David R. Gater Jr, MD, PhD

Dr. Gater obtained a B.S. in General Biology, M.S. in Exercise and Sports Sciences, Ph.D. in Physiology and M.D. from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Arizona and Affiliated Hospitals, and residency program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif. Dr. Gater is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Electrodiagnostic Medicine and the subspecialty of Spinal Cord Injury Medicine. He has won several teaching awards and is a passionate lecturer. His research emphasis is on the effects of aerobic and resistance exercise training on glucose and lipid metabolism, obesity/body composition, cardiovascular fitness, neuroplasticity and functional outcomes in spinal cord injury. Dr. Gater, Jr. currently serves as the Chief of Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders at the Department of Veterans Affairs and Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University.