary appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology. Dr. Mays specializes in headache medicine and mild traumatic brain injury, with an interest in post-traumatic headache. She completed her residency training in PM&R at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System where she was elected and served as Chief Resident for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Following residency, Dr. Mays completed her United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) Headache Medicine fellowship at Mass General Brigham/Harvard, where she was the first physiatry-trained headache medicine fellow in program history. Dr. Mays is actively involved in the American Headache Society (AHS) and the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R). Dr. Mays enjoys utilizing a multidisciplinary approach to headache medicine, with a special interest in utilizing integrative modalities.

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Mary “Elise” McClanahan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation  at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Monroe Carrell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. She practices Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, and is board certified in both Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. McClanahan completed her undergraduate education at Auburn University and her medical education at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. She trained in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Carolinas Rehabilitation and in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Dr. McClanahan is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the Association of Academic Physiatrists, the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. She has spent time volunteering with Special Olympics MedFest programs and has served as a Director and Medical Director for past events.  Dr. McClanahan also has a strong interest in medical ethics and served on the Bioethics committees at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and at Norton Children’s Hospital.

Dr. McClanahan’s research interests include advancing the measurement of rehabilitation outcomes and optimizing management of spasticity. She has a broad range of clinical interests including treatment of children with cerebral palsy throughout childhood and adolescence, management of spasticity and other disorders of muscle tone, improvement of musculoskeletal function, and inpatient rehabilitation for children with a wide variety of functional impairments.

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Clausyl “CJ” Plummer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation  at Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital. He practices brain injury medicine, with a clinical interest in spasticity management, lifestyle medicine, and community reintegration for the full spectrum of patients who have sustained traumatic/acquired brain injuries. Dr. Plummer completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at University of Texas Health in San Antonio, Texas where he served as administrative chief resident. He then completed his fellowship in Brain injury medicine at University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.

Dr. Plummer’s area of interest in research is in Return to Learn protocol in concussion management and he was the recipient of the inaugural Richard Adler Attorney at Law and Adler Giersch Law Firm endowed research fund for Traumatic Brain Injury Research in Seattle, Washington.

Dr. Plummer is passionate about education, mentorship, and outreach and has served in various leadership roles. He has also been involved in both the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) and the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP), where he served as the first ever resident/fellow committee social media ambassador for AAP.

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Stephen Schaaf, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he practices musculoskeletal medicine that includes sports and spine patients, with a clinical focus on musculoskeletal ultrasound. Dr. Schaaf completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and fellowship in Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Dr. Schaaf’s area of research interests includes tendinopathies, musculoskeletal ultrasound, and genetic biomarkers in the management of musculoskeletal conditions. He is passionate about academic education and mentorship. He is involved in both the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM).

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Dr. Schneider is an Associate Professor in 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 and vice-chair of the Spine Intervention Society Research Division.  He is also the director of the PM&R Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Fellowship.  

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Elizabeth Walsh, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Walsh is a licensed psychologist who practices clinical health psychology at The Osher Center for Integrative Health, where she also serves as the Director of Education and Director of Health Psychology. Dr. Walsh received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, where she received extensive training in integrated healthcare and motivational interviewing. She completed her doctoral internship in clinical psychology at Aurora Mental Health Center in Aurora, CO, and her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Walsh specializes in treating adolescents and adults with chronic medical conditions and has a special interest in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). In addition to foundational practice in cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal process therapy, she has training in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), mindfulness-based therapies, and clinical hypnosis. She enjoys both individual and group therapy and appreciates collaborating with colleagues in other disciplines. In addition to clinical work, Dr. Walsh oversees and supervises the Osher Center’s health psychology training programs, which include postdoctoral fellowship, doctoral internship, and master’s counseling internships.

Susanna Sutherland, PhD, MS, MEd  is an Assistant Professor Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Sutherland is a clinical research psychologist at The Osher Center for Integrative Health. Dr. Sutherland received her PhD in Psychological Science from Vanderbilt University, where she received extensive clinical training in cognitive behavioral therapies for mood disorders and research training in examining the transmission of psychopathology from parents to offspring. She completed her doctoral internship at The Osher Center, focusing on integrative intervention and the study of female pain disorders. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Women’s Mental Health at Atrius Health in Boston, Massachusetts, focusing on perinatal psychology and the intersection between behavioral health and women’s healthcare. 

