Masahiro Yamada, PhD, began his postdoctoral fellowship at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) in December 2020 under the guidance of his mentor, Shailesh Kantak, PT, PhD. At MRRI, Masahiro expanded his knowledge and expertise in neuroscience, utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to elucidate motor control mechanisms of post-stroke patients.

Dr. Yamada will be an assistant professor for the Department of Kinesiology at Whittier College, which is a historical private college founded in 1887 and located 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, California. He will be teaching courses such as research methods, motor control, and exercise physiology. In addition, he will conduct community service research/teaching to improve the health of older adults and research on the effect of attention and cognition on performance of motor skills.

Before his beginning as a postdoctoral fellow at MRRI, Dr. Yamada received his doctoral degree in Kinesiology (motor learning) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He continued his education as a postdoctoral fellow in biomechanics to expand his research skills within the sub disciplines of human movement science and knowledge in clinical populations. He was involved in a project that investigated a new approach to identify motor dysfunction from a concussion using a smartphone app.

He is also a former basketball coach and Strength & Conditioning Specialist, and enjoys swimming and weight training. The goals of Dr. Yamada’s new research lab are to bridge the gap between practice and research, as well as to connect research, service, and teaching. Given his experience as a practitioner and research in various fields, he will implement a multi-disciplinary, evidence-based physical activity intervention to improve the health of individuals. Further, Dr. Yamada is passionate about involving students in community-based research. He believes that doing so produces well-rounded, competitive students who embrace science while improving their practical skills and understanding of existing issues in practice to enhance the quality of life of the people in their community.