Appointed to Vice Chair for Clinical Services in October 2017. My responsibilities now extend across to our downtown operations ― the consult services, the Pennsylvania Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine (PIRM) inpatient services, the PIRM outpatient clinics, and our affiliate outpatient clinics. This is to help provide a unified strategy for clinical service optimization and efficiency. I also help coordinate services across PENN medicine in the Philadelphia area. I oversee our physician outpatient clinical sites and help the Department Chief and COO ensure that the support structure, resources, and equipment for our practicing faculty at various sites is optimal for efficient clinical care. I work with our subspecialist outpatient physiatrists regarding care pathways and building interdisciplinary teams with PENN Rehab therapists. Our interdisciplinary care should have at its foundation, guideline compliance and synergy with the best scientific literature.
Appointed Chief Medical Officer at University of Pennsylvania Department of Physical Medicine and REhabiliation, where my responsibilities include seeing patients and overseeing consults and assuring proper placement. Being point of contact for several services to assure expedient transfer to proper rehab facilities. Teaching residents about general rehab topics such as TBI, SCI, and neuromuscular medicine. I am also in charge of UBCLS at Penn Rehab and improving quality of patient care through the weekly quality meetings.
Appointed Associate professor of PM&R. I have a subspecialty in Pain Medicine and am a Diplomate of the American Board of Pain Medicine. I also have expertise in performing Diagnostic and intervention Musculoskeletal Ultrasound along with fluoroscopic guided lumbar spine interventions. I also perform nerve conduction studies and EMG to help diagnose patients with nerve pathologies.
Appointed Vice Chair of Diversity for Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in June 2020. Chair works closely with the Department Chair to oversee, promote, and facilitate excellence in diversity, inclusion, equity, and antiracism efforts across all aspects of the department. The Vice Chair is responsible for creating and maintaining a culture that embraces inclusion, and ensuring that all departmental policies and practices are grounded in tenants of equity and antiracism. The Vice Chair will work in conjunction with the Chair, other Vice Chairs, Division Chiefs, UPHS Human Resources and the Office of Inclusion and Diversity at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Appointed to the Hospital University of Pennsylvania’s COVID Planning and Resurgence task force in February 2020. The responsibilities included implementing new policies for patient safety, clinician safety and planning during the COVID pandemic. This extended throughout outpatient and inpatient services in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Curaleaf research grant April 2024 $373,502 for Medical Cannabis as an alternative for opioids. August 2024
Selected Publications
Caldera, F DO, McLoughlin R J, Jin A, Canlas E A, et al.: “Persistent Radiculopathy Subsequent to Selective Nerve Root Block.” Cureus 15(10): e46468. October 04, 2023, doi:10.7759/cureus.46468. Cureus 15(10): e46468. October 04, 2023, doi:10.7759/cureus.46468. October 2023.
Caldera, F DO, Patel, Palak MD et al: Subacute Combined Degeneration Masking Spinal Stenosis: A Case Report. Cureus 15(3):e36367. Springer Nature, March 2023.
Caldera, F DO, Abramoff, Benjamin, MD, Dillingham, Timothy MD: Psychological and Cognitive Functioning among Patients Receiving Outpatient Rehabilitation for Post COVID sequelae: An Observational Study. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation August 2022.
Caldera, F DO, MBA, Abramoff, Benjamin, MD: “Inpatient Rehabilitation Outcomes Following Severe COVID-19 Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study” American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, October 2021.
Caldera, F, Zhang Yejia: "Conuse Medullaris Syndrome due to Ligamentum Flavum Thickening and Intervertebral Disc Bulging" Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Journal. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Journal, 3(1): 126, November 2020.
Caldera, F DO, MBA: “Medical marijuana as an alternative for opioids for chronic pain: A Case Report.” SAGE Open Medical Case Reports. Volume 8, February 12, 2020. DOI: 10.1177/2050313X20907015 February 2020.
Caldera, F DO, MBA, Abramoff, Benjamin,: MSK Review Chapter “Osteoarthritis: Pathology, Diagnosis and Treatment Options.” Med Clin N Am - (2019) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2019.10.007 October, 2019. October 2019.
Carlos Perez Gonzalez, MD, Yahira Acevedo-Santiago, MD, Franklin E. Caldera, DO, Yejia Zhang MD, Ph D.: “To Operate or Not to Operate: The Dilemma between Surgery versus Conservative Management of Cervical Disc Herniation”Biomed J Sci&Tech Res. Biomed J Sci&Tech Res. 2018.
Caldera F Zhang Y et al: Cell Therapy for the Degenerating Intervertebral Disc. Translational Research. Translational research: The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine. 2016 PMID: 27986604. The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine January 2017.
Plastaras C, McCormick Z, Nguyen C, Rho M, Nack SH, Roth D, Casey E, Carneiro K, Cucchiara A, Press J, McLean J, Caldera F.: Is Hip Abduction Strength Asymmetry Present in Female Runners in the Early Stages of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome? Am J Sports Med 44(1): 105-12, Jan 2016 Notes: doi: 10.1177/0363546515611632.
back to top
Last updated: 10/28/2024
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
