Binder-Macleod studies segmental motor control, which looks at how the brainstem and spinal cord control muscle forces. Specifically, his work has focused on identifying the electrical stimulation parameters to optimize muscle force and minimize muscle fatigue. He is considered a leading authority on the use of functional electrical stimulation to improve walking in patients who have had a stroke.  

He came to UD intending to focus mostly on his research, a mission he accomplished with more than 130 publications, more than 115 scientific presentations and nearly 60 invited national and international scientific talks in his time at UD. But when the physical therapy department needed someone to take over the reins, Binder-Macleod stepped up — with an ambitious goal. 

“We said if we are going to grow this physical therapy department, we are going to grow it to be the best in the nation,” said Binder-Macleod, who was named the Edward L. Ratledge Endowed Professor of Physical Therapy in 2006, the first endowed professorship in the department. 

Binder-Macleod served as chair of the Department of Physical Therapy from 1998 to 2014. His tenure is credited with building on, developing and expanding the program through strategic faculty hires, support of early-career faculty and growing the department’s research base. It was also during this time that the Delaware Physical Therapy Clinic took shape as a one-of-a-kind learning experience for UD students. 

“It looks like a PT clinic, but what they are walking into is a classroom,” Binder-Macleod said. “It’s an opportunity for faculty to engage in outstanding clinical research and a way to serve as a standard of practice, not just for Newark, Delaware, but for the nation.” 

Greg Hicks, deputy dean of the College of Health Sciences, is a former student of Binder-Macleod’s and later succeeded him as department chair. Hicks credits Binder-Macleod’s example as an educator, administrator and scientist with encouraging him and other students to advance their careers through research and clinical practice.  

“As a young master of physical therapy student here in the 1990s, I was always impressed by the passion that he had for his discipline and the shear strength of his desire for his students to own the material that he was teaching us,” Hicks wrote in a letter of support. 

Making students a priority

Reading through Binder-Macleod’s letters of support for the Alison Award reveals the depth of his commitment to helping others grow as researchers, colleagues and clinicians. Colleagues such as Conor J. Walsh, an associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Harvard University, noted that while Binder-Macleod’s research prowess is internationally recognized, his impact also can be found in his mentees, who have taken roles at universities and organizations around the country. 

“It is clear that UD is at the ‘center of the universe’ when it comes to interdisciplinary, translational, focused research spanning biomechanics, movement science, physiology, physical therapy and biomedical engineering,” wrote Walsh. “Five years ago when I began looking for leading programs in this area to recruit researchers from, it quickly became clear that all roads led back to UD.”  

Students describe Binder-Macleod’s unrelenting commitment to helping them improve, whether it’s through constructive criticism, assisting with a networking opportunity or reminding them of the importance of developing a work-life balance. 

Trisha Kesar, who completed her master’s and doctoral degrees at UD under Binder-Macleod, is now an associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. 

After arriving in Delaware in 2003 from India, Kesar said she was a new graduate student adjusting to the educational culture in a new country. As her adviser, Binder-Macleod was patient and kind but also meticulous and rigorous. He worked with her to edit her journal manuscripts. He encouraged her to pick a dissertation project of her own interest, even if it was different than the typical track of the lab. He helped her successfully compete for independent research funding from the American Heart Association. 

With Binder-Macleod’s help, Kesar published more than 12 research articles in top peer-reviewed journals in her field, all before graduating with her doctorate. 

“During the course of my scientific training and career, although I have worked and communicated with numerous students, postdocs and faculty, Dr. Binder-Macleod has been the most influential role model for my career,” Kesar wrote. “I feel immeasurable pride in the fact that as my Ph.D. adviser, he is my ‘academic father,’ and immense humility in being given the chance to capitalize on the scientific training I received from him to take our field further into the future.” 

Former student Hao-Yuan Hsiao, now an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote: “Stuart is a large part of why I have decided to dedicate my life to rehabilitation science. It is my sincere hope that in the future I can affect students in my professional life as profoundly as he has affected me.” 

Binder-Macleod credits his students with working hard and following his personal rules for success: “I have two mantras: one is, if it’s not fun, don’t do it. Second, never strive for mediocrity.” 

NIH funding leader

Since 2013, Binder-Macleod has also served as the principal investigator of the Delaware Center for Translational Research ACCEL Program, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the state of Delaware. The program, which works to support and expand clinical and translational research in the First State, was renewed for another five-year term last year. 

The ACCEL Program provides infrastructure-building resources such as pilot funding, research design and bio-statistical consultation support, mentoring assistance, and community engagement opportunities to implement and expand clinical and translational research. The goal is to promote innovation, improve health outcomes and advance research careers in Delaware. In the past four years, ACCEL efforts have led to $5.1 million in pilot grants awarded and an additional $31.6 million in external grants to awardees. 

In nominating Binder-Macleod for the Alison Award, Matt noted that few investigators, particularly in the field of physical therapy, have achieved the level of research funding success that Binder-Macleod has. Always the collaborator, Binder-Macleod is more modest in his own assessment. That’s not a surprise for someone who has spent a career building a research network and encouraging others to expand it further. 

“I would love to be known for helping to build a program that demonstrates excellence in physical therapy education, research and service,” he said. “I think having a part in doing that would be great.”