Pr Stéphane Sobczak - Presentation and functions at UQTR

Professor Stéphane Sobczak is Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières. He graduated from Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB – Belgium) with a MSc in physical therapy and with a MSc in Motor Sciences, major in Manual therapy respectively in 2001 and 2003. Following his MSc in Motor control sciences he became assistant professor in the laboratory of Anatomy, Biomechanics and Organogenesis of the Faculty of Medicine of the same University. He has conducted extensive research in the fields of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation and received his PhD in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences in January 2012. Before arriving at UQTR, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Texas Tech Center University of Health Sciences (TTUHSC), Lubbock, Texas, in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. After his postdoctoral fellowship he returned to Belgium to continue his research and clinical activity in the musculoskeletal rehabilitation center at Erasme University Hospital (ULB). Professor Sobczak has taught human anatomy, topographic anatomy, palpatory anatomy, and biomechanics for many years in numerous programs in medical and paramedical sciences. He is a trainer in manual therapy at the College of Teaching in Applied Manual Therapies, Brussels, Belgium.

His research focuses on the mechanical consequences of surgical procedures within the neuromusculoskeletal system, on the determination of lumbar spine movements by sonography as well as on the mechanical and physiological effects of the application of manual techniques. He is also working on the conception new intervertebral disc prosthesis by 3D printing. To date, Professor Sobczak has published over 100 articles in international scientific journals (peer-reviewed) and presented over 50 lectures at national and international conferences.

Since his arrival in Quebec in June 2015, Professor Sobczak has obtained numerous research grants, including severasl discovery grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

He is reviewer for several international scientific journals in the field of manual therapies and biomechanics and his expertise is regularly sought abroad to provide training to clinicians in the field of manual therapy.

Since spring 2020, he has held the UQTR junior chair in the field of health (Research Chair in Functional Anatomy).

Since the creation of the National Institute of Anatomy (NIA) in April 2025, Professor Sobczak has been directing two research axes: the first, the neuromusculoskeletal axis, and the second, the interventional practices and surgical simulations axis. This institute promotes teaching and research in human anatomy.

Professor Sobczak collaborates with many colleagues from Canadian and foreign institutions. Professor Sobczak's work is carried out primarily in the anatomy laboratory at UQTR.

Current teaching

CHI1015 - Anatomy of the musculoskeletal system (PT students)

MED1015 - Internship : Gross anatomy and dissections (MD students)

Background

Post-doc, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Lubbock, Texas, USA.  

PhD in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

MSc in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

MSc in Motor Control Sciences, major in Manual Therapy, Faculty of Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

MSc in Physical Therapy, Faculty of Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

BSc in Physical Therapy, Faculty of Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

Research interests

• Clinical anatomy
• Spine and limb biomechanics
• Intervertebral kinematics (movement et manipulation)
• Neurodynamic Techniques
• IVD Hydration
• Orthopaedic surgery
• Rehabilitation
• Biomedical Engineering