Michael L. Boninger, M.D., is the director of the University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury (UPMC-SCI) and a professor and interim chair in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds adjunct appointments in the department of rehabilitation science and technology and the department of mechanical engineering.
Dr. Boninger is Associate Dean for Medical Student Research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
He also serves as medical director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a joint venture between University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the University of Pittsburgh and the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and a Center of Excellence for Wheelchairs and Related Technology.
Dr. Boninger earned both his medical degree and bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Ohio State University. 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 the University of Pittsburgh. He received a Clinical Investigative Development Award from the National Institutes of Health through the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research. In addition, he was honored by the Association of Academic Physiatrists with the Young Academician Award and by the University of Pittsburgh as an outstanding faculty member at an honors convocation.
Board-certified in both physical medicine and electrodiagnostic medicine, Dr. Boninger has published more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters related to wheelchairs, causes of upper extremity pain in individuals who rely on manual wheelchairs for mobility, biomechanics of repetitive strain injuries, and appropriate utilization of assistive technology.