Sheryl M. Flynn, PT, PhD.

Dr. Flynn received her bachelor in physical therapy in 1991 from New York University . After practicing for four years in pediatrics, cardiac and neurological rehabilitation, and acute care, Sheryl began pursuing a PhD in motor control and motor learning at the University of Florida , with an emphasis on neuroplasticity. Dr. Flynn's doctoral thesis focused on the recovery of walking ability after locomotor training in contused injured adult rats. This research experience led her to pursue a post-doctoral fellowship in Neuroscience at the McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida where she investigated the use of an enriched environment to improve upper extremity function in rats with cervical spinal cord hemisections. During most of her graduate work, Dr. Flynn also continued working as a physical therapist at Shands Rehabilitation Hospital where she treated individuals with spinal cord injuries and stroke or traumatic brain injuries. Since completing her post-doctorate, Dr. Flynn has begun exciting work in the area of virtual reality and its application to promote plasticity after nervous system injury or disease. Dr. Flynn has also taught Neuroscience for Physical Therapists and Motor Control at the University of Florida and Georgia State University . Dr. Flynn recently moved to Southern California to further her research at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies. Along with Drs. Rizzo, Lang and Winstein, Dr. Flynn recently received a grant which will provide initial resources for the exploration of the use of off the shelf virtual reality (VR) devices such as the Nintendo Wii or Sony PlayStation II EyeToy, among others, in rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injury, stroke, amputee or other neurological injuries. In addition to being a researcher and teacher, Dr. Flynn maintains her love for her patients by working at Precision Rehab on a part-time basis. In the near future, she plans to have an entire virtual reality rehabilitation room at Precision Rehab where she will conduct cutting edge research in the recovery of function after nervous system injury.