FORGE AHEAD:

FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 1

University of Pittsburgh

FACETS

School of health and rehabilitation sciences

SPRING/SUMMER 2020

RESEARCH SUCCESS =

PATIENT SUCCESS

RISKY BUSINESS:

DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY

TO ASSESS INJURY RISK

TURNING IDEAS INTO

IMPACTFUL SOLUTIONS

FORGE AHEAD:

RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

IN A NEW DECADE

FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 1

CONTENTS

SPRING/SUMMER 2020

FACETS

School of health and rehabilitation sciences

Publisher

Dr. Anthony Delitto

Executive Editor

Patty Kummick

Writing and Design

Red House Communications

Photography

University of Pittsburgh

1 From the Dean

Dr. Anthony Delitto

2 Giving

Scholarships and Awards

3 Perspective

Patty Kummick

4 Alumni News

6 Faculty News

8 Student News

9 Department News

Calendar of Events

10 Alumni Awards

12 Clinical

Instructor Proﬁle

Dianne Koval

14 FACETS Feature

Forge Ahead: Research

and Technology in

a New Decade

18 Prosthetics

and Orthotics

Putting a Spring

in Their Step

20 Sports Medicine

and Nutrition

Risky Business: Developing

Technology to Assess

Injury Risk

22 Clinical Rehabilitation

and Mental Health

Counseling

First-ever Scholarships

Help Counselors See Students

in a New Light

24 Occupational Therapy

Let’s Get Personal

26 Communication Science

and Disorders

Breaking Down Silos,

Creating New Knowledge

28 Physical Therapy

Research Success =

Patient Success

30 Rehabilitation Science

and Technology

Turning Ideas into

Impactful Solutions

32 Health Information

Management

Professionals Get an Assist from

New Online Master’s Program

34 Physician

Assistant Studies

New Technology in

the Hands of PAs

36 Lab Notes

Happy 10th Anniversary, PT-CTRC!

3436 24

FACETS is published by the Ofﬁce of the Dean, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. It is produced twice a year for alumni,

students, staff, faculty and friends of SHRS. The University of Pittsburgh is an afﬁrmative action, equal opportunity institution.

From the dean

Greetings,

As dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, I am consistently reminded that our school’s

achievements in innovation, due to the efforts of our faculty, staff and students, place us among Pitt’s leaders.

We’re bold, courageous, inventive, forward-thinking and always up for a challenge. Indeed, we’re a powerhouse

of innovation, particularly in our departments that are technology driven. The Department of Rehabilitation

Science and Technology (RST) and the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), for example, are

particularly well-suited as innovation leaders and their accomplishments have been formidable.

Our strategy of late is to spread the innovation bug more widely across the school. You’ll see many examples

of this showcased throughout these pages. One major initiative of Dr. David Brienza, associate dean for

Technology and Innovation, is to accelerate the pace of innovation throughout SHRS. Dave has partnered with

Pitt’s Innovation Institute to create the SHRS Innovation Challenge, our rst ever in this space. Faculty, staff and

students will compete for funds to assist with the commercial translation of technology.

The challenge is a multi-step process involving an educational program and development activities. Historically,

SHRS entries into the University-level innovation competitions have ranked high, receiving “challenge grants”

and other funding to move our innovations and technology forward. I’m eager to see how creative our students,

faculty and staff will be in this schoolwide venture. So, more to come as we strive to accelerate the pace of

innovation in health and rehabilitation.

In closing, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the school’s 50th anniversary which we’ve been recognizing.

I nd that, not only has this been a time of great personal and team reection on where we’ve been and what

we’ve accomplished, it’s also been a time of planning for the future. Over the spring and summer months, we

will be reviewing our current strategic plan in order to update and revise it for the next ve years. We will be

mindful of the needs of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and the greater community as we structure

our goals. If you would like to provide input or suggestions on the school’s direction, I always welcome

your thoughts.

Anthony Delitto

Professor and Dean

2 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 3

Joyce and Andrew J. Kuzneski Jr.

Student Resource Award

(school-wide)

Ian Kemmerling

Brady Mellinger

Anne Pascasio Scholarship

(school-wide)

Emma Galecki

Alec Hoover

Gabriella Mazzeo

Dr. Timothy C. and Mrs. Cynthia B.

