Anna Kratz, PhD | Current CV
Dr. Kratz is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Michigan. She earned her BA in Psychology in 2000 from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Arizona State University in 2009. Dr. Kratz is particularly interested in assessing, characterizing, and treating symptoms such as pain, cognitive dysfunction, and fatigue that interfere with functional ability and quality of life across multiple clinical populations. She has expertise in advanced statistical analyses, repeated measurement methods, ecological momentary assessments of symptoms and physical activity, and psychometric evaluation and development of patient reported outcomes.
Daniel Whibley, PhD
Dr. Whibley is Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Michigan and an Honorary Lecturer in Applied Health Sciences (Epidemiology) at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Dr. Whibley is a UK-registered physiotherapist with clinical experience managing patients within rheumatology and specialist neuro-musculoskeletal rehabilitation settings. He completed a PhD in Applied Health Sciences in 2018 (University of Aberdeen), followed by a Foundation Fellowship Versus Arthritis, working across the universities of Aberdeen and Warwick in the UK and the University of Michigan in the US. He currently sits on the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Pain Research (Review Editor, Geriatric Pain specialty section) and is Co-Chair of the US Association for the Study of Pain’s ‘Sleep and Pain’ Special Interest Group. Dr. Whibley’s research is focused on the intersection of sleep health, chronic pain, cognitive function, and physical activity, with a view to developing and testing non-pharmacological interventions for pain management.
Libak Abou, PhD, MPT, PT
Dr. Abou is a National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) Postdoctoral Fellow working in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Michigan. He completed a PhD in Kinesiology with focus in Neurorehabilitation and Biomechanics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022. Dr. Abou previously earned a master’s degree in Neurologic Physical Therapy at Santa Catarina State University in Brazil in 2017 and attended the University of Medical Sciences of Cienfuegos in Cuba where he obtained a degree in Health rehabilitation in 2014. His research interests concentrate on evidence-based practice and neurorehabilitation to enhance the functional independence and maximize the quality of life of people with physical disabilities. Dr. Abou is particularly interested in biomechanics’ assessments and interventions to adjust motor control and prevent secondary impairments. He is an expert in postural control and also researches fall prevention using new technologies among people with neurologic conditions such as people with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease.
Duygu Kuzu, PhD
Dr. Kuzu is an Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Training (ARRT) Program Fellow working in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Michigan. She earned her BA in Psychology at the Izmir University of Economics, and a PhD in Clinical Health Psychology at Istanbul University. She is currently interested in understanding factors influencing the pain experience, well-being, and functioning in multiple clinical populations (e.g., people with spinal cord injury, scoliosis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia).
Crystal Ng, PhD
Dr. Ng is an Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Training (ARRT) Program Fellow in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Michigan. She received a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Sciences with Portfolios in Aging & Health and in Applied Statistical Modeling from the University of Texas at Austin. Broadly, she is interested in understanding how close relationships influence emotional, physiological, and cognitive health outcomes among different populations (e.g., clinical and non-clinical, different racial/ethnicity groups). Her work utilizes mobile and wearable technologies to track individual’s moment-to-moment activities, symptoms, and functioning in real-life settings.
Oriol Martinez Navarro, PhD
Oriol Martinez Navarro is an Associate Professor and PhD student in the Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy at the University of Lleida and a researcher at the Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida. He is a physiotherapist with clinical experience with people living with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Oriol earned a master’s degree in Health Methodology Research at University of Lleida. He has also completed training in Empowerment Patient Education at Turku University and Biostatistics at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Oriol’s primary research interests relate to persistent pain and sleep health and their management through non-pharmacological approaches. Oriol is undertaking a four-month placement in the Kratz lab as part of his PhD program under the mentorship of Dr. Whibley
Kristi Pickup, MSW
Kristi is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Kratz Lab. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan and joined Dr. Kratz’s lab in April of 2014. She began working in research as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan in the Psychology department before spending three years working in healthcare. She returned to research in September 2013, working on multiple studies examining behavioral interventions for patients with chronic pain in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department’s PRISM Lab. Kristi studied Interpersonal Practice with a concentration in Health at the University of Michigan School of Social Work and received her Masters in Social Work in December 2017.
David Johnson, BS, RRT, CCRP
David is a Clinical Research Coordinator with experience managing a variety of investigator-initiated and multinational industry-sponsored studies. He currently works on the COMBO-MS study for fatigue in patients with MS. He previously worked on studies for children with mild sleep disordered breathing, asthma, and Charcot Marie Tooth disease. He received his Certified Clinical Research Professional credential in 2016 and is also a licensed Respiratory Therapist. In his spare time, David enjoys kayaking, dog training and travel.
Keara Ginell, BA
Keara is a Clinical Research Assistant in the Kratz Lab. She recently earned her B.A. in Cognitive Science from Vassar College. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the role of cognitive control and visuospatial attention in spatial navigation. Currently, Keara’s primary research interest is in understanding mechanisms that underlie cognitive and motor function, which she aims to continue researching in future graduate studies. In her free time, Keara enjoys spending time outdoors and is often seen either cycling or running.
Shay Lavon Robison, BS
Shay is a Research Assistant in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the Kratz Lab. She recently graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from Michigan State University, where she worked on a variety of projects, including a role as Database Manager/Research Assistant at MSU’s Prenatal Stress Study. In the future, she hopes to continue her education, and is particularly interested in researching the role that stress plays on health.
Matt Melvin, BA
Matt is an administrative assistant with the Kratz Lab and has been with the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation since 2015. He is currently supporting both clinical and research faculty within the department. Matt graduated from Albion College in 2013 with a degree in Kinesiology.
