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Passion Meets Performance
COACH WELL is an RRI initiative designed to bring together experts, collaborators, and resources to solve problems and address the needs of athletes and coaches—particularly in the Paralympic and adaptive sports community. It functions as a multidisciplinary think tank and Collaboratory, helping identify challenges, create solutions, and develop pathways to improve sports performance. Rather than being just a repository of resources, COACH WELL operates as a hub for project development, expert consultation, and referral to specialized resources both within and outside the organization. Its focus is on “coach-driven, athlete-centered” solutions, supporting clients ranging from individual athletes to clubs and national organizations, with the ultimate goal of improving and optimizing performance at all levels.
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Interested in learning more? Please use the "Contact Us" button above!
Founding Partner
Dr. Jill McNitt-Gray
PhD, FASB, FISB, FNAK
Jill L. McNitt-Gray, Ph.D. FASB FISB FNAK is a Gabilan Distinguished Professor of Science and Engineering in the Departments of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering and the Lloyd Armstrong Jr. Chair in Science at the University of Southern California (USC). She is the Director of the USC Biomechanics Research Laboratory and is a Fellow of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB), International Society of Biomechanics (ISB), and the National Academy of Kinesiology. Dr. McNitt-Gray’s interdisciplinary research focuses on the neuromuscular control and dynamics of movement. Her team uses both experimental and dynamic modeling approaches to test research hypotheses specific to control priorities during well-practiced, goal-directed tasks. She is a Co-PI of the NSF Integrative Movement Sciences Institute and a Co-Founder of Rancho Research Institute Coach WELL Program. Dr. McNitt-Gray has also led the translation of coach-driven, athlete-centered research into the practice for National Governing Bodies of Sport and the initiation of outreach programs in STEAM and Sport.
Meet the Team
Founding Partner
Dr. Jeffery Rankin
MSE, PhD
Jeff Rankin, MSE, PhD is the Director of the World-Renowned Pathokinesiology Laboratory and Director of the Rehabilitation Engineering Program at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (Rancho) in Downey, CA, USA. A mechanical engineer and biomechanist by training, Dr. Rankin's primary area of research focuses on creating practical solutions to improve rehabilitation outcomes and community living for those with neurological and other disorders that affect movement. As part of his research program, he is the Co-Director and Research Director of the Federally designated Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System (website). Through his clinical support role at Rancho, Dr. Rankin has recognized the need to improve access to and engagement in adaptive recreation and sport due its health and psychosocial benefits. He is particularly interested in understanding the influence that equipment and assistive technologies have on sport performance, using his experience using musculoskeletal modeling, computer simulations, wearable sensors, and other emerging technologies to address the needs of the adaptive sport community.
Founding Partner
Dr. Jennifer Gruenhagen
PT, PhD
"Dr. Jen" Gruenhagen is a licensed physical therapist who became interested in academics and research. Dr. Gruenhagen has a long history of service and remains active in leadership for adaptive sports with organizations including Angel City Sports, Move United Competition Team, and the American Physical Therapy Association's (APTA) AASPT Adaptive Sports Special Interest Group.
Founding Partner
Dr. Kathryn Lucas
PT, DPT, PhD
Kathryn (Katie) Lucas, PT, DPT, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Creighton University's Physical Therapy Department in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Lucas is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic and sports physical therapy through the American Physical Therapy Association and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She is a United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Medical Classifier for track and field and an International Classifier for World Para Athletics. She is an item writer and is on the Sports Specialty Panel as the Assistant Item Review Coordinator for the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. Dr. Lucas was a collegiate runner (track and field, cross country) and received All-District, All-American, and Academic All-American honors. After a Sports Physical Therapy residency at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Lucas earned her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences (biomechanics focus) from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Lucas's research is in the promotion of neurorecovery after an injury and sport-specific training for athletes with disabilities. Her clinical expertise is in pediatric sports, adaptive sports, and return to sport criteria.
Founding Partner
Dr. Shannon Cross
EdD
Dr. Shannon Cross has over 20 years of coaching experience and 10 years of higher education instruction. She holds a joint faculty appointment at University of Southern California in the Physical Education & Mind Body Health Department and in Human Biology. Her courses emphasize lifelong physical activity, accommodating motor skill learners with differing abilities, and applying content to real-world applications including inclusive coaching practices, preparing future professionals for impactful work in the field. She also is a member of the Biomechanics Research Laboratory at USC. Dr. Cross graduated from USC with a BS in Kinesiology while also competing for the Women’s Soccer Team as a student-athlete. She then went on to complete her MS in Kinesiology with an Emphasis in Sport & Exercise Psychology from Cal State Long Beach, before completing her Educational Doctorate in Kinesiology from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Founding Partner
Dr. Hannah Houde
PhD, MEd
Hannah R. Houde, PhD, MEd, is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where her work focuses on improving shoulder health and athlete longevity for adaptive athletes through a blend of clinical and applied biomechanics. Her research spans propulsion mechanics in wheelchair basketball, daily arm use in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury, and the translation of detailed kinematic data into evidence-based strategies for performance enhancement and injury prevention. Dr. Houde’s career goal is to use biomechanics to clarify the mechanisms of performance and injury, streamline how sport biomechanics are communicated to athletes, coaches, and other disciplines, and apply these insights to enable long-term athletic participation for adaptive athletes.
