James K. Richardson, MD

Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Medical Director, EMG Lab

Biography

Dr. Richardson’s career has been balanced, with patient care, teaching, and research all having similar priority, and each providing insights for the other two.  He has provided lectures to medical students and resident physicians on lumbar disorders, effects of bedrest, clinical reflexes, gait/balance/fall risk, and a variety of other topics for many years.  He recently initiated the Leaders and Worst seminar and the Parallel Universe series which serve to foster the perspective that medical students and faculty are colleagues separated, solely, by birth order.  Dr. Richardson’s clinical research is primarily related to the refinement, interpretation, and application of electrodiagnostic measures.  His laboratory-based research involves gait, balance, and fall risk.  The current focus of this line of work is to identify the fundamental peripheral neuromuscular and short latency cognitive attributes which allow successful response to a perturbation while walking and, further, to provide clinically feasible estimates of these to the practicing physician and patient. 

Expertise

Medical School or Training

University of Cincinnati, 1984

Residency

University of Michigan Health System, Physical Med & Rehab, 1990

The Christ Hospital, Internal Medicine, 1987

Board Certifications

Physical Medicine & Rehab

Electrodiagnostic Medicine

Internal Medicine

Research Interests

  • Neuropathic gait and balance
  • Focal peripheral neuropathies
  • Clinical measurement of reaction time