Maya N. Hatch, Ph.D.

Dr. Hatch first started her research career in the Anatomy and Neurobiology department at the Reeve-Irvine Research Center. Her thesis investigated the mechanisms involved in locomotor recovery after transplantation of human-derived neurological cell types in experimental animal models of spinal cord injury. She then transitioned into clinical research during her Advanced Fellowship at the Long Beach VA Medical Center’s SCI/D Center. Her fellowship was divided into two portions. The first was focused on advanced health statistics and modeling in spinal cord injury and the second on the improvement and development of rehabilitation / functional outcomes. During this fellowship Dr. Hatch was also exposed to a variety of innovative technologies that have the potential to transform the ways we track and deliver care. Dr. Hatch’s current research work focuses on functional outcomes development, with a primary focus on upper extremity and balance / postural trunk control outcomes for use in neuromuscular and neurological disorders. During these projects, she tries to incorporate the use of innovative technologies and/or methodologies to produce quantitative outcomes capable of tracking and detecting accurate and meaningful information. Dr. Hatch also continues to collaborate with a group of health economists at the Center for Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare, in Chicago Illinois, investigating various health care utilization patterns in Veterans with spinal cord injury.