HPU Physical Therapy Professors Among World’s Top 2% of Most-Cited Scientists
Two High Point University faculty members are included in Stanford University’s annual list of the top 2% of scientists cited by other researchers around the world. Pictured are Dr. David Sinacore, left, and Dr. Kevin Ford.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 22, 2024 – Two High Point University faculty members are included in Stanford University’s annual list of the top 2% of scientists cited by other researchers around the world.
Dr. Kevin Ford, dean of the Congdon School of Health Sciences and professor of physical therapy, and Dr. David Sinacore, a physical therapist and professor of physical therapy, are featured in the recently released Stanford Elsevier rankings of citations, which appear on academic papers and refer to earlier research. The number of times a researcher’s work is referenced in other peer-related work is an important indicator of their research impact and reputation. For full details and information on the methodology, visit the Elsevier data repository here.
This is the third year the rankings have included faculty in the Congdon School of Health Sciences.
“I’m grateful that our research is being recognized and most importantly being used to positively impact the health of others,” said Ford. “It is exciting to share this acknowledgment with the numerous High Point University students, faculty and collaborators who have co-authored many of these articles.”
Created in 2019 by Stanford University health researcher John P.A. Ioannidis, the list rates scientists globally on metrics that measure the numbers and types of citations they receive. Ioannidis said the publicly available database of top-cited scientists provides standardized information on citations. The database includes nearly 205,000 scientists, engineers and mathematicians worldwide whose work has been most cited by peers throughout their careers.
“I would like to acknowledge the continual encouragement and support of HPU’s administration and the numerous colleagues throughout my career who help fuel the impetus to conduct and disseminate our research,” said Sinacore. “I am honored that my research has been acknowledged and cited by my peer academicians.”
Sinacore is part of a five-year, $3.9 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, titled “Chronic Kidney Disease – Mineral Bone Disorder (CKD-MBD) Syndrome in the Diabetic Neuropathic Foot.” The multi-site Research Investigator Initiated grant was awarded by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to HPU in collaboration with Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and the University of California-San Francisco. The goals of the grant are to determine the impact of type 2 diabetes, peripheral neuropathy and various stages of chronic kidney disease on the foot using a cross-sectional (stages 1-5) and longitudinal changes (over three years). The grant started Sept. 1, 2023, and continues through Aug. 31, 2028.
Sinacore is only the third recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Foot & Ankle Special Interest Group (FASIG), Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The award, in recognition for “career-long significant contributions to advancing foot and ankle physical therapy care through education, research and FASIG service,” was presented Feb. 24, 2023, at the Combined Sections Meeting of the APTA in San Diego, California.
The Congdon School of Health Sciences has had continual funding for the past 10 years to investigate a variety of footwear with Adidas.
In 2019, Ford secured an NIH grant for more than $528,000 in conjunction with Dr. Jeff Taylor, physical therapy department chair and associate professor, and doctors from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to research how different training programs impact anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in females.
Ford also received a $200,000 NIH grant to conduct athletic injury prevention research, focused on how growth spurts during puberty may contribute to the risk of knee injuries in young female athletes. In 2016, Ford received the Ruth Ridenhour Scholarly and Professional Achievement Award, which recognizes a full-time HPU faculty member for exemplary accomplishments in their research and creative endeavors.