Kimberly Topp

Key takeaways

Kimberly Topp belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kimberly Topp to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kimberly Topp from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kimberly S. Topp is an American physical therapist and a Professor Emeritus and Physical Therapy Chair at the UCSF School of Medicine. Her research and clinical interests are focused on the relationships of structure and function in the peripheral nerves, the pathobiology behind peripheral neuropathies, and treatments for those diseases. As of February 2026, her 70 publications have received 3,454 citations and contribute to an h-index score of 32.

Early life and education Kimberly Topp, born in 1955, grew up in Phoenix, Arizona with her mother Frances, a homemaker and homeschooler, and her father James, a Navy veteran of the Korean War who changed careers to become a graphic artist. Topp grew up participating in charity work including running errands for a disabled woman and working with migrant workers. After completing eighth grade, she was hired by many families to babysit and do a variety of housework for them. When her family moved to Flagstaff, Arizona from Phoenix, she transitioned to taking care of farm animals such as horses, chickens, and rabbits. While she was in high school, Topp worked a full-time job in retail and eventually was promoted to assistant manager at the store before she graduated. Topp says that "juggling school and work taught her valuable life skills such as responsibility and following through on a project." Topp met her husband Bruce after high school while he was still a police officer. They eventually married and in 1984, Bruce earned his Ph.D. in educational psychology from Arizona State University after only 18 months in the program. Kimberly Topp earned her Bachelor of Science in physical therapy at Northern Arizona University in 1981, her Ph.D. in anatomy and cell biology at University of California, Davis in 1990, and her postdoctoral in anatomy at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 1994.

Research and teaching career In 2004, she became an elected member of the Academy of Medical Educators at UCSF and was also a part of the UCSF Academic Senate from 1998-2017. During her time as Chair of Physical Therapy, she oversaw the development of the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, PhD, and Orthopedic Residency programs. In 2013, Topp became the President-Elect of the American Association for Anatomy (AAA) until 2015, when she officially became the 83rd President of the organization. In 2017, she became the Immediate Past-President until 2019. Topp has received funding for her research through the National Institutes of Health. Her project titled "Corneal Herpetic Infection: Axonal Transport" was funded from 1990-1991. Her project titled "Axonal Transport and Peripheral Nerve Function" was funded from 1997-2002. During her career, Topp had many mentors, including Hugh "Pat" Patterson, Ph.D., a human anatomy professor. She learned how to be a "focused and passionate teacher" from Patterson and also says that she has learned a lot from her students.

Awards and honors The College of Health Professions at Northern Arizona University awarded Topp the Centennial Alumni Award in 1997. In 1999, she was awarded the Physical Therapist Faculty Publication Award by the California Physical Therapy Association. In 2002, Topp was given the title of Steven J. Rose Lecturer by the School of Medicine at Washington University. From 2005-2015, she was a Sexton Sutherland Endowed Chair in Human Anatomy at UCSF. She was awarded the Henry J. Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching by UCSF in 2006. Starting in 2010, Topp has been a fellow of the American Association for Anatomy (AAA). In 2015, she was named an honorary fellow by The Anatomical Society. Also in 2015, she was chosen by UCSF students to give The Last Lecture, where one professor each year is chosen by students to answer the question "If you have one lecture to give, what would you say?" Her most recent award was the A.J. Ladman Exemplary Service Award, given to her in 2020 by the American Association for Anatomy. Topp said that the "honor itself is humbling" and decided to give the money she was awarded back to the AAA.

Selected publications Source:

Webb, EM; Cotton, JB; Kane, K; Straus, CM; Topp, KS; Naeger, DM (2014). "Teaching point of care ultrasound skills in medical school: keeping radiology in the driver's seat". Acad Radiol. 21: 893–901. doi:10.1016/j.acra.2014.03.001. PMID 24928158.. Smoot, B; Paul, SM; Aouizerat, BE; Elboim, C; Levine, JD; Abrams, G; Hamolsky, D; Neuhaus, J; Schmidt, B; West, C; Topp, K; Miaskowski, C (2014). "Side of cancer does not influence limb volumes in women prior to breast cancer surgery". Lymphat Res Biol. 12: 189–93. doi:10.1089/lrb.2013.0038. PMC 4171111. PMID 24834791. Boyd, BS; Topp, KS; Coppieters, MW (2013). "Impact of movement sequencing on sciatic and tibial nerve strain and excursion during the straight leg raise test in embalmed cadavers". J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 43: 398–403. doi:10.2519/jospt.2013.4413. PMID 23633619.. Wamsley, M; Staves, J; Kroon, L; Topp, K; Hossaini, M; Newlin, B; Lindsay, C; O'Brien, B (2012). "The impact of an interprofessional standardized patient exercise on attitudes toward working in interprofessional teams". J Interprof Care. 26: 28–35. doi:10.3109/13561820.2011.628425. PMID 22233365.. Topp, KS; Boyd, BS (2012). "Peripheral nerve: from the microscopic functional unit of the axon to the biomechanically loaded macroscopic structure". J Hand Ther. 25: 142–51, quiz 152. doi:10.1016/j.jht.2011.09.002. PMID 22133662.. Topp, KS; Boyd, BS (2006). "Structure and biomechanics of peripheral nerves: nerve responses to physical stresses and implications for physical therapist practice". Phys Ther. 86: 92–109. doi:10.1093/ptj/86.1.92. PMID 16386065..

References

External links ORCiD: 0000-0001-8400-6124 Scopus ID: 7003880896

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kimberly Topp

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kimberly Topp claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kimberly Topp before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kimberly Topp ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kimberly Topp

In research: Kimberly Topp appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kimberly Topp in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kimberly Topp is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1955 births, American physiotherapists, Living people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kimberly Topp outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Kimberly Topp in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kimberly Topp means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kimberly Topp out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kimberly Topp in simple terms?

Kimberly S. Topp is an American physical therapist and a Professor Emeritus and Physical Therapy Chair at the UCSF School of Medicine.

Why does Kimberly Topp matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kimberly Topp?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kimberly Topp.