Marcalee Sipski Alexander, M.D., has joined Marcus Neuroscience Institute and will serve as medical director of the Cornell Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine at Bethesda Hospital East, both part of Baptist Health. Dr. Alexander is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and brings more than 30 years of experience in helping patients with disabilities recover function after injuries to the nervous system, muscle, bone, and soft tissue. She has particular expertise in spinal cord injury and is interested in using telemedicine to improve healthcare access for people with neurologic disorders.
Dr. Alexander’s career includes academic roles and leadership positions at several institutions. She is currently an affiliate faculty member of the climate and health program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Her previous roles include leading Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems on the East Coast, serving as director of spinal cord injury rehabilitation and medical director at Renown Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in Reno, Nevada, and holding various leadership positions at the VA Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Before joining Baptist Health, she provided telerehabilitation services in private practice.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Alexander to our highly skilled team of medical professionals, dedicated to providing the highest quality care,” said Warren Selman, M.D., chief medical executive at Marcus Neuroscience Institute. “She brings unmatched experience and expertise that will benefit our organization and our patients.”
Dr. Alexander earned her medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she also completed her internship and residency in rehabilitation medicine as administrative chief resident.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Alexander was the first female president of the American Spinal Injury Association and vice president for North America of the International Spinal Cord Society. She remains active in several professional societies.
Her research includes participation in clinical trials related to spinal cord injury and studies on its effects on sexual response for both women and men. Her work has been published widely in peer-reviewed journals. She also led development of international standards for assessing autonomic function after spinal cord injury.
Dr. Alexander is founding editor-in-chief of The Journal of Climate Change and Health and serves on editorial boards for other publications. She has written numerous book chapters, scholarly articles, two books focused on sexual health after spinal cord disorder, and edited a new book addressing climate change and disability.
In 2019, Dr. Alexander founded Sustain Our Abilities (SOA) to educate about disasters, disability, and health; SOA became a committee within the Climate Health Society in 2025 with Dr. Alexander as inaugural president.
To promote exercise and outdoor activity awareness, Dr. Alexander walked from Canada to Key West through GRAHAM – Green Route Aiding Health Adaptation and Mitigation – named for her late son Graham.
When working with patients, Dr. Alexander emphasizes healthy lifestyle habits along with careful medication management: “My experience in integrative health, pain management and the treatment of sexual dysfunction enables me to help my patients maintain their quality of life and maximize their abilities,” she said.
Dr. Alexander will see patients at 2815 S. Seacrest Boulevard in Boynton Beach.
Baptist Health operates 12 hospitals with more than 28,000 employees across South Florida counties including Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward, and Palm Beach (https://baptisthealth.net/newsroom/). It features institutes specializing in cancer care; brain/spine care; heart/vascular care; orthopedic care; a virtual health platform; physician networks; urgent care centers; outpatient locations; partnerships with Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine; not-for-profit status supported by philanthropy; recognition by Fortune as one of America’s top workplaces; and distinction as South Florida’s most awarded healthcare system by U.S News & World Report.
