The University of Pittsburgh announced that Jimmy Oñate, PhD, has been named dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, effective June 1, 2026. David Beck, EdD, DMSc, has served the school as interim dean for the past 15 months. Below is the full announcement from Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences, and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean, School of Medicine.
I am excited to share that James “Jimmy” Oñate, PhD, AT, FNATA, an international leader in human movement assessment and injury prevention, will be joining our Pitt Health Sciences leadership team as dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS), effective June 1, 2026.
Beyond his extensive accomplishments in movement assessment, injury risk mitigation and human performance optimization, Dr. Oñate is recognized for his people-centered leadership, focus on collaboration and development, and a strong commitment to advancing student, faculty, staff and research infrastructure.
Dr. Oñate’s career spans clinical practice, research, teaching and senior academic leadership. He joins the University of Pittsburgh from The Ohio State University, where he currently serves as interim vice dean for health and rehabilitation sciences, interim director of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and professor in the Division of Athletic Training. He is also a proud first-generation college graduate and certified and licensed athletic trainer. His leadership is widely lauded by peers, staff members and students for emphasizing passion, joy, service, reflection and meaningful action.
Consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the United States Special Operations Command and other leading funders in his fields, Dr. Oñate’s research has helped shape injury prevention and patient care across athletic, military and first responder populations. His scholarship includes more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and eight book chapters, and his work has played a foundational role in shaping integrated human performance and sports medicine models.
Dr. Oñate is a fellow of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), current vice president of research at NATA Research and Education Foundation and a founding chair of the foundation’s Athletic Training Research Agenda Committee. He also serves as associate editor of the Journal of Athletic Training. As an educator, Dr. Oñate has guided development and accreditation of a Master of Athletic Training program and has mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students and faculty and staff members. He earned his master’s degree in exercise science and his PhD in human movement sciences with an emphasis in motor learning and biomechanics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
I would like to extend my special thanks to interim SHRS dean David Beck, EdD, DMSc, for his valuable stewardship of SHRS through a time of transition. Thanks as well to Amy Seybert, PharmD, dean of the School of Pharmacy, for leading the search committee and all committee members for their service. Please join me in welcoming Jimmy Oñate to Pitt Health Sciences and wishing him well in his new role.