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Gregory D. Myer, PhD, FACSM, CSCS*D

SPARC Division Director, Professor, Department of Orthopaedics

Gregory D. Myer, PhD, FACSM, CSCS*D

SPARC Division Director, Professor, Department of Orthopaedics

Gregory D. Myer, PhD, FACSM, CSCS*D brings over two decades of experience to lead the activities at Emory Sports Performance And Research Center (SPARC) located at the Atlanta Falcons Flowery Branch headquarters. Dr. Myer previously supported the founding of and directed The SPORT Center and The Human Performance Laboratory in the Division of Sports Medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Myer has published over 480 medical manuscripts (h-Index Scopus: 92; Google Scholar: 123; Total Citations:>62,000) is recognized as an international leader in the field of athletic injury biomechanics, injury prevention clinical trials and human performance neuroscience. Dr. Myer is commonly an invited expert speaker to the national and international symposia. He has received numerous awards for his team’s excellence in research and is certified with Distinction and is a recent recipient of the William J. Kraemer Outstanding Sport Scientist Award by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. In past year Dr. Myer was recognized for the Hugh C. McLeod, III, M.D. Award of Excellence from the Arthritis Foundation and the Bart Mann Award for the Advancement of Sports Medicine Research from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Dr. Myer is currently a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and was the recipient of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Outstanding Alumnus Award and Franklin College Distinguished Alumni Award as a doctoral- and undergraduate-degree recipient, respectively. Dr. Myer is serving or has served as an investigator on several multi-million dollar federal and industry-sponsored grants in support of knee injury/concussion prevention and exercise training for performance, injury prevention, rehabilitation and health research. From a standpoint of moving the field forward with injury prevention, rehabilitation and sport performance science in the young athlete, Dr. Myer’s scientific impact is highlighted by his efforts to translate scientific discovery into innovative clinically viable tools that can be widely disseminated and benefit targeted populations. Along these lines, Dr. Myer and his team have invented aNMT (patented-augmented neuromuscular training; pronounced “animate”), a self-guided interactive biofeedback technology for improving rehabilitation and preventing injuries. aNMT biofeedback is created and driven from a user’s own real-time biomechanical (movement) data, which “animate” an interactive object that will support personalized tele-medicine of the future. The biofeedback system was awarded the Innovations funding and Third Frontier Innovation Creative Opportunity funding and has been designated as a top medical innovation targeted for commercialization accelerator programs. In line with innovations that are focused to ‘make a difference,’ Dr. Myer has led investigations into strategies to best prevent brain injury in response to head impact exposure in sports. Specifically, he has led clinical trials that supported FDA clearance for an innovative medical device designed to prevent brain injury from sports related head impact and avert these and other negative outcomes. Building upon these achievements, Dr. Myer is uniquely positioned to lead the state-of-the-art Emory Sports Performance And Research Center (SPARC) located at the Atlanta Falcons football headquarters that will serve as the nation’s leading center for research advancements and dissemination of injury prevention, rehabilitation and sport performance in young athletes.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:Greg.Myer@Emory.edu

Jed A. Diekfuss, PhD

Assistant Professor

Jed A. Diekfuss, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Diekfuss provides unique interdisciplinary expertise that will accelerate SPARC as the premier center for injury prevention in youth athletes. Dr. Diekfuss holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in experimental psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and a doctorate in kinesiology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (applied neuromechanics). More recently, Dr. Diekfuss specialized his research in neuroimaging and motor control while a post-doctoral research fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. In direct alignment with the proposed field-based and lab-based research programs, and the overall aims of SPARC more generally, his primary expertise is in the neuroscience of human movement. Specifically, he integrates novel neuroimaging methods to discover the brain mechanisms underlying ACL injury, injury prevention, and injury rehabilitation. Dr. Diekfuss has published extensively in movement neuroscience, highlighted by his lead author publication that received the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport’s editor’s choice award for the discovery of a potential neural biomarker underlying ACL-injury risk. Dr. Diekfuss has further translated his expertise to support brain injury prevention research and has served or is serving as co-investigator on numerous intramural and extramural grants that have procured over $1.8 million in funding. Dr. Diekfuss has considerable expertise in neuroimaging analytics for a range of modalities including task-based fMRI, resting-state fMRI, structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and more. Further, his expertise in interpreting neuroimaging findings within the context of human movement are directly aligned with the aims of the Dynamic Imaging Systems Creating Opportunity for Visionary Education and Research (DISCOVER) and Integrated Motion Analysis for Gross-motor Imaging & Neuroscience Exploration (IMAGINE) programs within SPARC. Dr. Diekfuss’ unique, harmonized experience across neuroscience, ACL injury, sports-related concussion, and human movement will provide the expertise to propel SPARC as the premier headquarters for injury prevention research in youth athletes. Dr. Diekfuss will serve as a key faculty member at Emory and is on trajectory to achieve scientific breakthroughs that will continuously advance SPARC for years to come.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:jed.a.diekfuss@emory.edu

