Mississippi Center for Human Movement, Health and Rehabilitation
Leadership
Harish Chander, PhD
Executive and Founding Director
Dr. Harish Chander currently serves as the associate dean of research and innovation in the School of Health Related Professions at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). Prior to UMMC, he served as associate professor of biomechanics, co-director of the Neuromechanics Laboratory in the Department of Kinesiology, for over a decade, as well as a part-time faculty member in the Office of Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State University (MSU). Additionally, he served as an affiliate researcher at MSU’s Athlete Engineering Institute and Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. He earned his master’s and PhD degrees at the University of Mississippi in health and kinesiology, with a neuromechanics emphasis. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical therapy in India.
His research centers on the application of principles of biomechanics and ergonomics to human performance and injury prevention, with special emphasis on postural control, gait, slips, trips, falls, and fall prevention among clinical, occupational, athletic, geriatric, pediatric, and community-wide populations. Research goals include minimizing injuries, promoting safety and enhancing efficient human performance.
His multidisciplinary collaborative work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Center for Disease Control (CDC), Department of Labor (DOL) and Department of Defense (DOD), reaching more than $4 million in extramural funding. As a researcher, he has published 128 peer-reviewed journal articles in the last decade and has participated in approximately 168 conference proceedings and presentations.
He is the co-author of three textbooks/textbook chapters and is the co-holder of two patents. He is a professional member of the International Society of Posture and Gait Research, American Society of Biomechanics, American College of Sports Medicine and the Indian Association of Physiotherapists.
Internal UMMC Advisory Board
Dr. Joey Granger
Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, and MCCTR, UMMC
Dr. Lei Zhang
Associate Dean for Research, School of Nursing, UMMC
Dr. Bernadette Grayson
Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs, School of Population Health, UMMC
Dr. Jason Griggs
Associate Dean for Research, School of Dentistry, UMMC
Dr. Joshua Mann
Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Population Health, UMMC
Dr. Amol Janorkar
Chair, Biomedical and Materials Science, UMMC
Dr. Christopher Spankovich
Professor, Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, UMMC
Mr. L.J. Daniels
Director – Institutional Review Board (IRB), UMMC
External Advisory Board
Dr. Reuben Burch
Vice Provost for Research, Texas Christian University
Dr. Kari Babski-Reeves
Associate Vice President for Research, University of Tennessee
Dr. Bimal Balakrishnan
Interim Dean and Associate Dean for Research, School of Art, Architecture and Design, Mississippi State University
Dr. Scott Piland
Professor, School of Kinesiology, University of Southern Mississippi
Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk
Associate Executive Director for Population & Public Health Sciences, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Dr. JoEllen Sefton
Director, Warrior Research Center and Neuromechanics Laboratory, Auburn University