Meet our Team
Abbie joined the University of Utah in 2003 after receiving her MS in Quantitative Economics from the University of Colorado. She has extensive experience overseeing operations and strategic planning, generating new research revenue, and providing financial management for the research enterprise. She is committed to fostering a welcome and supportive environment, and enjoys expanding her knowledge of PM&R research.
David has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare revenue cycle. David joined the University in 2008 as a billing specialist with University Medical Billing. Through his years of working for the University he has been able to utilize his skillsets in coding, billing and financials to help advance division and department goals. David joined our team after serving as the FDA specialist for Compliance Services Clinical Research Compliance & Education department. When not working, Dave enjoys cheering on the Utah Utes football team and spending time outdoors with his wife, daughter and grandchildren.
Erin joined the University of Utah in 2012 as a clinical research coordinator in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. From there she started working for Revenue Cycle Support Services learning project management and leading institutional and department projects including customer service, finance, and IT. Later she was able to rejoin clinical research with Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine and then the Clinical and Translation Science Institute. Erin has experience working on all varieties and sizes of projects including multi-contract industry partnerships, FDA IND's, design and start-up for investigator initiated trials, software implementations and more. Erin grew up in Indiana and obtained her bachelors from Purdue University and Masters of Public Health from Ohio State University before relocating to Utah. She enjoys cooking, traveling, and hiking all over the west with her dog Gracie.
Cooper joined the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2023 after receiving her PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology from the University of Utah. Her background in basic and translational musculoskeletal science has provided more than a decade of hands-on experience with every aspect of the research process, including study design and implementation, data interpretation, and dissemination of findings. She is excited to bring her scientific expertise to her current role as a Research Associate, working with Dr. Zachary McCormick and the PM&R research team to advance the treatment of spine and musculoskeletal pain conditions through clinical outcomes research.
Marta received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Utah. She has extensive experience with electrophysiology in both small animal and large animal models and she was an Assistant Professor in Neuroscience at Westminster College before joining the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2022. Dr. Iversen is leading collaborative grants and overseeing numerous graduate and undergraduate projects. Outside of the lab, Dr. Iversen enjoys hiking in the fall, skiing in the winter, biking in the spring, and gardening in the summer.
Jamie joined the University of Utah in 2024 after receiving an MPH with an emphasis in Epidemiology from Loyola University Chicago and a BS in Statistics from BYU. Her previous experience includes research on health disparities and mental health. In her current role as a Research Associate, she collaborates with providers in PM&R and Orthopaedics, conducting research related to sports epidemiology and sports injury prevention and intervention. Outside of work, Jamie enjoys hiking, art, spending time with family and friends, and going on walks with her dog.
Dr. Kumar joined the University of Utah in 2024 after completing 2.5 years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Dalhousie University in Canada. He holds a Ph.D. focused on prognostic risk modeling for patients having symptomatic carotid stenosis, as well as a Master’s in Cognitive Neuroscience. His research experience spans the entire continuum of stroke care, including pre-hospital, emergency room, in-hospital, and post-discharge stages. During his time at Dal, Dr. Kumar led several impactful projects aimed at evaluating pre-treatment logistics and processes, as well as access to MRI during the in-patient phase of stroke care and its impact on patient outcomes and healthcare resource utilization. He also led multi-provincial large-scale stroke epidemiology studies, evaluating health services and outcomes in terms of timeliness, effectiveness, and equity, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Kumar's current work at PM&R focuses on advancing research and interventions that enhance the quality of life (QOL) for persons with stroke. He believes that comprehensive rehabilitation, covering motor, cognitive, and psychosocial recovery are the pillars of improving long-term quality of life for persons with stroke. Dr. Kumar also advocates for an equitable and accessible patient-centered approach, while believing that empowering patients and their informal caregivers is crucial to the recovery process.
In his free time, Dr. Kumar enjoys traveling, going on walks, exploring new cafes, and learning about different cultures and history.
Jadeda is a senior clinical research coordinator within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department. She joined the University of Utah in 2017 after moving to Salt Lake City from Seattle, WA. Her research experience initially started in animal models as a lab technician but slowly transitioned to human studies as a clinical research coordinator.
Her passion for research stems from seeing studies in every phase, startup to publication, and understanding firsthand the amount of work and patience it takes to yield results.
She graduated from Claflin University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and later received her master’s in healthcare administration. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, cooking delicious new meals and exploring museums.
Heidi is a certified Clinical Research Coordinator for the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of the University of Utah. Heidi assists and coordinates the implementation, quality control and completion of research studies while assisting the Principal Investigator in determining and accomplishing study objectives. Oversees research studies in an administrative and operational capacity while maintaining compliance with guidelines set by governing agencies. Currently working with Principle Investigators in the following areas: Amputee Rehabilitation, Stroke Rehabilitation, Muscle Spasticity, Traumatic Brain Injury, Rehabilitation Psychology, Sports Medicine & Sports Sciences, Musculoskeletal/Spine Rehabilitation and Cancer Rehabilitation & Wellness. In her spare time she likes to run, bike, hike and make delicious meals, entertain and spend time with family.
