Dr. Viviane Ugalde is a fellowship trained Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) doctor, and provides non-surgical solutions to injuries or illnesses that affect how people move. Her clinical focus is neurological rehab with a special interest in biomechanical sports research. She joined The Center’s team of expert physicians in 2007.
Dr. Ugalde has practiced concussion management since 1990 and runs a weekly concussion clinic to help coordinate care for both pediatric and adult patients. The multidisciplinary approach to concussion management includes a range of specialists including physical therapists, neuropsychologists, vision specialists, and representatives from High Desert Educational School District. In addition, she works with the ALS Association to run the multidisciplinary ALS clinic held at The Center every other month, providing a collaborative plan for each patient’s individual needs.
Dr. Ugalde has always been fascinated with research and spent 11 years as an academic physician at University of California Davis Medical Center. She is passionate about biomechanical sports research and is currently in the second phase of a research study designed to prevent injury in young athletes. She completed the first phase of research collecting data to prove that a simple squat test correlates with injury rates, and is now spending time in the local high schools testing teams and collecting additional data.
Dr. Ugalde and her family fully embrace all Central Oregon has to offer; exploring on cross-country and downhill skis, hiking, camping, and mountain biking when they’re not settled at home painting or watching funny movies.
Board Certification: American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Subspecialty Certification in Brain Injury Medicine
Fellowship: University of California, Davis Medical Center
Residency: University of California, Davis Medical Center
Medical School: University of Nevada School of Medicine
Undergraduate Education: University of Nevada, Reno
“From my perspective, I would advise anyone that hits their head or suspects they may have a concussion to go get checked out by a doctor. If your life feels like it has been altered in any way because of headaches, or other concussion symptoms, make an appointment to see a concussion specialist or your primary care physician. After being treated for a concussion by Dr. Ugalde, I was able to get back to sports and enjoy all the outdoor things I love to do in Central Oregon.” – Sonja Donohue
“I had a stroke about a year and half ago. My whole left side was paralyzed when I left the hospital, and I could do nothing. I started seeing Dr. Ugalde and the treatments have really helped. Now I can walk without a walker or a cane, and I have started to be able to move my left hand and arm a little. She is very good at what she does and very compassionate. It was such a hard time for me after the stroke, with my husband passing away soon after. All of the staff at The Center were very supportive. I am still seeing Dr. Ugalde and I go to classes at St. Charles so I can continue to improve.” – Irma Maxwell
“Our oldest son was playing in a varsity lacrosse game when a hard hit resulted in a dazed and confused player who was not sure if he needed to go back into the game or not. Thank goodness The Center Foundation athletic trainer was at the game and assessed our son’s situation and explained to the coach and our son that he needed to stop playing immediately. The athletic trainer recommended that we take him to a doctor for further assessment. We were very thankful that the high school coach had encouraged his players to have an ImPACT Baseline Concussion test performed earlier in the year, so we had an idea what was ‘normal’ for our son.
We took our son to The Center and saw Dr. Viviane Ugalde, a concussion specialist at The Center. She confirmed that he did in fact have a concussion, and gave us instructions and information on how to help him during this challenging time. When we went for our re-check to release him to play, our son was confident that he was ready to head back onto the field. Dr. Ugalde did not agree and showed us the test results from his concussion test and it was obvious that his results were not back in the normal range. Our son was frustrated, but as parents we were appreciative and relieved, and had medical proof that he was not ready to return to the field.
When we went to our next appointment, Dr. Ugalde said that he was ready to return to the field. One of the most surprising outcomes of the final appointment was when our son stated that even though he thought he HAD been ready to return to the field earlier, it was only when he was cleared by Dr. Ugalde and looked back, that he realized that he had NOT been ready. He had been suffering from the effects of the concussion and was not clear enough to make that decision on his own.
So, The Center Foundation motto of ‘Stay Strong/Play Smart’ took on a whole new meaning for our family. As a family we are exceptionally thankful for The Center Foundation for providing baseline concussion testing and providing athletic trainers in local high schools, as well as the expert physicians at The Center.” – Patsy Melville
