
Richard L. Lieber, PhD
About Me
Richard L. Lieber, PhD, oversees all research endeavors throughout the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab system of care. He joined the organization (then the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago or RIC) in March 2014, bringing an extensive research focus on the science and physiology of skeletal muscle. Dr. Lieber is the established expert in the field, both nationally and internationally, and is a pioneer in conducting translational research.
Dr. Lieber, along with Chief Medical Officer James Sliwa, DO, is jointly responsible for implementing the novel translational approach embedded in the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab medical and research enterprise, and for demonstrating its tangible and cultural progress.
Dr. Lieber also led the design of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Biologics Lab, in which studies of living human cells are used to solve human problems, particularly in the context of rehabilitation and recovery. The lab’s state-0f-the-art equipment allows scientists to monitor living cells as they perform testing of various types. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Biologics Lab is the only one in the world placed in a rehabilitation setting and brings together biologists, physiologists, stem-cell biologists and molecular biologists — all sharing ideas and expertise, and speeding discoveries.
As Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Lieber oversees the work of more than 200 researchers. Under his leadership, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has more than 300 research studies and clinical trials under way, all of which will benefit its patient population.
Specifically, Dr. Lieber’s research is studying the design and plasticity of skeletal muscle. Currently, he is developing state-of-the-art technical and biological approaches to understanding and solving painful and debilitating muscle contractures that result from cerebral palsy, stroke and spinal cord injury.
He has published more than 300 articles in scientific journals, from the fundamental journals such as Biophysical Journal and the Journal of Cell Biology to the more applied-science publications such as the Journal of Hand Surgery and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.Over the span of his career, Dr. Lieber has won numerous prestigious awards, among them Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, February 1994; Fulbright Scholarship (Sweden), 2007; The Göteborg University Medal, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, June 2007; Giovanni Borelli Award, American Society of Biomechanics, August, 2007; Kappa Delta Award, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, February 2013, Chicago, IL; and most recently, Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), March 2019, Washington DC.
Dr. Lieber’s laboratory has been supported by the National Institutes of Health in both investigator-initiated grants, as well as center grants for more than 35 years. He is a Senior Research Career Scientist in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he receives support from the Rehabilitation Engineering Research and Development service. He is also a Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Physiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Prior to joining Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Dr. Lieber was Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and principal investigator of the San Diego Skeletal Muscle Research Center — an NIH-funded center designed to leverage muscle expertise on behalf of patients in the San Diego community. He earned his doctorate in Biophysics, with a minor in Electrical Engineering, from the University of California, Davis, where he also earned a BS in Physiology. He earned his MBA from the Rady School of Management at UCSD.
Location
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
355 East Erie
Chicago, IL 60611
Education & Training
Credential
Featured Research
Recent Publications
Honors & Awards
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Lifetime Achievement AwardAmerican Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine's (AACPDM) , 2021
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Founders AwardAmerican College of Sports Medicine (Southwest Chapter), Irvine, CA., 2014
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Gayle G. Arnold AwardAmerican Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, Minneapolis, MN., 2013
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Kappa Delta AwardAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Chicago, IL., 2013
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Lieber, R.L. (1996). Method and apparatus for controlling skeletal muscle fatigue during electrical stimulation. Patent Number: 5,507,788.
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Lieber, R.L. (1989). Adaptive, closed-loop electrical stimulation of muscle. U.S. Patent Number: 4,838,272.
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Lieber, R.L. and R.J. Baskin. (1986). Surgical myometer method. U.S. Patent Number: 4,570,641.
Affiliations
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American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (Member)
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American College of Sports Medicine (Fellow)
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American Society of Biomechanics (Fellow)
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Biophysical Society (Member)
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Fulbright Association (Life Member)
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Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)(Member)
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Society for Neuroscience (Member)
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Western Orthopaedic Association (Honorary Member)
Grants
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Muscle metabolism and mechanical efficiency in cerebral palsyNational Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHDS)
, 2015 - 2018 -
Functional Comparison Between Nerve and Tendon Transfer after SCICraig H. Neilsen Foundation
, 2015 - 2018 -
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago-Craig Neilsen Foundation Spinal Cord Injury Infrastructure CenterCraig H. Neilsen Foundation
, 2015 - 2020 -
Optical Frequency Comb NeuroControllerDepartment of Defense
, 2016 - 2018
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Breakingthrough Technology to Measure Human Muscle FunctionDr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust
, 2017 - 2018 -
Intraoperative Optimization and Validation of Musculoskeletal ReconstructionEdward Hines Jr VA Hospital
, 2018 - 2019
Muscle Physiology Lab
We investigate muscle fiber and tendon properties in neurological impairments and sports-related injuries.
view labWork History
- 2005 - PresentSenior Research Career Scientist, Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital
- 2014 - PresentProfessor, Departments of Physiology, Biomedical Engineering and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (NU)
- 2009 - 2014Co-Director, Center for Musculoskeletal Research (Institute for Engineering in Medicine at UCSD)
- 2005 - 2014Director, National Skeletal Muscle Research Center
- 1994 - 2014Professor, University of California, San Diego, Departments of Orthopaedics and Bioengineering
- 1990 - 1994Associate Professor, University of California, San Diego, Departments of Orthopaedics and AMES/Bioengineering
- 2000 - 2005Research Career Scientist, Veterans Affairs Medical Center (GS-14), San Diego, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
- 1986 - 2000Biomedical Engineer, GS-13/14, Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Diego, Department of Orthopaedic Research,
- 1985 - 1990Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of California, San Diego, Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation
- 1983 - 1986Biomedical Engineer, GS-11, Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Diego, Department of Orthopaedic Research
- 1992 - 1995Postgraduate Research Physiologist, University of California, San Diego, Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation
- 1981 - 1982Research Associate, University of California, Davis