Erin O'Bryan PhD, CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Research Interests
- Person-centered intervention for adults who have aphasia鈥攊mpaired language and communication鈥攆ollowing a stroke or brain injury.
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Helping people with aphasia regain the ability to tell stories through collaborative intervention projects.
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Helping people with aphasia improve their ability to speak phrases and sentences using Melodic Intonation Therapy in person and via tele-rehab.
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Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia training for health care providers to improve communication with patients who have aphasia and other communication disorders.
M'Lisa Shelden PT, MEd, PhD
Department Chair & Program Director, Clinical Professor
Physical Therapy
Research Interests
- Using assistive technology and positioning for infants and young children to promote participation.
- Use of wearable technology to monitor movement opportunities during daily activities vs during therapy for infants and toddlers.
- Development of new assistive technology that promotes independent mobility of infants and toddlers in natural environments.
Christina Ashbrook PT, DPT
Assistant Teaching Professor, Board Certified Neurologic Specialist Certified Lymphedema
Therapist, Neurologic Specialist & Dementia Practitioner
Physical Therapy
Research Interests
- Devices to assist therapists with early phases of ambulation and transfer training.
- Mobility outside of therapy and impact on overall progress/functional movement/length of stay impact.
- Intensity of therapy interventions vs outside of therapy time intensity.
- How close are people actually getting to the recommended intensity levels during PT/Varying levels of intensity between home health/outpatient PT as monitored by wearable technology.
Jennifer James PT, DPT
Assistant Professor and Board Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist
Physical Therapy
Research Interests
- Using technology to assess behavior and activity between PT sessions, particularly related to motor learning.
- Using assistive technology and positioning for infants and young children to promote participation.
- Use of electrical stimulation and biofeedback to promote motor control in patients with neurologic diagnoses.
- Use of technology and data to promote wellness for individuals with chronic pain.
Justin Smith PT, DPT, PhD
Assistant Professor and Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist
Physical Therapy
Research Interests
- Virtual Reality (VR) app development to improve education outcomes for students and patient outcomes during physical therapy.
- Using VR to improve balance for older adults.
- Using wearable skin motion and EMG sensors to detect the severity of Parkinson's disease.
- Using an upper extremity exoskeleton and patient-focused assist as needed support strategies to improve physical therapy outcomes for patients post stroke.
Nikki Keene Woods PhD, MPH, Certified in Public Health
Interim Chair and Professor
Public Health Sciences
Research Interests
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Maternal and child health focused on understanding, preventing and treating conditions that impact maternal and child well-being including:
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The feasibility and acceptability of a wearable fetal heart rate device.
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Physical recovery after birth, testing the currently available pelvic floor devices and health outcomes.
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Health education research related to health literacy and medical devices.
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Family-centered care models, adherence to therapy, and health outcomes.
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David Long Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator
Biomedical Engineering
Research Interests
- Cardiovascular mechanobiology
- Cell-tissue biophysics
- Instrumentation/devices to understand cell and tissue mechanobiology
- Identifying novel surrogate markers of diseases
- Gene regulation
- Epigenetics
- Cell and tissue engineering
- Regenerative medicine
Yuanyuan Gao Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Biomedical Engineering
Research Interests
- Neuroimaging
- Computational Neuroimaging
- Clinical Neuroimaging
- Optical Neuroimaging
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy
- Optical Simulation
- Neuromodulation
- Human Motor Learning
- Motor Function Recovery
- Machine/Deep Learning
- Biostatistics
Michael Jorgensen Ph.D.
Professor
Industrial Systems and Manufacturing
Research Interests
- Industrial Ergonomics and Occupational Biomechanics
- Causes and Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Ergonomics Programs and Intervention Development and Assessment
- Low Back Injuries
- Manual Material Handling
- Ergonomic Analysis and Risk Assessment Methods
- Segmental and Whole-Body Vibration
Pierre Harter
WSU Associate Vice President for Research and Industry Engagement
Research Interests
- Applied Research, with an emphasis on bridging the gap from research to implementation of solutions
- Advanced Materials (Composites and Additive)
- Advanced Manufacturing
- AI Security, Evaluations and Controls
- Digital Transformation
- Digital Engineering