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An alum of the 51Ʒ�� College of Osteopathic Medicine has been named a top physician in the state of Rhode Island by .

Claudia A. Wheeler, D.O. ’04, FAAPMR, a board-certified physiatrist, recently received the honor for the eighth time, having been included in a list of Rhode Island’s Top Doctors 2021, which includes 235 physicians in 53 specialties.

To determine the state’s top doctors, Rhode Island Monthly asked Rhode Island licensed M.D.s and D.O.s to vote for doctors they would trust to care for their families and friends in a range of specialties. The magazine narrowed the list to the top 16% of vote-getters who received at least nine votes in each category.

Wheeler is the medical director of Adult Outpatient Rehabilitation at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, both in the state capital of Providence. She is an assistant professor and clinician educator in the Department of Neurosurgery at The Alpert Medical School at Brown University and has expertise in the areas of neurorehabilitation, spasticity management, orthotics and prosthetics, and wheelchairs/seating.

“I am honored that my physician peers trust me with the care of their patients, families, and themselves,” said Wheeler, a Rhode Island native. “My goal is to ensure access to high-quality health care for patients with disabilities. Each time that I have been named a Top Doctor, I have been humbled that my passion for caring for patients with disabilities continues to shine through despite the many challenges we face in medicine.”

Wheeler was the recipient of the 2004 Sauter Award for Graduate with Distinction, which recognizes the student whom College of Osteopathic Medicine faculty would choose to be their own physician.

In her time at UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine, Wheeler served as a pre-doctoral anatomy and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) fellow. As part of her fellowship, she carried a caseload of OMM patients, taught anatomy, and learned to lecture. She also was given the opportunity to visit RiverRidge Center in Kennebunk, a facility that provides specialized post-acute brain injury care and stroke rehabilitation. 

“My time at RiverRidge was my first exposure to the team approach of physiatry and the magic of neurorehabilitation, which has shaped my career,” Wheeler said. “I am blessed with the opportunity to partner with my patients as they embark on a journey to regain independence.”