Christopher Riehm, PhD

Assistant Professor

Christopher Riehm, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Riehm studies human perception and action by combining virtual reality, full-body motion capture, and mobile Electroencephalography (EEG). He also employs advanced statistical techniques to characterize data generated from the brain and body, aiming to clarify the complex aspects of sensorimotor function that both enable human performance and cause debilitating injury. Chris started his academic journey by studying ecological psychology and embodied cognition, which stress the importance of research methodologies that allow the function of brain-body-environment systems to be captured holistically. At SPARC, he applies this philosophy to the study of sports, which consistently prove the deeply dynamic and context sensitive nature of human behavior. Chris is also interested in music and sound; his dissertation addressed the dynamics of sound localization behavior using VR and HRTF based spatialization. In his free time, Chris plays instruments, sings, and builds virtual reality games and other software.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:christopher.david.riehm@emory.edu

Tara Falk

Senior Assistant Director, Programs

Tara Falk

Senior Assistant Director, Programs

Tara Bio

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:tara.falk@emory.edu

April L. McPherson, PhD

Associate Bioinformatics Scientist

April L. McPherson, PhD

Associate Bioinformatics Scientist

Dr. April McPherson’s research area of interest is the increased risk of lower extremity musculoskeletal injury following a concussion. She is passionate about application and dissemination of research findings beyond the walls of academia to support athletic performance and reduce the risk of injury. At SPARC, Dr. McPherson is leading our recently developed virtual-reality initiative, GIVES, focused on high school outreach and implementation. Dr. McPherson completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, where she also ran track and field. She then completed her PhD at the Mayo Clinic, where her thesis focused on how neural contributions affect ACL injury risk and recovery. She supported Team USA for 3 years as an associate data scientist for sports medicine and performance before joining the team at Emory SPARC.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:April.Mcpherson@emory.edu

Alexis B. Slutsky-Ganesh, PhD, ACSM-CEP

Associate Research Scientist

Alexis B. Slutsky-Ganesh, PhD, ACSM-CEP

Associate Research Scientist

Dr. Slutsky-Ganesh focuses on using neuroscience to advance research in the fields of human movement and exercise psychology. Dr. Ganesh has a background in exercise physiology (Bachelor’s and Master’s) and is a certified clinical exercise physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Ganesh earned a PhD in kinesiology from the University of North Carolina Greensboro (specializing in exercise psychology) where she was able to apply her clinical exercise physiology skills into a laboratory setting by designing exercise protocols aimed to enhance brain function in both young and older adults. During her doctoral program, Dr. Ganesh developed an in-depth understanding of neuroimaging data, fMRI/MRI study design, and neuroimaging analytics more broadly. Dr. Ganesh then completed two postdoctoral fellowships focused in neuroimaging analytics. The first postdoc position was at the University of North Carolina Greensboro where Dr. Ganesh served as the primary neuroimaging analyst on an Alzheimer’s disease-related NIH/NIA R01. The second postdoc position was at Emory SPARC where Dr. Ganesh served as the primary neuroimaging analyst for a neuromuscular training program-related NIH/NIAMS R01, but also was able to develop unique pipelines to analyze diffusion weighted images (DTI) in human skeletal muscle and swine brain. Following her postdoctoral fellowships, Dr. Ganesh was hired as an Associate Research Scientist at Emory SPARC where she is responsible for all neuroimaging data management, quality assurance, analytic pipeline development and implementation, and training of postdoctoral fellows in neuroimaging analytics. At Emory SPARC, Dr. Ganesh focuses on lower extremity gross motor task-based fMRI, human brain and muscle DTI, and swine DTI, while maintaining her relationship with the University of North Carolina Greensboro and serving as site PI for an ongoing Alzheimer’s disease-related NIH/NIA R01. Dr. Ganesh’s expertise in neuroimaging analytics is critical towards advancing the missions of SPARC to understand, prevent, and improve rehabilitation for musculoskeletal injuries and head trauma in sport.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:alexis.ganesh@emory.edu

