Naomi Lynn Gerber, MD
Professor
Director, Center for Study of Chronic Illness and Disability

Unit: Department of Global and Community Health
Mail Stop: 5B7
Office Location: Robinson A401A
Phone: 703-993-1940
Email: ngerber1@gmu.edu

Download Dr. Gerber's Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Gerber is currently the Director of the Center for Study of Chronic Illness and Disability at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. In this capacity, she is responsible for developing a research program to help describe the mechanisms by which disease produces disability and explore treatments that can prevent or reduce disabilities and restore function. She graduated from Smith College, Magna Cum Laude, Tufts University School of Medicine; and received medical training at the New England Medical Center, fellowship in rheumatology at NIH and residency training in PM&R at George Washington University.

Dr. Gerber served as Chief, Rehabilitation Medicine Department (RMD), in the Clinical Center of National Institutes of Health, a position held from 1975-2005. In this capacity, she assured the quality of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) service for all referred NIH patients with impairments & disability. She also provided support and collaboration for all NIH investigators by providing standardized treatment for impairments and disabilities; and by devising, selecting and administering functional outcome measures. Under her supervision, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development, RMD developed a state of the art, program driven research section which studies human movement. Dr. Gerber is on staff at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) and ran a teaching clinic on foot management as part of a bilateral agreement between NIH & NRH. For 2 years (1988-2000) she was director of PM&R at Georgetown University School of Medicine, in addition to her NIH position, where she developed a rehabilitation research residency training program.

Dr. Gerber is board certified in internal medicine, rheumatology and PM&R. Much of her clinical research interest has been centered on measuring and treating impairments and disability in patients with musculoskeletal deficits; in particular, children with osteogenesis imperfecta, persons with rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. Much of her collaborative work has been studying pathomechanics and how patients with a variety of disorders compensate for impairments to preserve function. Dr. Gerber is a reviewer for medical specialty journals and is section editor for the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She has served on many advisory boards, has reviewed academic programs and has been a grant reviewer for federal agencies.

Dr. Gerber chaired the Research Advisory Committee of the Academy of PM&R, from 2000-2005 and now serves on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Gerber has authored/co-authored 90 peer reviewed, published manuscripts and 45 Chapters in major textbooks (Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, Cancer, Rehabilitation et al.). 

Recent Publications:

Mansky P, Arai A, Stratton P, Bernstein D, Long L, Reynolds J, Chen D, Steinberg SM, Lavende N, Hoffman K, Nathan PC, Parks R, Augustine E, Chaudhry U, Derdak J,  Wiener L, Gerber L, Mackall C. Treatment late effects in long-term survivors of pediatric sarcoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2006 Apr 26; [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 16642490

Mansky P, Sannes T, Wallerstedt D, Ge A, Ryan M, Johnson LL, Chesney M, Gerber L. T’a i Chi Chuan : Mind Body Practice or Exercise Intervention? Studying the Benefit for cancer survivors. Integr Cancer Ther 2006; 5:192-201

Pavletic SZ, Martin P, Lee SJ, Mitchell S, Jacobsohn D, Cowen EW, Turner ML, Akpek G, Gilman A, McDonald G, Schubert M, Berger A, Bross P, Chien JW, Couriel D, Dunn JP, Fall-Dickson J, Farrell A, Flowers ME, Greinix H, Hirschfeld S, Gerber L, Kim S, Knobler R, Lachenbruch PA, Miller FW, Mittleman B, Papadopoulos E, Parsons SK, Przepiorka D, Robinson M, Ward M, Reeve B, Rider LG, Shulman H, Schultz KR, Weisdorf D, Vogelsang GB; Response Criteria Working Group. Measuring therapeutic response in chronic graft-versus-host disease: National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: IV. Response Criteria Working Group report. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2006 Mar;12(3):252-66. PMID: 16503494

Couriel D, Carpenter PA, Cutler C, Balamos-Meade J, Treister Ns, Gea-Banacloche J, Shaughnessy P, Hymes S, Kim S, Wayne AS, Chien JW, Neumann J, Mitchell S, Syrjala K, Moravec CK, Abramovitz L, Liebermann J, Berger A, Gerber L, Schubert M, Filipovich AH, Weisdorf D, Schubert MM, Shulman H, Schultz K, Mittelman B, Pavletic S, Vogelsang GB, Martin PJ, Lee SJ, Flowers ME. Ancillary therapy and supportive care of chronic graft-versus-host disease: national institutes of health consensus development project on criteria for clinical trials in chronic graft-versus-host disease: V. Ancillary Therapy and Supportive Care Working Group Report. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2006 Apr;12(4):375-96. PMID 16545722

Frattali C, Hanna R, McGinty AS, Gerber L, Wesley R, Grafman J, Coelho C. Effect of prefrontal cortex damage on resolving lexical ambiguity in text. Brain Lang. 2006 Nov 6; [Epub ahead of print]

Perry MB, Suwannarat P, Furst GP, Gahl WA, Gerber LH. Musculoskeletal findings and disability in alkaptonuria.J Rheumatol. 2006 Nov;33(11):2280-5. Epub 2006 Sep 15.

Gerber LH, Hoffman K, Chaudhry U, Augustine E, Parks R, Bernad M, Mackall C, Steinberg S, Mansky P. Functional outcomes and life satisfaction in long-term survivors of pediatric sarcomas. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2006 Dec;87(12):1611-7.

Mansky P, Arai A, Stratton P, Bernstein D, Long L, Reynolds J, Chen D, Steinberg SM, Lavende N, Hoffman K, Nathan PC, Parks R, Augustine E, Chaudhry U, Derdak J, Wiener L, Gerber L, Mackall C. Treatment late effects in long-term survivors of pediatric sarcoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2007 Feb;48(2):192-9.

Wagner AK, McElligott J, Chan L, Wagner EP 2nd, Segal NA, Gerber LH. How Gender Impacts Career Development and Leadership in Rehabilitation Medicine: A Report From the AAPM&R Research Committee. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007 May;88(5):560-8.

Frattali C, Hanna R, McGinty AS, Gerber L, Wesley R, Grafman J, Coelho C. Effect of prefrontal cortex damage on resolving lexical ambiguity in text. Brain Lang. 2007; 102:99-113.

Simone  NL, Soule BP, Gerber L, Augustine e, Smith S, Altemus RA, Mitchell J, Camphausen KA. Oral pirfenidone in patients with chronic fibrosis resulting from radiotherapy: A pilot study. Radiat Oncol, 2007; 31:19-24.

Dan AA, Kallman JB, Wheeler A, Younoszai Z, Collantes R, Bondini S, Gerber L, Younossi ZM. Health related quality of life in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2007; 26:815-820

Hoffman KE, Derdak J, Bernstein D, Reynolds JD, Avila NA, Gerber l, Steinberg SM, Chrousos G, Mackall CL, Mansky PM. Metabolic syndrome traits in long term survivors of pediatric sarcoma. Pediatr Blood Ca, October 2007.

Parks R, Cintas HL, Chaffin MC, Gerber L. Brief Assessment of Motor Function: Content Validity and Reliability of the Fine Motor Scale. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2007 Winter;19(4):315-325. PMID: 18004200 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Educational Background:

• Tufts University School of Medicine MD 1967-1971 Medicine
• Harvard University, Boston, MA 1965-1966 Medical sciences
• Smith College, Northampton, MA BA 1961-1965 Pre-medical/philosophy