Postdoctoral Scholar in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Stroke, and Health Promotion

Postdoctoral Scholar in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,
Stroke, and Health Promotion

Location: University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine

Open Date: Oct 20, 2026

Deadline:

Dr. Kimberly Waddell in the Department of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania is seeking a
highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to join an NIH and VA-funded
research program focused on strategies to improve physical activity
and long-term disease management after stroke.

Stroke is a leading cause of complex, long-term disability.
Individuals receive most rehabilitation services within the first
few weeks or months after stroke, after which they must manage
their health and recovery with limited professional support. Dr.
Waddell's lab addresses this gap by studying how to leverage
behavioral science and scalable, remote technologies to promote
daily physical activity after stroke. Her research portfolio
incorporates behavioral economic principles, social network
support, and pragmatic clinical trial design to sustain long-term
health behavior change.

This specific postdoctoral position is primarily tied to a newly
funded NCCIH R01 clinical trial examining the effects of
gamification and social support-with and without mindfulness health
coaching-for increasing daily physical activity and improving
patient-reported outcomes after stroke.

The postdoctoral fellow will play a key role in a collaborative,
highly interdisciplinary research program investigating health
promotion interventions post-stroke. The fellow will leverage
Penn's world-class health services and behavioral science
ecosystem-including access to cutting-edge research centers,
cross-departmental collaborations, and structured mentorship-to
build an independent academic career and lead high-impact trial
execution.

Position is open to U.S. permanent residents and citizens only due
to VA requirements.

Research Opportunities:

Depending on the post-doctoral fellow's interests and experience,
projects may include:

1. Supporting the implementation of a pragmatic clinical trial to
increase physical activity post-stroke.

2. Examine how different behavioral economic and integrative health
approaches effect daily steps and patient reported outcomes after
stroke.

3. Developing innovative approaches to understanding the
intersection of behavior change, neurorehabilitation, integrative
health, and digital technologies

4. Developing complementary independent research questions and
manuscripts based on the postdoctoral fellow's own scientific
interests

5. Conducting qualitative research with clinical trial participants
to understand participant experiences that will shape future
research designs

Training and Mentorship:

The postdoctoral fellow will receive close mentorship in
neurorehabilitation, health promotion, behavior change, and
clinical trial design and management. The position is designed to
support the post-doctoral fellow's development toward an
independent research career, with opportunities to lead
publications, present findings at national and international
meetings, develop grant applications, and pursue independent
research questions.

The fellow will be part of a highly collaborative,
interdisciplinary research environment spanning rehabilitation
medicine, neurology, epidemiology, biostatistics, and hospital
medicine. There will also be opportunities to collaborate with
investigators across institutions.

The start date is flexible and can be negotiated based on the
selected candidate's timeline.

Qualifications

Applicants should have:

• PhD, MD, or equivalent doctoral degree in Rehabilitation

Sciences, Physical or Occupational Therapy, Behavioral Economics,
Public Health, Health Psychology, Kinesiology, or a related
field.

• Strong interest in stroke recovery, digital health

technologies, behavior change, integrative health, and/or clinical
trial design.

• Demonstrated track record of peer-reviewed publication and

strong quantitative/analytical skills.

• Experience with statistical programming (e.g., R, SAS)
• Strong scientific writing and communication skills
• Excellent communication, organizational, and collaborative

skills.

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, research statement (2
pages maximum), and contact information for two references.
Materials should be submitted through interfolio.

Any questions, or follow up inquiries, can be emailed to Dr.
Kimberly Waddell (Kimberly.Waddell@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

To apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/196036

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer.
Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race,
color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin
(including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship
status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected
under applicable federal, state, or local law.

je-86796573109942d4b28faaa7de74713a