Hung-I Hsiao, PhD

Assistant Bioinform Sci

Hung-I Hsiao, PhD

Assistant Bioinform Sci

Dr. Hung-I Hsiao graduated in Biostatistics from the Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at the University of Cincinnati, where he focused on a personalized medicine approach to predict the onset of headaches during his PhD training. This pioneering project examined the impact of weather on headache occurrence, aiming to individually and collectively predict headache onset. His work involved methodologies such as bicluster analysis, leading to nuanced understanding and predictions based on weather patterns. He found a range of correlations and successfully teased out the connection between weather and headaches, paving the way for future advancements in personalized medicine. Dr. Hsiao expanded his expertise by focusing on predicting hospital falls through the use of Electronic Health Records during his postdoc training at the Center of Data Science of the Nursing School of Emory University. This task was approached through the lens of machine learning, where he developed and implemented various feature extraction and selection techniques. Specifically, he utilized three advanced feature extraction strategies (TF-IDF, MBA, and N-grams) and two feature selection methods (LASSO regression and random forest). Through rigorous methodology, he discovered that TF-IDF outperformed other techniques in terms of AUC score in determining the critical cases of predicting falls through nursing narrative notes. This experience has not only solidified his proficiency in machine learning but also highlighted the pivotal role of data-driven insights in healthcare. Overall, Dr. Hsiao has contributed to SPARC by applying his biostatistics experience to analyze data in injury prevention and to improve rehabilitation for musculoskeletal injuries and head trauma in sports for adolescent athletes.

Email:Hung-i.Hsiao@emory.edu

Kim Barber Foss, PhD, ATC, LAT, CCRP

Assistant Research Scientist

Kim Barber Foss, PhD, ATC, LAT, CCRP

Assistant Research Scientist

Kim brings thirty-one years of mTBI and injury prevention experience as an athletic trainer and researcher. She is a successful injury epidemiologist and has been responsible for the injury surveillance, exposure tracking, and real time management of all previous investigational clinical trial studies. Her background as an AT is vital for oversight of clinical trials and specifically the field of epidemiology for injury outcomes. Dr. Barber Foss’ previous injury surveillance work as the Project Coordinator of the National High School Sports Injury Registry (NHSSIR) was a groundbreaking endeavor with participation from 250 high schools across the United States. Dr. Barber Foss is very experienced in large scale injury surveillance and exposure tracking. She co-authored one of the most influential manuscripts on sport-related mTBI incidence in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Barber Foss maintains extensive experience in collecting high-quality, electrophysiological data across numerous published studies. She has published extensively, most notably in injury epidemiology, biomechanics, and brain injury. Dr. Barber Foss is also a member of national, district, and state athletic training associations and belongs to several committees within those organizations including the NATA Analytics and Outcomes Committee, and SEATA Research and Education Committee. She is also on the Board of Directors of the National Operating Committee on the Standards of Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) representing the NATA. Kim has been recognized for her excellence in athletic training where she has received the 2018 Gatorade Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year District 4, 2019 NATA Service Award, 2020 NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award, and 2020 NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year award District 4. She was also selected as the 2019 Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Woman of Distinction, as well as being a 2024 inductee into the National Academy of Practice. Dr. Barber Foss is passionate about translational research and being a clinician scholar, taking her research from laboratory to field based and clinical integration to impact athlete outcomes and community services.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:kim.barberfoss@emory.edu

Shayla Warren, BA/BS

CRC III

Shayla Warren, BA/BS

CRC III

Shayla is a Clinical Research Coordinator III, with a combined 6 years of research experience. She has extensive experience with electroencephalography acquisition and conducting research amongst pediatric and adolescent populations. Previously, Ms. Warren assisted with research pertaining to mild traumatic brain injury, sport psychology, facial processing, language and literacy in at-risk pediatric populations, quality of life for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, and pediatric ethical decision making. At Emory SPARC, she aims to further isolate brain alterations associated with childhood and adolescent brain injury to support the development of novel injury prevention technologies. Specifically, she utilizes modalities including functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography to inform novel treatments that promote neural recovery. Ms. Warren brings her expansive experience with prospective longitudinal clinical trials and pediatric research to support all study activities at Emory SPARC, with a primary focus on neurologic assessment methods and protocols. Outside of research activities, Ms. Warren supports local school tours, student activities, as well as workplace training and supervision.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:shayla.warren@emory.edu

