Ray de Leon '90, Ph.D. '98

Cal State Los Angeles recognized Ray de Leon '90, Ph.D. '98, for excellence in the classroom and service to the community during the 2018 University Fall Convocation.

de Leon, a professor of kinesiology in the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services at Cal State LA, was one of four professors honored for excellence in teaching and significant achievement in scholarly inquiry or creativity, as well as professional activities and community service, during the August 17 event.

An expert in exercise therapies for spinal cord injury, de Leon pioneered the use of robotic devices for gait rehabilitation in rodent models. His findings led to the development of new devices used to treat paralysis after spinal cord injury and stroke. He has secured grants totaling more than $4.2 million, which have supported more than 80 Cal State LA students in research projects, and he has authored over 50 papers that were published in top journals, such as The Journal of Neuroscience and The Journal of Neurotrauma.

de Leon is director of the university’s School of Kinesiology and Nutritional Science. He is also the founder of the Mobility Center at Cal State LA, which has helped more than 300 people with disabilities get access to exercise therapy. He helped develop rehabilitation and therapeutic exercise curriculum in kinesiology. This curriculum emphasizes community service and has received multiple awards and special recognition from Congress, the California Legislature and the City of Los Angeles.

de Leon received his B.S. degree in kinesiology and his Ph.D. in physiological science.