Project Description
Richard K. Shields, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Dr. Shields received a bachelor’s degree in biology, a post baccalaureate degree in physical therapy (Mayo Clinic), a master’s in exercise physiology, and a PhD with emphasis in movement control (University of Iowa). Dr. Shields managed the acute spinal cord injury program at the University of Iowa for several years. He developed lines of research related to how various doses of stress impact tissue health in people with central nervous system injury. His work strives to improve the health quality of individuals who suffer from reduced activity from paralysis, obesity, injury, or age. His research has been funded for the last 20 years by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and several private foundations. Dr. Shields has published over 100 scientific papers and has delivered over 200 scientific presentations. He was the recipient of the Iowa Neurology Clinical Research Award, the APTA Neurology Section Research Excellence Award, the University of Iowa Outstanding Mentor and Teaching Award, the Mayo Clinic Outstanding Alumnus Award, the APTA Williams Research Award, the research section’s Maley Research Award, and named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow from the APTA. He is the current chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences within the Carver College of Medicine, at the University of Iowa.