A Career of Firsts and Lasting Impact
Honoring Dr. Heather Baer's 25 years of innovation, collaboration, and leadership in rehabilitation medicine
PM&R News Jun 1, 2026
Dr. Heather Baer began her medical career at the University of Colorado, where she earned her MD in 1994, followed by an internal medicine internship at St. Joseph’s Hospital. She went on to complete residency training in Neurology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Emory University in 1999.
During her early faculty years at Emory, she played a key role in advancing stroke rehabilitation. She created a novel interdepartmental fellowship in post-stroke recovery, bringing together Neurology, PM&R, and Physical Therapy. At the same time, she helped generate the transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional MRI data that ultimately supported funding for what would become the seminal work in Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy. Remarkably, she accomplished this while serving as both Director of the Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Service and Director of a multidisciplinary outpatient stroke program.
Dr. Baer joined the University of Colorado faculty in 2001, where she has spent the past 25 years building a career defined by clinical excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration, and educational leadership. She has served in numerous roles, including Interim Director of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Service, Co-Director of the Intrathecal Baclofen program with Dr. John Corboy, and Co-Director of an interdisciplinary clinic for adults with spina bifida with Dr. Joyce Oleszek. She also worked closely with Dr. William Jones to help develop the stroke program into a Level 1 Stroke Center and co-directed a comprehensive post-stroke clinic.
Dr. Baer’s research and scholarship while at CU included collaborative work with Dr. Margeret Schenkman on exercise for Parkinson disease, Ollie Wortheimer on Dance for PD, and Dr. Jim Carollo’s team at Children’s Hospital Colorado on aging with Cerebral Palsy.
In 2007, Dr. Baer became the first physiatrist in the country to complete a fellowship in Movement Disorders Neurology, after which she received a secondary appointment in Neurology. She is now widely recognized as an expert in movement disorders rehabilitation, as well as in the management of complex hypertonia and dystonia. Importantly, she has helped elevate the role of PM&R in the care of patients with Parkinson disease on a national level.
Her work has consistently bridged disciplines. She served as the PM&R advisor to the Deep Brain Stimulation Program, collaborating across neurosurgery, neurology, radiology, and neuropsychology. She also co-founded and co-directed a satellite Parkinson’s Disease Center of Excellence in Boulder.
Dr. Baer has also been deeply committed to education and program development. She served as Associate Program Director for Clinical Competency and was the founding chair of the department’s Clinical Competency Committee. She was the first physician in the department to complete the Teaching Scholars Program and the first to be elected to the Academy of Medical Educators. Nationally, she contributed to graduate medical education through her work on the ACGME Milestones 2.0 Committee.
Throughout her career, she has been recognized not only for her expertise, but also for her dedication to learners and patients. She has consistently received outstanding evaluations from residents and fellows and is held in particularly high regard within the Parkinson disease community.
CU PM&R congratulates Dr. Baer for her remarkable career and well-earned retirement.
