Michelle Rank

Dr. Rank is a neurophysiologist and human anatomy education specialist at the University of Melbourne.

Research Expertise
Her central research interest focuses on how the nervous system, especially the spinal cord, adapts and rewires to improve recovery after a spinal cord injury (SCI), or stroke. Her research program directly address two of the most challenging problems in stroke and neurological disease research: how do we prevent widespread neuronal cell death immediately after a stroke or spinal cord injury and how do we promote functional rewiring in surviving neural networks to yield the greatest possible functional recovery for patients?

Educational Expertise
Dr. Rank has a strong track record of teaching excellence in the areas of human anatomy with specialist expertise in neuroanatomy and musculoskeletal anatomy. She is especially passionate about technology driven teaching for large (600+) cohorts of students. Her teaching practice uses novel and engaging strategies, including digital anatomy resources such as VR, AR, and 3rd party apps to enhance student learning outcomes and increase engagement. Michelle is committed to excellence in anatomy teaching and providing an innovative and technology driven learning experience for all students.