Pablo Celnik, MD

About Me

Pablo Celnik, MD, is a physiatrist, physician-scientist and internationally recognized leader in rehabilitation and academic medicine. Dr. Celnik embraces an integrated approach to medicine — one that encompasses the latest in research and technological advances and the best care to make patients better.

Since Oct. 2023, he has served as Chief Executive Officer of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, the global leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions. As CEO, he oversees the organization’s vast clinical and research enterprise, including 2,500 employees, more than 30 sites of care, and affiliates and alliances around the world. 

Previously, he served as Physiatrist-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Johns Hopkins University, leading the rehabilitation service line. His additional responsibilities included serving as Director of the Human Brain Physiology Lab; Director of the Precision Medicine Center of Excellence in Rehabilitation and Co-director of the Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute — all at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. During his storied tenure, he achieved transformational growth across every area he led, expanding Johns Hopkins’ local and global rehabilitation footprint, scientific funding and philanthropic contributions. 

Dr. Celnik is well-published in highly regarded peer-reviewed journals, has been the recipient of countless prestigious awards and has been inducted into the National Academy of Medicine.

A native of Argentina, he received his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Medical Sciences. He completed his residency training in neurology in Argentina and a fellowship in neurological rehabilitation at the University of Maryland. He also completed two research fellowships at the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In 2000, he entered the PM&R residency program at Johns Hopkins, where he ultimately was appointed Chief Resident. For 20 years, he served on the Johns Hopkins faculty in the PM&R, neurology and neuroscience departments.