We are proud to announce that Brandon Nguyen was selected as the 2019 Graduate School Medal winner! Brandon was recognized for his efforts to combine academic scholarship with social awareness and concern, as well as his contribution to redefining the value of a doctoral degree. Congratulations Brandon!
Julia Costacurta Presents at Research Symposium at JHU
Julia Costacurta, previous REU student in our lab, presented her research at an undergraduate symposium at Johns Hopkins University and won second place for best poster. Julia’s work explored the impacts of Ankle-Foot Orthoses on transient gait, a period of walking where little is currently known about device dynamics. Congratulations Julia!
Congratulations – Megan Auger selected to receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellowship!
We are proud to announce that Megan Auger has been selected to receive a 2019 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. This is a very competitive fellowship, and it will fund Megan’s PhD for the next three years. We look forward to seeing her upcoming work and growth as a researcher. Congratulations, Megan!
Congratulations – Alyssa Spomer selected to receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellowship!
We are proud to announce that Alyssa Spomer has been selected to receive a 2019 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. This is a very competitive fellowship, and it will fund Alyssa’s PhD for the next three years. We look forward to seeing her upcoming work and growth as a researcher. Congratulations, Alyssa!
HA Feldner, D Howell, VE Kelly, S Westcott McCoy, KM Steele (2019) “‘Look, Your Muscles Are Firing!’: A Qualitative Study of Clinician Perspectives on the Use of Surface Electromyography in Neurorehabilitation.” Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Journal Article in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation:
We collaborated with rehabilitation clinicians across the Seattle region to understand the barriers and facilitators of using wireless electromyography sensors to track motor recovery in the clinic and community
Objective: To examine the perceived value, benefits, drawbacks, and ideas for technology development and implementation of surface electromyography recordings in neurologic rehabilitation practice from clinical stakeholder perspectives.
Design: A qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted. In-depth, semistructured interviews and focus groups were completed. Sessions included questions about clinician perspectives and demonstrations of surface electromyography systems to garner perceptions of specific system features.
Setting: The study was conducted at hospital systems in a large metropolitan area.
Participants: Adult and pediatric physical therapists, occupational therapists, and physiatrists from inpatient, outpatient, and research settings (N=22) took part in the study.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures: Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, then coded for analysis into themes.
Results: Four major themes emerged: (1) low-tech clinical practice and future directions for rehabilitation; (2) barriers to surface electromyography uptake and potential solutions; (3) benefits of surface electromyography for targeted populations; and (4) essential features of surface electromyography systems.
Conclusions: Surface electromyography systems were not routinely utilized for assessment or intervention following neurologic injury. Despite recognition of potential clinical benefits of surface electromyography use, clinicians identified limited time and resources as key barriers to implementation. Perspectives on design and surface electromyography system features indicated the need for streamlined, intuitive, and clinically effective applications. Further research is needed to determine feasibility and clinical relevance of surface electromyography in rehabilitation intervention.