The Winstein Endowed Lectureship will bring nationally and internationally recognized scientists and clinicians to the Division for education and groundbreaking discussions.
PROFESSOR CAROLEE WINSTEIN MS ’84 MAY BE PREPARING FOR RETIREMENT, but she’s not doing so without making sure the field of neurorehabilitation continues its forward trajectory at the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy.
At a gala dinner in her honor — the final night of “A Conference to Honor the Extraordinary Career of Dr. Carolee Winstein — Winstein announced she was donating $100,00 to establish the Winstein Endowed Lectureship.
“Being a part of such a vibrant and dynamic community of leaders in clinical practice and movement science for the past 33 years inspired me to give back in a way that might motivate future leaders in research and practice,” she said. “I hope this gift is a recognition that the Division is, in real time, creating a vision for the future of neurorehabilitation.”
The gift is meant to bring nationally and internationally recognized scientists and clinicians to the Division for education and groundbreaking discussions.
“Establishing the Carolee Winstein Endowed Lectureship means that the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy will be a leader in advancing the science and practice of neurorehabilitation for years to come,” said Associate Dean and Division Chair James Gordon. “It will allow us to continue the vibrant discussion and debate that was so evident at the conference that honored Dr. Winstein, Neurorehabilitation: Creating a Vision for the Future.”
Winstein joined USC’s faculty in 1990, after having completed her master’s degree in physical therapy from USC, a PhD in kinesiology from UCLA and a postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Upon her arrival, Winstein established the Motor Behavior and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory, which studies neurological patients with the goal of developing interventions that clinicians can implement to improve the function of patients with damage to their central nervous system.
Over the course of her career, Winstein has distinguished herself as a international expert in neurorehabilitation. She has consistently received research funding from the National Institutes of Health; the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research; and the Foundation for Physical Therapy.
Her lab has conceived and led everything from small-scale mechanistic-based research programs to medium-sized Phase I and II clinical trials to large-scale Phase III pragmatic trials, all in rehabilitation medicine.
Winstein has authored or co-authored more than 100 research papers, including chapters, proceedings and commentaries. She has also mentored more than a dozen doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars.
She is a fellow of the American Heart Association, the National Academy of Kinesiology, the American Society of Neurorehabilitaiton and is one of the Division’s 10 Catherine Worthingham Fellows, the highest membership category in the American Physical Therapy Association.
Winstein was promoted to professor in 2005 and holds a dual appointment with the Department of Neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
“My 33 years at USC has provided me numerous opportunities to explore new perspectives, to learn new things and to lead in ways that I never thought were possible,” Winstein said. “The most enduring takeaway is clearly the exceptional people whom I met and who inspired me in immeasurable ways.”
Click here if you’d like to contribute to the Winstein Endowed Lectureship fund.
