Our faculty members’ diverse research interests share the common goals of better understanding the manifestations of disease, injury and disability, and identifying optimal, theoretically-driven intervention strategies.
Research Topics: Acoustic calibration (in particular, of transient stimuli), auditory electrophysiology (with a focus on auditory evoked potentials, including the effects of high stimulus rates and masking noise on the auditory brainstem response, and animal studies of the auditory steady-state response), vestibular/balance function/dysfunction, functional imaging and aging
Research Topics: Assessing physiological and functional limitations and developing exercise and rehabilitation programs for various disability groups, including osteoarthritis, juvenile arthritis, MS, post-polio syndrome, hemophilia and frail to well elderly.
Director, Advanced Graduate Certificate in Assistive and Rehabilitation Technology Program
Department of Rehabilitation Science
School of Public Health and Health Professions
Research Topics: Community-based outcomes research in the areas of: computer-based assistive technology; wheeled mobility and seating; office ergonomics interventions; work conditioning programs; home modifications; complete streets. Evaluation of accessible public transportation systems. Usability testing to support development of new assistive technology device products.
Research Interests: Auditory/vestibular neurodegeneration in occupational hazards and neurotrauma such as blast induced traumatic brain injury and cerebrovascular accidents.
Assistant Vice President for Interprofessional Education
Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences
Academic Health Center
Research Topics: Effective use of simulation-based learning experiences for the education of health professions students; interprofessional education and collaborative practice; acute and critical care physical therapist clinical practice.
Research Interests: Neuromotor and physiological mechanisms in medically/socially vulnerable populations with brain injury; Neuromotor, physiological, neuroimaging, and blood-based biomarkers in special populations with brain injury; Motor control/learning and targeted neuromodulatory interventions to facilitate function and recovery; Clinical trials
Research Topics: Rehabilitation research related to gait biomechanics across the lifespan, neuromodulation in spinal cord injury on sensory motor outcomes, recovery of locomotion in spinal cord injury, caregiver/care recipient relationships in the families that include individuals with in spinal cord injury, and effects of community camps on empowering people with spinal cord injury and impacting their physical/psychosocial functioning and quality of life.
Research Topics: Fall and frailty prevention in older adults with a chronic illness, a past fall, Alzheimer's disease and/or cancer, often using technology. Caregivers of older adults are also her research interest.
Research Topics: Understanding the functional implications of neuropsychiatric disorders including Tourette Syndrome and Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), and application of sensory tools to reduce disruptive behaviors in adolescence with psychosocial needs. Optimizing oral health for individuals with disabilities at home and in the dental office using sensory, motor, and behavioral interventions.