Winter 2026

Letter from the Chair

Heakyung Kim, MD

Chair of Physical Medicine

and Rehabilitation

As we transition to a new format and a more frequent department newsletter, I want to share a brief reflection on where we are headed. Over the course of my tenure as department chair, I have focused on building a systems-oriented approach to leading a complex academic medical enterprise – one that values strong teams, multidisciplinary collaboration, and alignment across clinical care, research, and education. Together, we are laying the foundation for a world-class Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program that sets new standards for excellence, innovation, and impact. I look forward to sharing our progress more regularly as this work continues.

Spotlights

AAPM&R Recap: Awards, Research, and Community at UT Southwestern

AAPM&R 2025 Salt Lake City was one for the books! UT Southwestern made our presence known by winning awards, enriching our fellow PM&R community members through presentations, and running the Foundation for PM&R 5K.

Dr. Nguyen and group at 2025 UTSW Leaders in Clinical Excellence Awards

A Mentor Like No Other: Dr. Benjamin Nguyen

Benjamin Nguyen, M.D., was the recipient of a 2025 UTSW Leaders in Clinical Excellence Award in the mentoring category for demonstrating exceptional commitment and effectiveness as a mentor to health care providers. These awards were established in 2018 and honor clinical faculty committed to patient care, teaching, and UTSW. Dr. Nguyen is one of two faculty recognized for outstanding mentoring and one of 10 faculty overall to receive an award this year!

Department Updates

News and Announcements

The Burn Reconstruction Program received the Program Development Award at UTSW's 2025 Leaders in Clinical Excellence Awards. Karen Kowalske, M.D., and the faculty and residents who have worked with the Burn team have always played a vital role in this multidisciplinary program.

Surendra Barshikar, M.D., was one of two physiatrists awarded the PM&R Awareness and Value Award from AAPM&R at the 2025 Annual Assembly. He was noted for his work on neurorehabilitation, spasticity, and the UTSW COVID Recover program.

Stephanie Georgoudiou, M.S.N., APRN, AGPCNP-BC, CWCN, was awarded a scholarship by the Rose-Marie “Rory” Meyers Advanced Education Program for Nursing Excellence at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Stephanie has been working on her Ph.D., studying wound care in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

See More News and Announcements

Education and Training

Grace Meehan, D.O., Jeremiah Ling, M.D., and Niran Vijayaraghavan, M.D., are the new the new Chief Residents in PM&R. They look forward to building on the strengths of the residency program and hope to continue to create meaningful opportunities for connection. Read More

Publications and Presentations

Bryarly M, Robbins NM, Roberts M, Cabrera J, Parsonnet J, Martin C, Hernandez RS, Barshikar S, Vernino S. Minimal objective autonomic dysfunction in long COVID. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2025 Jul 15:S0735-1097(25)06328-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2025.04.038. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40864005.

Choi YH, Barker K, Floresca R. Peripheral neuropathies associated with drugs and toxins. Knowledge Now. 2025.

Bunt SC, Wilmoth K, Taylor E, Bullinger L, Driskill T, Shurtz L, Magill RT, Hynan LS, Silver CH, Didehbani N, Bell KR, Stokes M, Miller SM, Cullum CM. Patterns of concussion recovery and persisting symptoms in adolescent females. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2025;40(6).

See More Publications and Presentations

Support PM&R Residents

Giving back to promote residency development (GO-PMR) was created to enhance the educational experience for residents and fellows of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. GO-PMR provides an opportunity for those who have benefited from outstanding training at UT Southwestern to give back to the program, and for faculty to support our trainees.

Contribute to GO-PMR