Dr. Nova Hou

Dr. Nova Hou brings a dynamic blend of clinical expertise and public health advocacy to Stanford Medicine. Originally from Houston, she earned her MD and MPH concurrently before completing her Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in partnership with the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. She went on to complete advanced fellowship training in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab/Northwestern University in Chicago.

A passionate advocate for disability rights and public health, Dr. Hou will provide physiatry consults at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and see patients in outpatient clinics in Palo Alto and Sunnyvale.

I am honored to join our Pediatric PM&R team at Stanford University. I can't wait to help grow our program, and look forward to collaborating with our peds and adult colleagues of all disciplines.

A wonderful new article featuring Dr. Michael Fredericson in the SF chronicle. 

Dr. Michael Fredericson and Dr. Emily Kraus joined forces at the Female Athlete Research Meeting (FARM) to highlight cutting-edge advances in women’s athletic health. Dr. Kraus, Director of Stanford’s Female Athlete Science and Translational Research (FASTR) Program, co-moderated the session, while Dr. Fredericson, Head Team Physician for Stanford Track & Field and Swimming, presented new insights from the Healthy Runner Project. Together, they continue to drive innovation in understanding and optimizing female athlete performance and well-being.

Click here to learn more!

Dr. Rittenberg is a board-certified, fellowship-trained physiatrist with over 20 years of experience specializing in rehabilitative and interventional spine care. In his clinical practice, he offers expert diagnosis and treatment of painful spinal conditions, with a particular focus on interventional pain management. His extensive experience spans a wide range of spinal disorders, including sports-related spine injuries.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Rittenberg has been an active volunteer and leader in several prominent professional organizations. He has held leadership roles within the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), the North American Spine Society (NASS), and the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS). In 2023, he was honored to serve as President of IPSIS.

Reflecting on his term, Dr. Rittenberg shared the following:

One of the great things about being president is that I got to take credit for a lot of the amazing work that our organization does.  We have an incredible staff who organize our many events each year, including the Annual Meeting, Winter Seminar, European Congress, and many Bio-skills and hands on labs.

In addition, it is our incredibly talented volunteer members and committee leaders who make our society stand out as the leader in our field as we contribute to the advancement of science and standards in interventional pain medicine.

In 2025 we successfully held our first Asian-Pacific Congress in Hanoi, Vietnam, with over 200 attendees. 2024 marked the completion of our “Technical Manual”, comprised of 4 volumes with step-by-step descriptions of meticulous techniques accompanied by high quality fluoroscopic, MRI, and cadaveric images.

It was a monumental project over several years, with 85 contributing authors and a senior editor, Dr. Tim Maus from Mayo Clinic, who spearheaded the project that included over 3000 images and 1250 pages.

I am proud that we created an Early Career Council in 2023, dedicated to create more opportunities for physicians in training or 1 to 2 years to become involved in the society and access mentorship to help them along as they begin their career path.

These are just a few of the things that come to mind. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve a society that has been transformational for me since joining in 1999.

September 2025, the Stanford PM&R community — including alumni, current residents, fellows, and faculty — came together for a dynamic mixer during IPSIS 2025. It was an evening filled with meaningful reconnections, spirited celebration, and a shared sense of purpose.

A heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Joshua Rittenberg, whose exemplary leadership as IPSIS President over the past two years has left a lasting impact. Your dedication and vision have truly inspired the next generation of leaders in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Dr. Lisa Huynh is an accomplished interventional spine physiatrist at the Stanford University Spine Center and currently serves as the Assistant Residency Program Director for the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R).

We are proud to announce Dr. Huynh as our new NASS Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship Director.

Her leadership and clinical expertise will be instrumental in advancing the fellowship program’s mission of excellence in education, research, and patient care.

Our Stanford PM&R Alumni had an enriching experience at both the IPSIS in Boston and the AAPM&R Annual Assembly in San Diego in 2024! Stanford PM&R is dedicated to fostering strong relationships within our alumni network. If you need to update your contact information to stay informed about future activities and opportunities, please reach out to Erin Hart, ejhart@stanford.edu. We greatly value your ongoing connection and contributions to our Stanford PM&R community, and we look forward to continuing to engage with you! If there's anything specific you would like to discuss or ask, feel free to let us know!

We're thrilled to feature the remarkable work of Dr. Emily Kraus in the below video, hosted by the Stanford University School of Engineering.

Her tireless efforts in promoting wellness amongst women and athletes truly embodies Stanford's commitment to exceptional care. We invite you to watch and gain insight into her impactful work!