Tessa Hulburt, PhD

Post Doc

Tessa Hulburt, PhD

Post Doc

Dr. Hulburt is a post-doctoral fellow, bringing expertise in human motion biomechanics and 3-dimensional (3D) motion analysis techniques. Dr. Hulburt completed her PhD at Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University, where she studied the biomechanics of common and repetitive sport-specific motions in dancers and baseball pitchers with the goal of reducing overuse injuries by identifying and addressing unsafe movement patterns. At SPARC, her research aims to unravel the intricate relationship between pain and movement. Her work is driven by the overarching goal to identify and eliminate barriers that impede comfortable and safe movement for people with complex pain conditions. She contributes her biomechanical expertise to the aNMT (augmented neuromuscular training) and FIT Teens (Fibromyalgia Integrative Training Program for Teens) teams to understand how biofeedback and neuromuscular training can be applied to both athletic and patient populations to create a foundation of pain-free and safe movement patterns. She aims to continue building upon this work to develop movement-based therapies to improve the quality of life for individuals suffering from pain.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:Tessa.Hulburt@emory.edu

Samuel Kwak, PhD

Post Doc

Samuel Kwak, PhD

Post Doc

Dr. Kwak uses principles of biomechanics to research ways to enhance human performance in the context of sports. He brings a wealth of experience in studying how human muscles and tendon behave under load, beginning his research career in high school as he spent time at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine evaluating the effectiveness of various rehabilitative devices on gait before continuing on to obtain an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester, investigating the biomaterial properties of human tendon. Most recently, Dr. Kwak completed his Ph.D. in Applied Physiology at Georgia Tech learning about how muscle lengthening feedback may be leveraged by the nervous system to indirectly estimate more abstract measures. These experiences have afforded him a diverse skillset in 3D motion analysis, ultrasound, machine learning, among others to effectively tackle the most pressing questions in sports science research.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:Samuel.T.Kwak@emory.edu

Kyle D. Anderson, MD PhD

Post Doc

Kyle D. Anderson, MD PhD

Post Doc

Dr. Kyle Anderson studies the potential long-term consequences of bone bruising after ACL rupture and the biological changes to autografts implanted in ACL reconstruction surgery using MRI. Kyle is also involved in research at NASA where he investigates astronaut musculoskeletal health after long duration spaceflight. Previously, Kyle’s research at Rush University Medical Center focused on the biological factors that determine metal implant fixation in bone, with a particular emphasis on bone microarchitecture and matrix composition, which is critical to the success of total joint replacement. At SPARC, Kyle aims to apply this expertise in musculoskeletal biology to improve bone health and biomechanics particularly in the context of sports injuries and ACL reconstruction. Kyle’s career ambitions include a residency in orthopaedic surgery as well as supporting human spaceflight as a surgeon-scientist, where he believes that advances in our understanding of health in the extreme environment of space can also influence clinical practice on Earth.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:Kyle.David.Anderson@Emory.edu

Taylor Zuleger, PhD

Post Doc

Taylor Zuleger, PhD

Post Doc

Taylor Zuleger is a PhD Candidate with more than six years of combined neuroscience-related research experience at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Northwestern University, University of Cincinnati, and Emory SPARC. Mr. Zuleger maintains considerable experience in electroencephalography (EEG) analyses and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as it relates to human behavior. His work aims to translate neuromechanistic discoveries toward novel sports-related injury-risk reduction and injury rehabilitation strategies. For instance, Mr. Zuleger is isolating brain functional and structural alterations following concussive and sub-concussive impact exposure, with a goal to deconstruct how neurologic impairment could lead to long-term neuromuscular dysfunction. By expanding his expertise across complementary assessment modalities and employing advanced analytics, including 3D motion analysis technologies and psychophysiological interaction analyses (PPI), Mr. Zuleger’s work is expected to translate to novel intervention strategies that adopt a top-down treatment approaches to maximize outcomes for adolescent athletes. Mr. Zuleger is a key member of the DISCOVER and IMAGINE programs and supports all aspects of MRI-related data collection, data analysis, and grant/manuscript development.

Phone:404-710-7500
Email:taylor.zuleger@emory.edu

Brittany Nelson, PhD

Post Doc

Brittany Nelson, PhD

Post Doc

Dr. Brittany Nelson is a cognitive scientist specializing in decision vulnerability, human factors engineering, risk communication, skill acquisition, user experience, and psychometrics. She earned her PhD in Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors from Michigan Technological University. Dr. Nelson's professional journey includes pivotal roles such as a human factors research engineer at Cherokee Nation 3S with the Federal Aviation Administration. Her extensive research contributions are recognized through numerous publications that address diverse topics, from healthy lifestyle knowledge among medical students to the cognitive modeling of decision-making tasks. Dr. Nelson brings a comprehensive skill set in cognitive task analysis, psychometrics, user interviews, surveys, and usability testing. Her dedication to advancing psychometrics in healthcare is reflected in her development and validation of several new scales, her application of advanced statistical techniques, and her systematic approach to data collection and analysis. Dr. Nelson continues to drive innovative research in cognitive science, enhancing the precision and reliability of patient assessments and advancing personalized care in ACLR rehabilitation through her expertise in biopsychosocial profiling.

