Assoc Prof Ceren Yarar-Fisher is an Associate Professor at the UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Her translational research program focuses on understanding the pathophysiology of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in the acute and chronic stages with the purpose of developing novel dietary and rehabilitation strategies to improve neuro-recovery, metabolism, and microbiome composition. Thus, her laboratory is currently developing and testing therapeutic diets and electrical stimulation programs to evaluate new ways to prevent neuronal death and promote recovery and function in the acute stages and improve body composition, gut microbiome composition, and skeletal muscle and metabolic health in the chronic stages of SCI. She has received several NIH and NIDILRR funding to support her investigations in SCI.

She was selected as one of the 10 Outstanding Young Persons of Turkey by Junior Chamber International for her work in Academic leadership and/or accomplishment. She served two years as Treasurer, Chair-Elect, and Chair in American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) SCI-Special Interest Group. She has had the privilege of mentoring a wide variety of students and trainees, including high school students, medical students, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residents, physical therapy students, doctoral students, and post-doctoral trainees. Among her students, over 70% are racial-ethnic minorities.