Richard Souza, PhD, PT
Richard Souza, PT, PhD, is the Vice Chair for Research and Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, with joint appointment in the Departments of Radiology and Biomedical and Orthopaedic Surgery. He is the Program Director for the PhD in Rehabilitation Science and the Director of Research of the Human Performance Center at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Souza obtained his BS in Exercise Science from the University of California, Davis in 1998, and he received his MPT in Physical Therapy from Samuel Merritt College, Oakland in 2002. He earned his PhD in Biokinesiology from the University of Southern California in 2008, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Biomedical Imaging from the University of California, San Francisco in 2009.
Dr. Souza’s research interests are focused on the relationships between mechanics of human movement and development and progression of knee and hip osteoarthritis. Presently, he is involved in projects that evaluate the influence of loading behavior on cartilage health and determining effectiveness of prevention and rehabilitation strategies on joint health using advanced quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of the hip and knee. Dr. Souza’s future research goals include combining his background in biomechanics and motion analysis with advanced quantitative imaging techniques to identify new therapeutic targets that can be used to slow or prevent hip and knee osteoarthritis. He has 85 published manuscripts and he has written more than 130 peer-reviewed abstracts. Dr. Souza's research is funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Souza is also part of the UCSF RunSafe team, a program which is offered to all runners or walkers interested in a comprehensive evaluation of gait mechanics, strength and flexibility, foot structure and footwear choices, and nutritional approaches. In the RunSafe clinic, Dr. Souza collaborates with physicians, biomechanists, physical therapists, engineers, nutritionists, orthotists, and athletic trainers.
Interests: Biomechanics, quantitative MRI, motion analysis, osteoarthritis, running injuries, injury mechanis, rehabilitation, medical imaging, motion analysis, quantitative imaging