Michael L. Boninger, M.D.
Dr. Michael L. Boninger is associate dean for medical student research in the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.  He also serves as interim chair and professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has secondary appointments in Bioengineering and Rehabilitation Science and Technology.  In addition, he is director of the University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury (UPMC-SCI).

Dr. Boninger graduated from Ohio State University with a medical doctorate and an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. He received his specialty training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Michigan Medical Center where he was chief resident. After his residency program, Dr. Boninger completed a National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) fellowship in assistive technology at Pitt before joining the faculty here in 1994.

Concerning publications, Dr. Boninger has written over 100 peer reviewed journal articles and numerous book chapters and extended abstracts regarding his field of study.  He has lectured internationally on the topics of wheelchair propulsion, assistive technology, and the biomechanics of repetitive strain injury. Dr. Boninger also holds two U.S. patents.

In 2006, Dr. Boninger was selected for the National Spinal Cord Injury Association Hall of Fame. In 2004, he won the VA Stars and Stripes Healthcare Network Annual Award for Research Achievement and was elected as a Fellow in the American Institute for Medical Biomedical Engineering (AIMBE). In 2002, Dr. Boninger was honored with the Pittsburgh Business Times Health Care Hero Award for Innovation and Research.

Dr. Boninger’s current research interests are:

  • Medical student research education
  • The bioengineering of assistive technology
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Wheelchair propulsion biomechanics
  • Secondary disabilities in wheelchair users
  • Upper extremity pain in wheelchair users, and
  • The diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome

CONTACT INFORMATION

Michael L. Boninger, M.D.
Phone: (412) 648-6975
Email: boninger@pitt.edu