Sam Ward, PT, Ph.D.

Dr. Sam Ward received Physical Therapy degree from California State University Long Beach (1997), his PhD from USC (2003) and moved to UC San Diego for a post-doctoral fellowship (2006). He is a clinician-scientist and his research program focuses on musculoskeletal design and plasticity. 

His scientific accomplishments include defining the structural features of human skeletal muscle that predict function in the extremities and spine. This work has been extended to understand normal and pathological muscle biology and physiology in the presence of joint disease. His current focus is on understanding chronic muscle atrophy and cell death in mature adults, with an emphasis on the use of stem cells and regenerative medicine approaches to treat these disease processes. His work has led to career achievement awards including the Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Marion Williams Award from the American Physical Therapy Association. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Orthopaedic Research Society, American Physical Therapy Association, and a Distinguished Alumn at the University of Southern California and California State University Long Beach. 

Sam is also an avid craftsman, photographer, and outdoorsman. His artistic work has been featured and won awards at several local and state competitions.

 

Administrative Assistant:
Lana Panetta
lpanetta@ucsd.edu

Organized Research Units promote multidisciplinary research and investigation across departments and divisions, providing a supportive infrastructure for endeavors that span diverse areas of academic interest. The Vice Chancellors for Research, Health Sciences and Marine Sciences have primary oversight of the ORUs in their respective areas. The Vice Chancellor for Research consults closely with the Executive Vice Chancellor in managing the portfolio of general campus ORUs.