Email:Brittany.Nelson@emory.edu

Lexie Sengkhammee, BS

CRC I

Lexie Sengkhammee, BS

CRC I

Lexie is a Clinical Research Coordinator I at SPARC with an extensive background in sports medicine. Ms. Sengkhammee is currently working towards her Master’s degree in Biology, Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University. In the past, Ms. Sengkhammee worked as an intern at Bellin Health Titletown Sports Medicine and Orthopedics where she assisted physical therapists, athletic trainers, occupational therapists, and orthopedic surgeons. At Bellin, she helped athletes return to the highest levels of performance within their respective sports with the use of electromyography in conjunction with biomechanical assessments. Ms. Sengkhammee employed biomechanical evaluations to assist with strategies for increased performance as well as identification opportunities for future injury/re-injury prevention. As an undergraduate, Ms. Sengkhammee conducted a research study that successfully developed a safe and quantitative measurement for female collegiate athletes to find their maximum weight during a leg press exercise. During her research study, she gained experience with electromyography (EMG), force plates, and biomechanics. Ms. Sengkhammee began her journey at SPARC as a research intern and subsequently advanced to the role of research specialist. In her capacity, she contributed to EEG and EMG data analysis, conducted literature reviews, facilitated data collection for diverse research projects, and more. Ms. Sengkhammee returns to SPARC as a Clinical Research Coordinator in hopes to focus on injury prevention in adolescent athletes.

Email:Lexie.Sengkhammee@emory.edu

Korbyn Stahl

CRC I

Korbyn Stahl

CRC I

Korbyn is in her final year pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences through Arizona State University. Korbyn serves as a Clinical Research Interviewer and works alongside Dr. April McPherson and Dr. Chris Riehm to develop and lead the Georgia Initiative for Virtual-Reality in Education and Sport (GIVES) project. Within SPARC, Korbyn oversees the Hall County Work-Based Learning program, offering students valuable exposure in sports performance and research career fields.

Email:Korbyn.McKay.Stahl@emory.edu

Upasana Upadhyay Bharadwaj

Asst Bioinform Scientist

Upasana Upadhyay Bharadwaj

Asst Bioinform Scientist

Email:upasana.upadhyay.bharadwaj@emory.edu

Andrew Schille

Research Technical Specialist

Andrew Schille

Research Technical Specialist

Andrew is a Research Technical Specialist with over 5 years of experience who maintains considerable knowledge pertaining to motion analysis systems, data management, and data processing/analysis. Specifically, he has collected, cleaned, and managed motion analysis data from multiple sites capturing and processing data simultaneously for our NIH funded projects, and will provide a similar role at SPARC while also engaging in biomechanical data analyses for all projects. Not limited to just the motion systems, Andrew also works to maintain the integrity of the force platforms, instrumented devices, other technologies, and the overall SPARC facility. Andrew is also trained in the implementation of our neuromuscular training programs, overseeing the execution of these programs at Emory SPARC.

Email:andrew.schille@emory.edu

Charles Darracott

Research Fellow

Charles Darracott

Research Fellow

Charlie Darracott graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Human Biology, specializing in Human Performance and Anatomy & Physiology. During his time at Stanford, Charlie was a dedicated student-athlete, wrestling for four years while also participating in three years of immunology research and an additional year in exercise physiology, focusing on temperature regulation. Charlie pioneered interdisciplinary projects that bridged immunology and exercise physiology, notably exploring the pathophysiology of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and collaborating with Dr. Craig Heller on innovative cooling techniques, including the use of "cool mitts" to mitigate muscle fatigue. In Dr. Heller's lab, he led a study investigating the effects of palmar cooling on lower extremity output, adding valuable insights to the field of performance enhancement. At SPARC, Charlie works alongside Dr. April McPherson and Korbyn Stahl on the GIVES project, focusing on VR-based assessments of sensorimotor health in youth. He is also engaged in biomechanics research, furthering SPARC’s mission to advance orthopedic science and rehabilitation.

Email:charles.darracott@emory.edu

Rachel Cuellar

Admin Asst

Rachel Cuellar

Admin Asst

Email:Rachel.Cuellar@emory.edu

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