Directory

Dr. Pierce Boyne, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise Science and Nutrition Sciences. He earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Cincinnati in 2010, Neurologic Clinical Specialist certification from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties in 2013 and his PhD in Epidemiology in 2017, examining aerobic exercise testing and training for people who have had a stroke. His current research aims to understand how the brain contributes to walking capacity, how that control is affected by brain injuries like stroke and how to best intervene to facilitate walking recovery. This work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, and other organizations. Dr. Boyne also co-directs the interdisciplinary UC Neurorecovery Laboratory and the PhD Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at UC.

Michael Riley studies human perceptual-motor behavior from the perspectives of complexity science and ecological psychology with a focus on applications to rehabilitation and human performance. He has taught many undergraduate and graduate courses including Research Methods in Perception & Action, Motor Control & Human Performance, Movement Science II, and Control and Coordination of Action. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command.

Sarah Schwab, PT, DPT, PhD (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise, and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. She earned her DPT from the University of Cincinnati in 2018, MA in Experimental Psychology in 2020, and PhD in Experimental Psychology in 2022, studying the influence of physical therapist assistance on the motor control patterns of individuals with chronic stroke. Sarah’s current research examines the impact of contextual factors (environmental and personal factors) on the motor control of individuals with neuromotor disabilities. Sarah’s research has been funded by the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research and the Ohio Physical Therapy Association.

Seung-Yeon Lee is an Associate Professor at the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise, and Nutrition Sciences.  She obtained her PhD in Human Nutrition at Michigan State University (MSU) and completed her post-doctoral training at MSU.  She started her faculty position at the University of Cincinnati in 2008.  She teaches two undergraduate courses (Advanced Nutrition I and Community Nutrition) and two graduate course (Nutrition Education for Behavior Change and Research Methods in Topics in Nutrition).  She has breadth and depth of experience in behavioral nutrition research, including nutrition education intervention program development nutrition and evaluation using mixed methods. Her research interests include food insecurity, health disparity, and health promotion and disease management via community-based nutrition intervention targeting underserved populations, particularly food pantry clients. In addition, she serves as the faculty advisor of UC Nutri-Ed, a student organization, which provides nutrition classes to food pantry clients. Furthermore, she has been actively involved in the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior and Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.  She served as the 2016-2017Chair for International Nutrition Education division and editorial boards of the journal between 2011 and 2017.

Laurie Nommsen-Rivers (she/her), PhD, RD, IBCLC, is an Associate Professor of Nutrition, and the Ruth Rosevear Endowed Chair of Maternal and Child Nutrition, at the University of Cincinnati. Laurie is a Registered Dietitian (RD) since 1990 and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) since 1993. She served as the Associate Editor of the Journal of Human Lactation from 1997- 2006. After receiving her master’s degree in Nutrition from the University of California Davis, she spent 18 years working with hundreds of parents and their infants as a senior research associate at UC Davis.  Motivated by a desire to accelerate the evidence base for improving clinical lactation practice, Laurie returned to the University of California in 2004 to obtain a PhD in epidemiology. Between 2009 and 2016 Laurie was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Laurie has co-authored over 100 research publications related to the breastfeeding dyad with a focus on barriers that impede lactation success. Her current work focuses on physiologic factors that influence milk production during lactation. She has also served on expert committees for the USDA, NIH, and National Academies of Sciences, toward the improvement of the health and clinical management of the lactating parent-infant dyad. 

For an up-to-date summary of scholarly works, go to:
Google Scholar or Research Gate

I am a professor and registered dietitian in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Medical Center and have over 20 years of experience in performing observational and randomized controlled trials related to dietary approaches to manage cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in youth.  My training has included extensive work in dietary intervention development and dietary assessment at Columbia University, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and presently at UC.  I have worked on several studies developing instruments to assess the home food environment as a potential modifiable risk factor related to childhood obesity and CVD risk. For example, I participated as co-investigator on the Neighborhood Impact on Kids study (NIH R01 ES014240) to examine the relationship between the neighborhood social and physical environment on child weight status, a major risk factor for CVD.  I also recently completed a randomized clinical trial (NIH R01 HL088567-01) to examine the effects of a dietary pattern emphasizing fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy and lean protein on reducing blood pressure in adolescents with pre-hypertension and hypertension.  The DASH-4-teens intervention that I developed for this trial was designed to be administered by telephone to adolescents, and has been successfully implemented in a clinic-based setting.  Results from this study support beneficial effects of this behavioral nutrition intervention on blood pressure and vascular function.  In additional to reseach, I teach graduate classes in macronutrient metabolism, clinical nutrition and nutrition across the lifespan.

Vicki McQuiddy has been a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati since 2018. She has been the Occupational Therapy Program Director since 2021. Vicki's content expertise is in pediatrics, with additional training and certifications in the area of sensory processing and integration. She worked at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in the outpatient setting full time from 2004-2018; she continues to evaluate and treat clients one day per week at Cincinnati Children's. When working full time at Cincinnati Children's, Vicki was also a self-management trainer who focused on coaching and partnering with children and families to provide family-centered care. Vicki completed a research residency for her PhD at the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder and received her certification to administer the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test through Western Psychological Services. Vicki is currently a regional coordinator for data collection for the Sensory Processing in 3-Dimensions assessment, which is a new performance-based measure to better identify and categorize the types of sensory challenges a person is experiencing. Vicki has developed and teaches a variety of courses within the OT program at UC including Occupational Therapy Theory and Process, Pediatric Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention, OT Group Process and Intervention, Research in Occupational Therapy, etc. She is passionate about advancing research and practice in occupational therapy. 

Kari Dunning, PT, PhD is Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Cincinnati College of Allied Health Sciences. She has a MS in Neuroscience, a PhD in epidemiology and has been a physical therapist for 30 years, specializing in neurological diagnoses. In addition to teaching evidence based practice, research and neurological rehabilitation, she has, in the past 5 years, presented an average of 10 national/international abstracts per year and more than 40 scientific educational seminars. Dr. Dunning has been conducting research for over 20 years including 7 years as Director of Clinical Research at a local hospital. She has been involved in over 30 research studies funded by a variety of agencies including National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private industry, publishing over 50 peer reviewed articles including results from a recent multi-site trial investigating electrical stimulation for gait after stroke. Dr. Dunning is the recipient of a previous four-year American Heart Association Scientist Development Award and was PI of a Majistro Family Foundation Research Grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy.

Dr. Chris Allen, PT, DPT, DSc is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise Science and Nutritional Sciences. He earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy from Baylor University. He is board certified clinical specialist in orthopedics by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. He joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati in 2019 after 20 years as an active-duty military physical therapist.