Sell Student Award

(school-wide)

Abigail Fortunato

Nichelle Llewellyn

Kelly Prangley

Grant Traeger

SHRS Alumni Endowed Scholarship

(school-wide)

Stephanie Caggiano

Alaina Graziano

Megan McKenzie

Ryan Michaels

Tiffany Okerman

UPMC Endowed Scholarship

(school-wide)

Nanno Dandi

Kara Kaniecki

Katherine Legatzke

Nicole Mikologic

Anna Shaw

Natalie Stadler

Mildred L. Wood SHRS Endowed

Student Resource Award

(school-wide)

Jennifer Condio

Katherine Grunewald

Danielle Hall

Karen Miller

Kathryn Schuetz

Emily Shannon

Emeritus Award (CSD)

Lauren Ciemniecki

Alyssa Kelly

Audrey Holland Endowed Student

Resource Award (CSD)

Christina Dastolfo-Hromak

Azure Wilson

Leslie Zhen

Lisa Levy Memorial Award (CSD)

Erin Casey

Caitlyn Zaya

Walt A. Stoy Award for

Scholarly Activity (EM)

Cassandra Crouse

Catherine Kim

Emergency Medicine Program

Award (EM)

Taylor M. Dallas

Jordan E. Smith

Denise A. Dunyak

Student Award (HIM)

Rebecca Boland

Laurine M. Johnson Endowed

Student Resource Award (HIM)

Julia Przybos

Gerrilynne “Gerri” Siren Walk

Memorial Student Award (HIM)

Katelyn McGuire

Junwei Yue

Meagan Sampogna Williams

Student Resource Award (HIM)

Alyssa Dugan

Cindy Zak Student

Resource Award (HIM)

Annlyn Van Eman

Caroline Robinson Brayley

Student Enrichment Award (OT)

Michelle Beck

Department of Occupational

Therapy Award of Professional

Excellence (OT)

Monica Morrison

Joan Rogers Student

Resource Award (OT)

Haley Feller

Dorothy Bradley

Brown Scholarship (PT)

Allyn Bove

Alexandra Dubnansky

Ashley Saxe

Mary Behling

Browne Scholarship (PT)

Kaitlyn Colgan

Thomas J. O’Connor Award (RST)

Hailee Kulich

Shimada Student Award (RST)

Michael Huang

Virginia Kaufman Scholarship (RST)

Satria Ardianuari

Gabriel G. Burklund

Lauren L. Casertano

Taylor Dallas

Mack Devin

William C. Eddy

Claire Gallagher

Ashley Grifn

Megan Hrit

Cecelia R. Lee-Hauser

Eugene Lin

Adrianna Lopaczynski

Andrew Lucas

Saralyn Ostrowski

Brianna Perry

Kevin C. Quinn

Lisa A. Richardson

Emily G. Shannon

Jessica Rose Sider

Nicholas S. Sposito

Grishma Thakrar

Sophia Thompson

Olivia G. Tuck

Geoffrey D. Webb

Nolan R. Wilson

Farzana Zafar

Jill Conley Memorial Award (SMN)

Lauren Betts

Dr. Freddie H. Fu Undergraduate

Athletic Training Scholarship (SMN)

Allison Ross

Jennifer DeFazio

Maddy Mahonski

Kaitlyn Sweeney

Tim Kerin Memorial Scholarship in

Athletic Training (SMN)

Devon Trieschock

David H. Perrin

Student Award (SMN)

Brandon Gallimore

Sports Medicine

Student Resource Award (SMN)

Rob Colombi

Robert and Mercedes Chase

Scholarship in Physical Therapy

Daniella Woiski

Pat Croce Endowed

Student Scholarship (PT)

Julianna Mori

Stephanie Taylor

Mary K. Daly-Crum

Student Award (PT)

Malena Lennon

David Physical Therapy and Sports

Medicine Center/Joseph M. David

Endowed Scholarship (PT)

Haley Cozad

Joe Dietrich

Anthony Delitto Scholarship (PT)

Sebastian Fearon

Ron Reznichky

Victoria Green

Memorial Student Award (PT)

Tyan Kan

Pearl Cricco Mann Scholarship (PT)

Joshua Brain

Marie Pelner

Alice Chagnot Oulette

Endowment Award (PT)

Molly Rajewski

PT Class of 2009 Student Award (PT)

Keri Tkatch

PT Leadership Development Award (PT)

Mariah Callas

Paul and Judy Rockar Scholarship (PT)

Jordan Cargile

Aaron McCullough

D.T. Watson Alumni Scholarship (PT)

Neema Desai

Kacey Mikuteit

Rory A. Cooper and Dion Johnson

Student Award (RST)

Jenna Freedman

Todd Hargroder Endowed

Internship Award (RST)

Joseph Ott

2019-2020 SHRS SCHOLARSHIP AND AWARD RECIPIENTS

“Perspective” is written by Patty Kummick, FACETS executive editor and SHRS executive director of Internal

and External Relations. This column serves to address topics relating to our students, faculty, staff, the school,

and local and global communities

Please indulge me while I talk about dogs. I love dogs. I’m amazed at the remarkable

relationships they can have with humans. Their antics crack me up. They have distinct

personalities. I enjoy watching them at play and at rest. At SHRS, I’m able to observe dogs

… service dogs … at work.

To my great joy, SHRS has introduced a new “service” for students, faculty and staff that

puts a smile on more faces than just mine. SHRS welcomes, on a regularly scheduled basis

during the academic term, C.C., the SHRS therapy dog! C.C. and her owner, Caroline

Passerrello, an instructor in our Dietician Nutritionist program, are a pet therapy team and

they positively impact so many of us at SHRS.

