The news comes after an extensive international search that included many respected and renowned candidates.

BY JAMIE WETHERBE MA ’04

LORI MICHENER HAS BEEN NAMED ASSOCIATE DEAN AND CHAIR of the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, following an extensive international search,

Serving for the past year as Interim Associate Dean and Chair, Michener, a Professor (Clinical Scholar) of Physical Therapy, will now assume the role permanently, succeeding former Associate Dean/Chair James Gordon, who led the Division for a quarter of a century.

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“I am committed to providing the leadership, infrastructure and support needed to take our community to the next level of prominence as leaders in research, clinical practice and education in physical therapy and biokinesiology,” Michener says. “I am excited to initiate a strategic planning process this year to develop our roadmap to achieve excellence.”

Michener joined USC in 2014 as Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy at a critical time in the Division’s development, helping strengthen its foundation in clinical research as the inaugural Director of Clinical Outcomes and Research, overseeing patient outcomes and clinical research for the USC Physical Therapy Clinics.

“I was inspired by the vision of developing a stronger foundation in clinical research through this new position,” says Michener, whose work has shaped treatment for musculoskeletal shoulder disorders. “I was equally excited to come to a place with a strong research group that would allow me to grow in depth and breadth to continually answer questions related to musculoskeletal shoulder and elbow pain.”

A Career in Motion

During her 12-year tenure at USC, Michener has worked across all three of the Division’s major focus areas  — education, research and practice — from teaching multiple classes in both the doctor of physical therapy (DPT) and biokinesiology programs to leading the Clinical Biomechanics Orthopedic and Sports Outcomes Research (COOR) Laboratory. Her efforts have brought new rigor and international visibility to physical therapy research, earning her the designation of Clinical Scholar in 2018.

Michener has made significant contributions to the broader physical therapy community, receiving some of the profession’s highest honors. She earned the American Physical Therapy Association’s Marion Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy and was named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. She was also recently honored as a 2025 Fellow of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association for her contributions to research and service.

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An internationally recognized expert in shoulder biomechanics and management, Michener has advanced the understanding of shoulder motion and injury, applying her research to improve care for baseball players, swimmers and women recovering from breast cancer. The opportunity to expand that work was a major reason she joined USC.

RELATED: MICHENER RECOGNIZED WITH A FOUNDERS AWARD BY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SHOULDER AND ELBOW THERAPISTS

Shouldering the Responsibility of Advancing Science

Michener has spent her career in academia and athletics, beginning at Lock Haven University, her alma mater, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies before joining the faculty.

“That first position allowed me to develop my clinical and teaching skills at a small college with strong academic rigor,” she says. “It didn’t hurt that it was located along the beautiful Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.”

Michener went on to earn a master’s degree in athletic training from the University of Virginia, a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the State University of New York and a PhD in orthopedics and biomechanics from MCP Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. After earning her doctorate, Michener started her academic career in physical therapy in 1999 at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

“At VCU, I taught DPT students the diagnosis and management of orthopedic conditions while treating patients at VCU Health System,” she says. “It was there that I developed my research agenda aimed at defining the mechanisms underlying shoulder and elbow disorders to enable effective and efficacious treatment pathways that optimize patient outcomes.”

It’s Personal

When seeking her next career move, Michener says her decision to come to USC was initially driven by personal reasons over professional ones.

“I have to be honest — at first it was my husband,” she says. “I took a sabbatical and came along with him when he did a fellowship at that other school across town, UCLA. After he finished, he asked if we could consider living in L.A.”

Michener reached out to Gordon, the Division’s then-Associate Dean/Chair, to explore opportunities at USC.

“USC was at the top of my list of physical therapy programs in the country,” she says. “What attracted me most was the high caliber of the faculty and the strength of the research program, particularly the basic science and clinical translational research being done here.”

When asked what continues to motivate her at USC, Michener doesn’t hesitate.

“That’s easy — the people and the place,” she says. “My colleagues continually strive to innovate in the clinics, classrooms and research labs to deliver the highest quality of care and education while producing groundbreaking research that improves the lives of the patients we care for as physical therapists.”

Looking ahead, Michener measures success in her role as Associate Dean and Chair by how successfully she passes the baton.

“I’m committed to creating an empowered community of dedicated faculty and staff that can seamlessly transition to the next leader,” she says. “That includes developing sustainable systems and robust pipelines of researchers, educators and clinicians that will enable the Division’s next level of prominence and growth.”