Fabrisia Ambrosio, PhD, MPT

Dr. Fabrisia Ambrosio is the Director of Rehabilitation for UPMC International and an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Physical Therapy, Bioengineering, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Microbiology & Molecular Genetics.  In addition, she is a faculty member of the neurology residency program in the Department of Physical Therapy. Dr. Ambrosio graduated with a Master of Science in Physiology-Endocrinology with a specialization in skeletal muscle physiology from Laval University in Québec City, Québec. She also graduated with a Master of Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  In 2005, Dr. Ambrosio completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Science & Technology from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Ambrosio's research has the long-term goal of developing Regenerative Rehabilitation approaches to improve the skeletal muscle healing and functional recovery. Her laboratory uses murine and human models to investigate the underlying mechanisms by which targeted and specific mechanotransductive signals can be used to enhance donor and/or host stem cell functionality.  Dr. Ambrosio's research has been supported by the NIH, the DOD, the Foundation for Physical Therapy, the Claude D. Pepper Older American's Independence Center, and the University of Pittsburgh Institute on Aging, among others. Dr. Ambrosio has published and recorded several educational modules on the topic of Regenerative Rehabilitation and has assumed national leadership roles in several work group efforts to promote the integration of regenerative medicine technologies with rehabilitation approaches. She is the Founding Course Director of the Annual International Symposium on Regenerative Rehabilitation. She is also the Founding Director of the International Consortium for Regenerative Rehabilitation, which includes 12 participating institutions representing North America, Europe, and Asia. View a list of Dr. Ambrosio’s publications here.