Our Team

“Rice University has a great track record of integrating its expertise in kinesiology and Rice athletics. With the patient care leadership of Houston Methodist, we realized that we had all the ingredients to create a premier center for human performance and so the idea was born.”

– Thomas Killian, PhD, Dean, Weiss School of Natural Sciences, Rice University

Patrick McCulloch, MD
Co-Director, Center for Human Performance

Dr. McCulloch is the John S. Dunn Chair in Orthopedic Surgery in the Houston Methodist Department of Orthopedic Surgery and a Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery. He is an internationally recognized orthopedic surgeon with sub-specialty expertise in sports medicine and arthroscopy. He is engaged in clinical and laboratory research in the field of sports medicine. His interests include articular cartilage injury and repair, ligament and tendon healing and joint stability.

Augusto Rodriguez, PhD
Co-Director, Center for Human Performance

Dr. Rodriguez is the chair of the Rice University Kinesiology Department, an Associate Teaching Professor and the Sports Medicine Director and Advisor. He teaches courses in health sciences and sports medicine, including epidemiology, exercise epidemiology, statistics for the health professional, and research methods. His research interest is in obesity prevention, physical activity and fitness in minority children. He is a Certified Physical Education Teacher at all levels in Texas.

Nadia Agha, PhD
Co-Laboratory Manager, Rice Academic Research; Rice University Liaison

Dr. Agha is a Lecturer in the Rice University Kinesiology Department. As the Center’s co-laboratory manager, she connects research opportunities within the center that would be a good fit for the faculty, students and staff at Rice University and integrates interested parties with the center’s research initiatives. Her research focuses on how exercise training can contribute to improved quality of life in patients with varying diseases including cancer, neuromuscular diseases, and diabetes.

Bradley Lambert, PhD
Manager, Center for Human Performance

Dr. Lambert is a research physiologist in the Houston Methodist Department of Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and an adjunct faculty in the Rice University Department of Kinesiology. As the Center’s manager, he operates the joint facility. Dr. Lambert researches novel approaches to improving functionality, health, and quality of life in various populations, integrating applied exercise physiology, orthopedics, skeletal muscle metabolism, chronic exercise training interventions, amino acid metabolism, patient rehabilitation, biomechanics, biostatistics, and patient outcomes.

Jordan Ankersen, PhD
Clinical Research Engineer, Center for Human Performance

Dr. Ankersen recently completed her PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a specialty in Motion Biomechanics and Computational Biomechanics. Her research focuses on the kinematic and kinetic analysis of human motion for a number of clinically relevant applications. Dr. Ankersen is passionate about the development of new computational tools to drive the field of biomechanics forward and drive the use of biomechanics technologies for new and innovative applications.

Haley Goble, MHA, CCRC
Clinical Trials Manager, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Ms. Goble helps execute research at the Center for Human Performance, the Houston Methodist Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and the Houston Ballet to better understand injuries and preventative measures in these fields. Some of her key roles are to coordinate research projects, work with patients to determine studies in which they may be eligible to participate, organize study schedules and purchases, and assist in maintaining the integrity of the research submission process.

Kevin Varner, MD
Chair, Department of Orthopedic Surgery

Dr. Varner is the C. James and Carole Walter Looke Presidential Distinguished Centennial Chair in Orthopedics and Departmental Chair at the Houston Methodist Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He specializes in foot an ankle disorders, specifically tibia fractures and sports-related injuries of the foot and ankle. He serves as the head team physician for the Houston Ballet and is the assistant team orthopedic surgeon for the Houston Texans, the Houston Dynamo and the University of Houston.