Ka-Chun Siu

Dr. Ka-Chun Siu is a Professor and Chair of Global Health Opportunities in the Physical Therapy program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), within the College of Allied Health Professions' Department of Health and Rehabilitations Sciences. He additionally directs the MSIA Patient-Oriented Research program and mentors graduate students in the Graduate College. His research is supported by NIH, NASA Nebraska Space Grant, NIOSH CS-CASH, and University of Nebraska Systems.

Education:

• Post-Doc in Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha (2006-2009)
• PhD in Human Physiology, University of Oregon (2006)
• BS in Physical Therapy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan (1999)

Research Interests: Dr. Siu specializes in movement science and biomechanics, with emphasis on aging populations and movement disorders. He pioneers technology-driven solutions—including virtual reality and mobile applications—to study balance control and gait biomechanics in diverse environments. A secondary focus involves human performance optimization and motor skill acquisition, particularly in advancing medical education methodologies.

Publication Trends: Recent articles demonstrate concentrated expertise in virtual reality applications for surgical training and neurorehabilitation, AI integration in healthcare education, ergonomic analysis in minimally invasive surgery, and advanced biomechanical assessments of gait/mobility. Emerging themes include wearable technology validation, computational modeling of motor skills, and remote patient monitoring systems.

Awards & Honors:

• 2023 UNMC New Investigator Award
• 2023 CAHP Significance in Research for Distinguished Faculty Award
• 2022 UNMC Distinguished Mentor Award
• 2022 UNMC Outstanding Faculty Mentor for Graduate Students Award
• 2020 UNMC Impact in Education for Research in Education Scholar Award
• 2015 UNMC Outstanding Professional Achievement Award
• 2014 SAHP Excellence in Research Award

Professional Activities: Dr. Siu serves on editorial boards for scientific journals and as an external reviewer for Hong Kong's Health and Medical Research Fund. He oversees international physical therapy partnerships through UNMC's Global Health Opportunities Program and leads interdisciplinary research initiatives blending engineering, medicine, and data science.