Professor
Director, National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center
PM&R Vice Chair of Research
Co-director, Center for Engagement in Disability Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (CEDHARS)
Areas of Interest
Spinal Cord Injury
Biography
Yuying Chen, M.D., Ph.D. was named University Professor in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Chen is Vice Chair of Research, Co-Director of the UAB Center for Engagement in Disability Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Associate Director of the NIH-funded Disability Health Promotion Research Center. An internationally recognized leader in spinal cord injury research and rehabilitation medicine, Chen has devoted more than two decades to advancing outcomes and quality of life for individuals living with disabilities.
Chen currently serves as Director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, on the HSOM Faculty Councils, and as a core scientist for several major UAB research centers, including the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Within her department, she chairs both the Research Faculty Search Committee and the Resident Research Oversight Committee.
Her scholarly portfolio includes more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, seven books or book chapters, and more than 17 million research funding as principal investigator. Chen’s research and leadership have earned national recognition, including the 2023 Margaret Nosek Award from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) and the Most Cited Original Research Article Award from the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation journal. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) and is an elected Fellow of both ASIA and ACRM.
Beyond her research accomplishments, Chen is recognized as a dedicated mentor and educator who has guided postdoctoral fellows, residents, medical students, visiting scholars, and junior faculty members toward successful academic careers.
Education & Training
M.D., Chung Shan Medical University, Taiwan
Ph.D., Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
MPH, Yale University