Co-Directors
Jessie Oldham, PhD
Jessie Oldham is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the VCU School of Medicine and Co-Chair of the Female Athlete Research Development Group in the VCU Institute for Women’s Health. She is also an NIH Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Scholar. She completed her PhD in Applied Physiology at the University of Delaware in 2018 and was a postdoctoral fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital from 2018-2021. Her current research efforts are focused on the underpinnings of the concussion and subsequent musculoskeletal injury relationship, including the role of sex differences and assessment of single- and dual-task postural control, visual dysfunction, and psychophysiological measures.
Contact Dr. Oldham at jessie.oldham@vcuhealth.org
Samuel Walton, PhD, ATC
Sam Walton is an Assistant Professor in Physical medicine in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University-School of Medicine and a Research Associate at the Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He earned his Ph.D. in Sports Medicine at the University of Virginia (2019); and completed postdoctoral training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2019-2022). His general research interests are: 1) acute recognition and management of concussion; 2) short- and long-term effects of concussion in sport and military populations; 3) brain health promotion across the lifespan (e.g., via health-related behaviors like exercise, diet, and sleep); and, 4) transition experiences of athletes and military personnel to life after sport/service.
Contact Dr. Walton at Samuel.walton@vcuhealth.org
Landon Lempke, PhD, ATC
Landon Lempke is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University-School of Medicine. He completed his PhD at the University of Georgia in 2021, and postdocs at Boston Children’s Hospital and the University of Michigan in 2022 and 2023, respectively. His current research focuses on functional reaction time, human movement biomechanics, objective return to play decision-making, and clinical optimization techniques related to concussion healthcare. To learn more about his work, please visit the faculty expertise profile or PubMed link.
Contact Dr. Lempke at landon.lempke@vcuhealth.org
Alexandra DeJong Lempke, PhD, ATC
Dr. DeJong Lempke is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation within the School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. She completed her PhD at the University of Virginia in 2021, and a postdoctoral research fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2022. Her research agenda aims to assess and address factors contributing to the development of repetitive stress running-related musculoskeletal injuries. She leverages wearable sport technologies to conduct field-based biomechanical assessments and gait-training interventions, and examines underlying physiological contributors to injury and recovery, such as musculotendinous health through ultrasound imaging assessments.
Contact Dr. DeJong Lempke at Alexandra.lempke@vcuhealth.org