Alumnus lends support to the program that launched his career

Yuemeng Dai, M.D., Ph.D. (Resident '16, Fellow '17), credits much of his success to UT Southwestern's Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Considered one of the Department's "most outstanding residents" by Heakyung Kim, M.D., Chair and Professor of the Department, Dr. Dai is building on that legacy by giving back.

Eric Olson
Yuemeng Dai, M.D., Ph.D.

After earning his M.D. and Ph.D. in China, Dr. Dai came to the United States as a postdoctoral researcher and joined UTSW as a resident and eventually a fellow, concentrating on brain injuries. Since 2019, he has been Medical Director at Dallas' Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital.

Thanks to his academic experiences at UTSW, Dr. Dai now treats patients with needs ranging from stroke recovery to traumatic brain injuries, sports-related concussions, and serious limb fractures.

"What I can tell you about UT Southwestern is that its stellar and knowledgeable faculty provided excellent training in all aspects of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) with a wide variety of patients," Dr. Dai said.

Dr. Dai has a strong desire to continue assisting the Department's resident training and fellowship programs.

"I specifically want to support academic research in addition to helping residents pursue clinical research," he said. "The budget for resident programs can be very limited, but the community as a whole needs more rehab doctors."

Dr. Dai, (third from left) and Heakyung Kim, M.D., (fifth from left) are joined by residents and leaders of the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department.

For Dr. Kim, the impact of Dr. Dai's giving is far-reaching. His contributions improve the residents' experience and create the best training conditions to deliver outstanding patient care.

"Physiatrists are all about function by improving and preventing lifelong disabilities with applying PM&R knowledge and skills - which can translate into lowering overall health care costs and improving quality of life of patients," Dr. Kim said. A leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation, Dr. Kim believes support from alumni like Dr. Dai will "go a long way to expand our ability to provide the best care for all patients."

  • Dr. Kim holds the Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Chair in Mobility Research.