Emily Kraus, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Anne Goldring and Dr. Andrew Collins to the PM&R Team at Stanford!

Dr. Anne Goldring joined us in October 2023 as a Clinical Assistant Professor in PM&R Spine & Sports. She will be serving our patient community in the Stanford Medicine TriValley Pleasanton location.

Dr. Andrew Collins joined us in January 2024, following his attending role in Pediatric Rehabilitation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Stanford PM&R division, with his practice location primarily residing in Palo Alto, CA/LPCH.

Please join us in double congratulating Dr. Lisa Huynh’s appointment as our new Assistant Program Director for the PM&R Residency Program, and her promotion to Clinical Associate Professor!  Dr. Huynh has been an integral part of our department as well as the education program for our residents!

Stanford Sports Medicine Fellows Drs. Anne Kuwabara, Cameron Fausett, and Jessica Tsao, gave last week’s AMSSM Sports Ultrasound Case Series lecture on US findings of Bone Stress Injuries. A must watch! See the video on AMSSM’s YouTube channel.

Dr. Michael Fredericson is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, head physician for Stanford’s Track and Field team, Stanford Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sports Medicine Fellowship Director, and one of the 2020 Olympics team physician! On top of caring for a variety of athletes and injuries, he plays a special role in evaluating and monitoring for COVID-19.

Dr. Fredericson notes of particular, the inclusion of mental health professionals for the first time this year, and the learning experience gained from working alongside physicians from around the world. We are very proud of Dr. Fredericson and his contributions to the sports world. Check out this full article

Congratulations to Dr. Joshua Levin and Dr. Eugene Roh on their promotions to Clinical Associate Professor!

Dr. Joshua Levin is a physician, clinical educator, and researcher. He is Director of the PM&R Spine Fellowship, Interim Director of the PM&R Residency program, and a member of both Orthopedic Surgery and Neurosurgery departments at Stanford University. Dr. Levin serves on multiple committees, and treats the healthcare community in the areas of Back Pain, Bursitis, Cervical Myelopathy, Electromyography (EMG), Epidural Steroid Injection, Herniated Disc, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Nerve Conduction Study, Radiofrequency Ablation, Sciatica (Lumbar Radiculopathy), and Spinal Stenosis.

Dr. Eugene Roh specializes in Achilles Tendon Injury, Elbow Pain and Problems, Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, Osteoarthritis, Rotator Cuff Injury, Shoulder Sports Injuries, Sports-Related Injuries, and Tendon/Ligament Problems. He is a triple board sports medicine specialist and started the sports & musculoskeletal ultrasound clinic in the Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine departments. Additionally, he is the Director of the Stanford Musculoskeletal Sports Ultrasound Medicine Service. Dr. Roh was one of Team USA's physicians during the 2018 Olympic games, worked during the NBA finals, and serves as a team physician for the SF 49ers, Stanford Men's Soccer, Golf, Fencing, and Wrestling.

Check out the new NASS (North American Spine Society) Spine Care Landmark Reading List. Stanford PM&R Faculty and Program Graduates are prominently featured in this list which includes 19 surgical papers and 24 medical and interventional papers.

Stanford PM&R faculty authored 25% of the medical papers and another 4 papers are authored by recent graduates from our residency program and spine fellowship program, creating a Stanford PM&R presence in more than 40% of the papers in the NASS List! Congrats to Stanford Faculty Drs. Matthew Smuck, Josh Levin, and Lisa Huynh, as well as Stanford Program Graduates Drs. Patricia Zheng (now at UCSF) and Byron Schneider (now at Vanderbilt), and to all of those who helped them in their well-recognized work - we are so proud of their amazing contributions to the field of Spine Intervention!

Dr. Michael Fredericson is a PM&R Professor, Fellowship Director, Researcher, and most importantly, an extraordinary human being. He continues to find new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat the multitude of sports injuries, both for professional athletes and weekend warriors alike. We are so very honored to have access to his experience for both our Residency and Fellowship Programs. Dr. Fredericson has quite a few recently published articles and a news news report which speak to his expertise for both health challenges and sports injury - we invite you to take a look at some of them:

Dr. Stanek has taken on the challenge of putting together a team of Stanford Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Sports Medicine and ENT physicians to address the treatments for injuries and conditions caused in the work of performing artists.  This innovative and collaborative program focuses on cutting-edge research and exceptional patient care to diagnose and effectively treat injuries for these patients.  This program is one of the first that focuses on this patient population.  We are so proud of Dr. Stanek and the team.

Please visit the Performing Arts Medicine Program page for more information.