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Richard L. Lieber, PhD, oversees all research endeavors throughout the Shirley Ryan ÍâÍøÌìÌà system of care. He joined the organization in 2014 and, as chief scientific officer, oversees the work of more than 250 researchers and a budget of almost $200 million. Under his leadership, Shirley Ryan ÍâÍøÌìÌà has more than 200 research studies and clinical trials under way at any given time ¡ª all of which will benefit its patient population.

Dr. Lieber played an integral role envisioning and implementing the novel translational approach embedded in the Shirley Ryan ÍâÍøÌìÌà medical and research enterprise, and for demonstrating its tangible and cultural progress. Dr. Lieber also led the design of Shirley Ryan ÍâÍøÌìÌá¯s state-of-the-art Biologics Lab ¡ª the only one in the world placed in a rehabilitation setting ¡ª in which studies of living human cells are used to solve human problems, particularly in the context of rehabilitation and recovery. 

Dr. Lieber is the established expert in the science and physiology of skeletal muscle, both nationally and internationally, and is a pioneer in conducting translational research. Currently, he is leading a multi-million-dollar, multidisciplinary research effort that represents the largest longitudinal study of human infant motor development and movement ever performed. He has also developed, in collaboration with his Mayo Clinic colleagues, a new surgical procedure to transplant leg muscles into the arm to restore function after nerve injury.  These types of study are emblematic of Shirley Ryan ÍâÍøÌìÌá¯s vision for the future ¡ª to use the best scientific practices to ensure the best outcomes for patients ¡ª and these findings are poised to revolutionize standard practice.

Dr. Lieber has published nearly 400 articles in scientific journals, from the fundamental journals such as Biophysical Journal and the Journal of Cell Biology to the more applied-science publications such as the Journal of Hand Surgery and Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Over the span of his career, Dr. Lieber has won numerous prestigious awards and designations, including most recently: fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (2019); Lifetime Achievement Award, American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (2021); Paul B. Magnuson Award, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2023); winner, Elsass Foundation Research Prize (2023); and Outstanding Leadership & Compassion Award in Healthcare, Institute of Medicine of Chicago (2024). 

Dr. Lieber¡¯s laboratory has been supported by the National Institutes of Health in both investigator-initiated grants, as well as center grants for more than 40 years. He is a senior research career scientist in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he receives support from the Rehabilitation Engineering Research and Development service. He is also a professor of Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Physiology at Northwestern University.

Prior to joining Shirley Ryan ÍâÍøÌìÌÃ, Dr. Lieber was a professor and vice chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), and principal investigator of the San Diego Skeletal Muscle Research Center, an NIH-funded center designed to leverage muscle expertise on behalf of patients in the San Diego community. He earned his doctorate in biophysics, with a minor in electrical engineering, from UC Davis, where he also earned a bachelor¡¯s degree in physiology. He received his MBA from the Rady School of Management at UCSD.