Samuel R. Ward, P.T., Ph.D. is a Professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery, Radiology, and Bioengineering at UC San Diego and he is the Senior Associate Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation.

Dr. Ward received Physical Therapy degree from California State University Long Beach (1997), his PhD from USC (2003) and moved to UC San Diego for a post-doctoral fellowship (2006). He is a clinician-scientist and his research program focuses on musculoskeletal design and plasticity. He has published 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has been continuously funded by the NIH, DoD, and other agencies since he started his faculty appointment in 2006. His scientific accomplishments include defining the structural features of human skeletal muscle that predict function in the extremities and spine. This work has been extended to understand normal and pathological muscle biology and physiology in the presence of joint disease. His current focus is on understanding chronic muscle atrophy and cell death in mature adults, with an emphasis on the use of stem cells and regenerative medicine approaches to treat these disease processes. His work has led to career achievement awards including the Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Marion Williams Award from the American Physical Therapy Association. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Orthopaedic Research Society, American Physical Therapy Association, and a Distinguished Alumn at the University of Southern California and California State University Long Beach.

Sam is also an avid craftsman, photographer, and outdoorsman. His artistic work has been featured and won awards at several local and state competitions.