Riann Palmieri-Smith, PhD, ATC

Dr. Riann Palmieri-Smith is a professor of Athletic Training and director of the Orthopedic Rehabilitation and Biomechanics (ORB) Laboratory at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. She also serves as program chair for Athletic Training. Dr. Palmieri-Smith ​completed her PhD in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training at the University of Virginia and is a certified athletic trainer.

Dr. Palmieri-Smith researches the neuromuscular consequences of joint injury, including functional limitations and biomechanical adaptations resulting from arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI), and the neural networks in initiating AMI. She is also interested in the role of traumatic knee injury in the development of degenerative joint disease.

Dr. Palmieri-Smith has published nearly 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Athletic Training, Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, and the International Journal of Neuroscience. She has given more than 80 presentations for organizations like the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, International Ankle Symposium, and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Convention. She has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Athletic Training, Journal of Applied Biomechanics, and Sports Health: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach. She has also reviewed manuscripts for the American Journal of Sports Medicine, Ergonomics, and Muscle and Nerve.

Dr. Palmieri-Smith has received more than $3 million in grant funding from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development, National Athletic Trainers’ Research & Education Foundation, and the National Football League. She has also received multiple awards for her work, including the New Investigator Award from the National Athletic Trainers’ Research & Education Foundation. She earned Fellow status in the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) in 2017.