Heather is the Regulatory Coordinator of Dr. Zachary McCormick’s INSPIRE team in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation division. INSPIRE’s focus is researching alternative treatments for spine, shoulder and knee pain.Heather has worked in the medical field for over 30 years, starting as a Medical Assistant before moving into clinical research. As a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator, she has worked in the clinical research field for 15 years. Previous pharmaceutical trial experience includes treatments for osteoarthritis, diabetes, hypertension, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, women’s health, men’s health and various vaccine trials including anthrax, dengue, chikungunya and COVID-19.Heather has an associate degree in Multimedia and Graphic Design. She enjoys making cold-process soap, reading, drawing, coding and playing with her grandkids.
Luke joined our team in June 2022. Luke grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and graduated from the University of Utah in the spring of 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, minoring in nutrition. Luke has held multiple roles within the University of Utah Health systems, previously working as an HCA in the Emergency Department and also as a Patient Relations Specialist at the Snowbird Medical Clinic. Luke currently works with providers in both PM&R and Orthopaedics, including Dr. Cushman, Dr. Petron, Dr. Provance, and Dr. Willick. Some of his work includes studying innovative arthritis treatments, sports epidemiology and sports injury prevention. In his free time Luke loves skiing, sending time on the lake, and camping.
Tou Xiong graduated from Brigham Young University of Idaho with a bachelor's degree in public health. Tou joined our team in August 2022 as a Study Coordinator. Tou experiences prior to this position, Tou worked as a Physical Therapy technician in Idaho for a year at Performance Therapy. Tou also worked as a phlebotomist at the University of Utah. Tou currently works with Dr. McCormick in PM&R department. Tou enjoys research, especially in finding new technique to help patients reduce their pain. When he has free time, Tou enjoys the outdoors, such as fishing, hiking, and walking. He loves playing volleyball. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, and son. Tou also has a passion in cooking and is a sushi chef.
Kathryn joined the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation research team after graduating from the University of Utah with a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Kinesiology in 2022. Kathryn worked in a physical therapy clinic for over 4 years before transitioning to research at the University and is excited to work with our providers and patients to further research. She enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her husband and family.
Holiann graduated with her bachelors in social work in 2020 from Brigham Young Univeristy in Idaho. She worked as an ABA Behavioral Technician before joining the team in 2023. Her goals are to pursue a Masters in a related field in the near future.
Jacob joined the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department research team in April 2023. After working the previous two year as a medical assistant with the department at the University of Utah Orthopaedic Center, Jacob transitioned into his current role as a study coordinator. Jacob grew up in Wyoming and later graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor’s degree in Physiology in the spring of 2020. He is excited to work together with our providers, patients, and the rest of the research team on our interesting and innovative projects. In his free time Jacob enjoys time in the outdoors, playing sports, watching movies, learning about animals and nature, and spending time with family and friends.
Ella graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health: Epidemiology in 2023, and hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Health in the future. After working in Clinical Data Management, Ella came to work as a Clinical Study Coordinator at the University of Utah. She is passionate about using evidence based research to pursue treatments for difficult diagnoses, and is excited to work with the patients and talented providers in PM&R. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, crocheting, and camping.
Napatpaphan Kanjanapanang joined the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as a research fellow in March of 2024. Kanjanapanang comes to Utah from Bangkok, Thailand, where she served as a consultant physiatrist and lecturer at Mahidol University for over six years. While at Mahidol University, she also served as the Foreign Affairs Assistant to the President of The Royal College of Physiatrists of Thailand. Outside of her time in Bangkok, Kanjanapanang completed a clinical fellowship in chronic pain management at the University of Toronto during 2022. Kanjanapanang graduated from Mahidol University, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital with a medical degree and first-class honors.
Hasan graduated from Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey in 2023 and joined the PM&R Research team in August. Hasan collaborates closely with Dr. McCormick and the other interventional spine and pain providers to oversee research enrollment and ensure the continuation of ongoing studies. Additionally, he involved in manuscript preparation for peer-reviewed publications to refine and enhance the quality of the teams research output. He is passionate about innovating clinical research to enhance and refine patient outcomes.
Rukmini Mantripragada graduated from NTR University of Health Sciences with a bachelor's in physical medicine and Rehabilitation. She worked as a physical therapist in Hyderabad, India, before moving to the U.S. For five years, she was a Study Coordinator and Research Data Coordinator at Huntsman Cancer Institute, specializing in melanoma, thoracic, and head and neck research. She is currently a regulatory and quality control coordinator in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. In her free time, Rukmini enjoys running, cross-fit, crocheting, and playing with her daughter and dog.