Prakash Jayabalan MD, PhD

As Physician-Scientist Director of the Nancy W. Knowles Strength + Endurance Lab, Dr. Jayabalan directs clinical care and research for inpatients, outpatients and research participants working on building stamina and resilience following illness or injury. In this capacity, he collaborates with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Clinical and Scientific Chairs to ensure scientific discoveries are translated into clinical practice quickly, for the best outcomes.

In addition to his leadership role within the Strength + Endurance Lab, he also serves as an Attending Physician and Director of Clinical Musculoskeletal Research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, as well as Associate Professor in Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R).

Dr. Jayabalan’s research is both clinically relevant and scientifically rigorous. Since joining Shirley Ryan AbilityLab as a Sports Medicine Fellow in 2015, he has developed a sophisticated musculoskeletal research program that focuses primarily on the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis, the most common chronic joint condition. His novel approach includes joint fluid analysis for “biomarkers” of the condition. One of his most widely cited papers demonstrates that a specific collagen breakdown product, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), is modified when a patient’s walking pattern is changed during rehabilitation.

In addition to numerous publications, Dr. Jayabalan has multiple ongoing research projects focused on optimizing the performance, function and recovery of patients with musculoskeletal disease. He has received foundation grants from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Foundation for PM&R, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation.

In 2016, he received an Institutional Clinical Scientist Award (K12) from the Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program, which is sponsored by the NIH’s National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research. Subsequently, in 2019, he received an extremely competitive and prestigious Mentored Career Development Award (KL2) from the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. In 2022, the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) honored Dr. Jayabalan with an Early Career Academician Award, recognizing his excellence in research, teaching and mentorship. In 2023, he received the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) Early PM&R Career Award, which recognizes Academy members who have made an impact on the future of PM&R through distinction in innovation, advocacy, leadership, service or clinical practice within 10 or fewer years in practice.

Dr. Jayabalan earned his Doctor of Medicine, with distinction, from King’s College London. He then earned a PhD in Pathobiology from the University of Missouri and completed his residency in PM&R at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, culminating in his appointment as Chief Resident.