 Dr. Sutherland’s current program of research is oriented towards enhancing the implementation of established cognitive-behavioral interventions for women’s health needs, with the primary objective of augmenting feasibility and accessibility, with a personal passion and professional experience in both maternal psychological well-being and health outcomes.  

Dr. Welch is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a Nashville VA Quality Scholar Fellow, a Vanderbilt MPH candidate, and a member of the Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program. She graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Biology and a Minor in Technical Writing. She then went on to work in regulatory management of clinical trials while receiving her M.A. in Clinical Investigation at Boston University. During medical school, Dr. Welch was awarded funding from the American Federation for Aging Research to study geriatric mobility decline and falls at Harvard Medical School. She completed residency in PM&R at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Welch’s clinical work is now focused on rehabilitation consulting in Vanderbilt contracted skilled nursing facilities for patients with rehabilitation and long-term care needs. Dr. Welch’s research interests lie in geriatric rehabilitative care as it applies to acute care, post-acute care, and transitions of care. She is passionate about delivering evidence-based practices to older adults and evaluating interventions that improve processes and patient outcomes.

Outside of work, Dr. Welch enjoys running, rollerblading, paddle boarding, biking, cooking, reading, podcasts, dogs, and being around friends and family.

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Aaron Yang M.D. is an Associate Professor in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where his practice focuses on musculoskeletal and spine conditions. He is interested in diagnosis and treatment of these conditions using electrodiagnostic, fluoroscopic, and ultrasound guided procedures.

Dr. Yang completed his residency in PM&R at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago/Northwestern University followed by a pain medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado. Currently, his research focuses on low back pain prevention with use of wearable technology in which he is collaborating with the department of engineering at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Yang has published and presented over 50 peer reviewed publications and national lectures. He has also lectured at numerous local establishments and grand rounds.

One of Dr. Yang’s main passions is medical education as he currently serves as the Associate Program Director for the PM&R residency program and Course Director for medical student rotations. Nationally, he is currently on the Education Committee for the Spine Intervention Society (SIS), International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM), and Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) and is on the Program Planning Committee and the chair of the Spine Medicine Member Community for the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R).

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Chong-Bin Zhu is an Associate Professor of Clinical in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a practitioner of Traditional Acupuncture/Chinese Medicine at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. He is also a neuroscientist and pharmacologist, serving as a research faculty member at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Chong-Bin is experienced in the treatment of chronic pain as well as many other conditions. His approach to patients is to focus on the whole self - mind, body and spirit. Trained in integrative Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and western medicine, Chong-Bin graduated with a Medical Degree from Anhui College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in China. In addition, he received his Ph.D. in acupuncture and neuroscience at Fudan University Medical Center. In his career, Chong-Bin has studied the effect and mechanisms of acupuncture, and has authored over 30 published articles. Chong-Bin has practiced acupuncture in Nashville since 2001.

Kristen Hartley is a board-certified Nurse Practitioner (NP-C) with the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. She earned her undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University (2007) and Master of Science in Nursing degree from Vanderbilt University (2012). Ms. Hartley previously worked as a registered nurse on Vanderbilt’s surgical step-down unit where she frequently assisted with staff education, orientation of new nursing staff, and was named Nurse of the Year (2010). She joined the PM&R department in 2016 where she medically evaluates inpatients with rehabilitation needs. 

Ms. Hartley enjoys spending time with her husband, four children, and two Sheepadoodles. She also enjoys serving in the children’s ministry at Long Hollow

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Holly Kniery is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) and Assistant faculty member with the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. She earned both her BSN (2007) and MSN (2012) from Belmont University in Nashville.

Ms. Kniery began working at Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital (VSRH) in 2003 as a certified nursing assistant while earning her nursing degree and became a Registered Nurse at VSRH in 2008. She obtained her designation as Certified Rehab Registered Nurse (CRRN) in 2010 and was the lead RN on the spinal cord injury (SCI) task force for several years.

Ms. Kniery has a strong interest in the rehabilitation and ongoing care of patients with SCI. She joined the PM&R department in 2013 and is involved in a variety of roles including inpatient work at VSRH, PM&R consultations at Vanderbilt Medical Center, and providing care through the PM&R outpatient clinic. She is married to her high-school sweetheart and has 2 young sons. She enjoys photography, outdoor activities, and boating.