Meet Our Team

 

Rachel M. Thompson, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Associate Director, Center for Cerebral Palsy
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Orthopaedic Institute for Children

Rachel Thompson is a Chicago native, who attended medical school at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.  She completed her first fellowship in pediatric orthopaedics and scoliosis at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, TX and her second in neuromuscular orthopaedics at Nemours A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE.  She additionally completed a travelling fellowship in adolescent and adult hip dysplasia in Aarhus, Denmark.  Her primary area of practice is pediatric orthopaedics, with a specialization in neuromuscular orthopaedics/cerebral palsy.  She is on staff at Orthopaedic Institute for Children as an assistant clinical professor-in-residence in the department of orthopaedics at UCLA, where she also serves as the Associate Director for the UCLA/OIC Center for Cerebral Palsy.  Her clinical and research interests are in cerebral palsy and adolescent hip disease and in using gait analysis to improve surgical decisions making and evaluate clinical outcomes. She is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) and Health Volunteers Overseas. More >

 

William L. Oppenheim, MD
Director, Center for Cerebral Palsy
Margaret Holden Jones Kanaar Chair, Cerebral Palsy
Professor and Emeritus Chief, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Dr. Oppenheim is a board-certified pediatric orthopaedist and past president of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. He manages the orthopaedic problems related to spasticity and abnormal movement in children and adults with cerebral palsy. When indicated, he performs treatments including botulinum toxin injections, as well as soft tissue or bony surgery to correct deformities and maximize mobility. He is a past-president of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, the premier professional organization.  He has traveled extensively, teaching pediatric orthopedics to physicians throughout the world. He has authored numerous publications in cerebral palsy and associated pediatric orthopedic conditions. More >

 

Allen S. Chen, MD, MPH

Allen S. Chen, MD, MPH, FAAPMR is a double-boarded Physiatrist specializing in non-operative and minimally invasive treatments of the spine. He specializes in treating acute and chronic spine and musculoskeletal conditions, without using opiates. In addition, he specializes in rehabilitation of adults with Cerebral Palsy. Dr. Chen completed his undergraduate education at Harvard and his MD at NYU. He completed residency at University of Washington and his Pain fellowship at UCLA/West LA VA. He comes to UCLA from Columbia University, where was the Chief of Ambulatory Spine at the Och Spine Hospital at NYP, and played a central role in building a large multidisciplinary spine hospital. He lectures nationally and internationally, and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and chapters, including in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Chen has been interviewed by several media outlets, including the Huffington Post, Reuters, The New Yorker, Boston Globe, Refinery29, Readers Digest, and WNYC Public Radio. More >

 

Eileen Fowler PhD, PT
Director, Kameron Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory
Peter William Shapiro Chair for the Center for Cerebral Palsy

Dr. Fowler directs the research and education programs at the Center. The Center’s research examines the underlying causes of movement and function disorders and cerebral palsy and assesses the effectiveness of various treatment interventions on these disorders. Dr. Fowler served as president of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine for the 2015 – 2016 term. More >

 

Marcia Greenberg MS, PT, KEMG
Clinical Coordinator

Ms. Greenberg evaluates patients in the Center’s inter-disciplinary lifespan clinic and, with her team members, establishes a plan of care focused on the patient and family goals. She communicates with community therapists and physicians in the design and implementation of treatment programs and equipment. Licensed to perform kinesiological electromyography, Ms. Greenberg conducts the gait evaluations in the Kameron Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory and, along with Dr. Fowler, Dr. Oppenheim and Dr. Rachel M. Thompson, develops the treatment plan based on those findings. More >

 

Loretta A. Staudt PT, MS
Research Physical Therapist

Ms. Staudt has been working for many years with infants and young children in the UCLA Intervention program. As a research physical therapist, she participates in all phases of the Center’s projects. She also evaluates patients in the Center’s inter-disciplinary lifespan clinic.

 

Kimberly Gilliam
Administrative Assistant

Kim is the administrative assistant for Drs. Oppenheim and Thompson. She is responsible for scheduling and coordinating patient care in the clinic and in the operating room.

 

Andy Vuong

Andy is the Kameron Gait and Motion Analysis engineer. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University and is currently a doctoral student in Bioengineering at UCLA.