Clifford E. Brubaker, Ph.D.

Clifford E. Brubaker, who has served as professor and dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences for nearly 25 years, will step down from the deanship on July 1.

Brubaker joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1991 when the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences was Pitt’s newest and smallest school. During his tenure, the school’s enrollment has grown from 300 to 1,467 students, and its externally funded research has surged from $200,000 to more than $23.3 million. Brubaker, through his early establishment of the Center for Assistive Technology and a rehabilitation-engineering research program as well as other initiatives, succeeded in making Pitt a forerunner in the nascent field of rehabilitation science. 

“Throughout his long tenure, Dean Brubaker has dedicated himself to the attainment of excellence in every aspect of SHRS’s development. He has guided the constant growth of SHRS’s academic and research programs, both in number and quality, with remarkable managerial skill and vision. The more than 100-fold growth in research productivity during Dr. Brubaker’s tenure is almost beyond belief,” said Arthur S. Levine, Pitt’s senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of Medicine. 

Brubaker, a Distinguished Service Professor of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, also holds appointments in Pitt’s McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Department of Neurological Surgery, and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

The Provost’s Office recently announced that nine Pitt faculty members have been appointed as Distinguished Professors, a distinction that affirms extraordinary, internationally recognized scholarly attainment in a discipline or field. Another four faculty members were named Distinguished Service Professors, a title that recognizes distinctive contributions and outstanding service (e.g., professional, regional, national, international) to the University community in support of its multifaceted teaching/research/service mission, as well as performance excellence in the faculty member’s department or school and national stature in his or her discipline or field.

Clifford Brubaker has served as a professor and dean of Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences since 1991. He has professorial appointments in rehabilitation science, neurological surgery, regenerative medicine, and Pitt’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Brubaker received his PhD degree in 1968 in exercise physiology from the University of Oregon. A codirector of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center, Brubaker has worked in the areas of biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, and assistive technology for nearly 30 years. He has been awarded four U.S. patents for inventions relating to mobility and seating.