New faculty join UMMC academic ranks
Published on Monday, February 3, 2025
Medical Center leadership is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff.
Dr. Harish Chander
Dr. Harish Chander, formerly an associate professor of biomechanics and co-director of the Neuromechanics Laboratory in the Department of Kinesiology at Mississippi State University in Starkville for more than a decade, has joined the Medical Center faculty as associate dean of research and innovation in the School of Health Related Professions.
Chander earned his Bachelors of Physical Therapy in India, and his Master of Science, followed by his PhD in 2014, in health and kinesiology, with a neuromechanics emphasis, at the University of Mississippi.
He completed his faculty leadership internship and faculty leadership development program with the Office of Research and Economic Development at MSU. He is also an affiliate researcher at MSU’s Athlete Engineering Institute and Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems.
His research centers on the application of principles of biomechanics and ergonomics to human performance and injury prevention, with special emphasis in postural control, gait, slips, trips, falls and fall prevention among clinical, occupational, geriatric, pediatric, athletic and daily living populations, attempting to minimize injuries, promoting safety and enhancing efficient human performance.
His multidisciplinary collaborative work has been funded by National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Labor and Department of Defense, accumulating over $8 million in extramural funding.
As a researcher, he has published around 120 peer-reviewed journal articles in the last decade and has participated in approximately 150 conference proceedings and presentations. He is the co-author of four textbooks/textbook chapters and is the co-holder of a patent awarded in 2023.
He has held multiple leadership or mentorship positions at the National Institutes of Health, the Mississippi Center of Clinical and Translational Research at UMMC, the Shackouls Honors College at MSU, and MSU’s Center for Teaching and Learning, among other institutions and departments.
Throughout his career, Chander has earned a number of institutional teaching, research and clinical awards. He is a professional member of the International Society of Posture and Gait Research, American Society of Biomechanics, American College of Sports Medicine, and Indian Association of Physiotherapists.
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Dr. Sean T. O’Brien
Dr. Sean T. O’Brien, recently chief of interventional radiology at East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, Louisiana, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of radiology in the School of Medicine.
Board-certified in radiology, O’Brien earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1986 and completed his diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He had additional training at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C.
In Georgia, he served at a dozen outpatient facilities. He has also served as medical director of Vascular Access Center of Georgia, medical director of Vein Innovations in Atlanta and chair of radiology at Atlanta Medical Center. His other hospital affiliations include those with Cedars Medical Center in Miami, Florida; Sinai Samaritan Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and North Fulton Regional Hospital in Roswell, Georgia.
He has also held academic positions at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin and Sinai Samaritan Medical Center in Milwaukee; SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine; University of Miami School of Medicine; and Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami.
O’Brien, who is the recipient of several academic and clinical honors and awards, has made scientific presentations at national conferences and meetings.
He is a member of the Society of lnterventional Radiology, American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America, American Medical Association and American Roentgen Ray Society.