Spinal Cord Injuries/Disorders (SCI/D) & Neuropathic Pain and Regenerative Rehabilitation
Audrey Kusiak, PhD

Audrey Kusiak, PhD, received her doctoral degree in Neuroscience from the College of Medicine at the University of Florida in 1992 and completed postdoctoral work in the Department of Neuromorphology at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry at Martinsried, Germany. She became an Intramural Research Training Award Fellow at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in Baltimore, Maryland, and then a Research Scientist at the NIA. Prior to her current position, Dr. Kusiak was the Acting Director of the Defense Spinal Cord and Column Injury Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and a Program Analyst in the Repair and Plasticity Cluster at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. She represents VA ORD on the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC), the VHA National Pain Management Coordinating Committee, the National Academy of Science's Regenerative Medicine Forum, and the DoD/VA Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma (CENC) Advisory Board.

For inquiries regarding the RR&D Spinal Cord Injuries/Disorders (SCI/D) & Neuropathic Pain and Regenerative Rehabilitation Programs, please contact: email Audrey Kusiak, PhD.

Brain Health & Injury
Anthony Pacifico, PhD

Dr. Pacifico earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Graduate School of the City University of New York. His thesis research developed infrared imaging tools for use in pathology followed by a postdoctoral fellow position at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). His research at NIH/NIAAA examined the molecular signaling processes involved in night vision using a variety of biophysical tools. Prior to joining VA, Dr Pacifico was a Program Manager with the Department of Defense at the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. There, he led efforts in Alzheimer's disease research to better understand Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as a risk factor for neurodegeneration. In addition, he stood up the Epilepsy Research Program (ERP) looking exclusively at the relationship between TBI and Post-Traumatic Epilepsy (PTE), from developing animal models of PTE to conducting epidemiological studies.

For inquiries regarding the RR&D Brain Health & Injury Program, please contact:
Dr. Anthony Pacifico.

Musculoskeletal Health & Function
Timothy J. Brindle, PhD

Sensory Systems & Communication Disorders
Lina Kubli, PhD

Lina Kubli, PhD, is the RR&D Scientific Program Manager for Sensory Systems/Communication Disorders. She earned her Master's in Audiology at the University of Maryland, and her PhD in Audiology from Gallaudet University. Prior to coming to RR&D, she worked as a Research Scientist and served as a Subject Matter Expert on Central Auditory Processing disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). Dr. Kubli is committed to advancing the practice of healthcare for Veterans and their families. She served on the Executive Committee of the Medical Staff as Chair for the Patient and Family Centered Care Steering Committee at WRNMMC (2014-2016) and continues to serve as a VA affiliate member on this and several other advisory committees.

For Inquiries regarding the RR&D Sensory Systems and Communication Disorders Program, please contact: email Lina Kubli, PhD.

Behavioral Health & Social Reintegration
Peter Hunt, PhD

Peter Cody Hunt is a rehabilitation scientist with a strong background in epidemiology, biostatistics, research methodology, and data science. He received a Master of Public Health in epidemiology and health services from Boston University and a PhD in rehabilitation science and technology from the University of Pittsburgh. He also completed a biostatistics fellowship at the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a post-doctoral fellowship in health services research at the Sepulveda VA in Los Angeles. Peter started his career serving as the Special Assistant to Director of the former National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. He then served as a Research Coordinator for two National Spinal Cord Injury Model systems, New England and Pittsburgh, respectively. He joined the VA Long Beach Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Center in 2008. While his primary responsibility was to provide senior leadership with data management and analyst support, he also served as the Chair of the VA Long Beach Healthcare System IRB committee, a Principal Investigator on research projects aimed to improve spinal cord injury rehabilitation, the Project Director for a multi-year project aimed to improve access to spinal cord injury specialty care and services for rural Veterans, a grant/journal Reviewer for the VA and DoD, the Chair for the RR&D behavioral health and community reintegration merit review panel, a Mentor for residents and fellows on designing and implementing small scale clinical trials, and an Adjunct Lecturer for research methodology, program evaluation, and grant writing at the Western University of Health Sciences. In 2018, he accepted a position to be the Director of Business Model Development for the VA Allocation Resources Center in Braintree, MA, where he oversaw the daily operation of the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation informatic system. Prior to joining RR&D, he served as the Disparity, Equity, and Inclusion Data Coordinator for the New England Program Evaluation Center of the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.

For Inquiries regarding the RR&D Behavioral Health and Social Reintegration Program, please: email: Peter Hunt, PhD

Rehabilitation Engineering & Prosthetics/Orthotics
Brian Schulz, PhD

Brian Schulz, PhD, earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology while employed by Motorola as a co-op and 3M as an intern. He went on to complete his graduate studies in compensatory and protective stepping in older adults at the University of Michigan while interning at Ford, earning a PhD in biomedical engineering. After graduation he worked at the Tampa VA investigating fall avoidance and recovery and completed a level II Career Development Award in this area. Prior to joining VA Central Office, Dr. Schulz was Assistant Director of Labs, Engineering Director of the Mobile Rehabilitation Clinic, and an RR&D-funded VA investigator in Tampa, Florida.

For inquiries regarding the RR&D Rehabilitation Engineering & Prosthetics/Orthotics Program, please contact: Brian Schulz, PhD.

Career Development
Research Career Scientist
Centers, and REAPs
John Fraser