C.C. generates a calming atmosphere and is receptive to the stressed-out student, the

harried staff member, the multi-tasking professor. When C.C.’s visiting, people (including

me!) seek her out.

I mention C.C. and the pet therapy program for a couple

reasons. First, C.C.’s story is dichotomous to many of the

feature articles in this issue of FACETS. We talk about

Innovation and Technology. We highlight creative genius

among our students and faculty who are constantly

encouraged to be inventive and productive in the

classrooms and the labs. We recognize over-achievers and

perfectionists in their elds. Then there’s C.C. There’s

nothing complicated about her. She doesn’t perform

spectacular tricks (although I bet she could!). She’s not

demanding or judgmental. Instead, she provides some

of the most basic needs—comfort, playfulness, an often

much-needed calming effect in a usually hectic

and challenging environment. Her abilities, though,

deserve a little attention, much like the subjects in

these magazine articles, because of her impact on so many.

Secondly, as the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, we are all in tune with the

value of rehab and therapies and well-being. We study these. We conduct related research.

We create technologies with the expectation that our work will benet the masses. Then

there’s C.C. She’s an expert at “therapy.” And it’s as simple and basic as rolling over to let

a stranger rub her belly. Or offering a paw or a wet nose. What she does is elemental yet so

appreciated by those who spend time with her.

C.C. provides what we hope our students will offer—just like so many of YOU do—as they

administer compassionate and caring services and therapy to their patients and clients.

Thanks to Caroline for sharing C.C. with us and thanks to SHRS leadership for allowing

her to grace our halls!

To comment or share your insights on this column, please contact Patty Kummick at

[email protected], 412-383-6548, SHRS, 4054 Forbes Tower, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.

The rising cost of tuition these days is often daunting for students … especially for those with limited nancial

resources seeking to establish careers promising moderate salaries. For most SHRS students, any nancial

assistance is welcome and vigilantly sought. We are grateful for our many alumni and friends who have chosen to

support our students by establishing awards and scholarships.

If you would like to learn more about creating a scholarship award in SHRS or any of its departments and programs,

please call the SHRS Development Ofce at 412-383-4084.

Dietitian Nutritionist program

student Christy Bender and C.C.

4 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 5

Dr. Audrey Holland,

(BS ’55, MS ’59, PhD ’61),

left, recently visited the

VA Pittsburgh Healthcare

System to meet with stroke

survivors with aphasia,

caregivers, professionals

and students during a

World Stroke Day event on

October 31, 2019, hosted

by the Veterans Research

Foundation of Pittsburgh.

She also visited the CSD

Department graduate students in Assistant Professor

Will Evans’ class. Dr. Holland is a strong supporter of

research in CSD; the Audrey Holland Endowed Award

was previously established in her name to support

student research through the CSD Department.

Emergency Medicine

John Mooney (BS ’13) paramedic crew chief and

Cardiac Care Team member, City of Pittsburgh Bureau

of EMS, played a role in the Bureau receiving the

American Heart Association’s 2019 Mission: Lifeline

EMS Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award. The

honor recognizes the critical life-saving role of EMS

in providing care to patients suffering from an acute

myocardial infarction.

Health Information Management

Dr. Eiman Al-Jafar (MS ’97, PhD ’02) presented on

ethical issues when using articial intelligence at the

GCC eHealth Workforce Development Conference in

Dubai, UAE. She currently serves as president of the

Kuwait Health Informatics Association and was the

rst doctoral graduate from HIM with an emphasis in

Health Information Systems.

Nutrition and Dietetics

Ka Hei Karen Lau (CMD ’10) is an author on the

“2019 American Diabetes Association’s Nutrition

Therapy for Adults with Diabetes or Prediabetes: A

Consensus Report.”

Athletic Training/Sports Medicine

Rick Burkholder (BS ’87),

Kansas City Chiefs vice

president of Sports Medicine

and Performance, along with his

athletic training team, helped

lead the NFL team to a Super-

winning 2019-2020 season.

Regina Stump (MS ’17) received an

assistantship through the National

Strength and Conditioning Association

Foundation. She will complete her

training at Fort Carson, Colo.

Christie-Lee (Miller) Coad, (MS ’10), center, provided

health care services as an athletic trainer with USA

Track & Field at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics

Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Alumni News

Mike Powell (MS ’17) was named one of the

Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society’s 2019

Minor League Athletic Trainers of the Year.

Communication Science

and Disorders

Dr. Julie Haarbauer-Krupa (MA

’80) became a fellow of the American

Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.

She serves as a senior health scientist

on the Traumatic Brain Injury Team at

the CDC’s National Center for Injury

Prevention and Control.

Dr. O’neil Guthrie (PhD ’06) was elected to the

American Auditory Society Board.

Dr. Christine Matthews (CScD ’10) was recently

named chief of Audiology and Speech Pathology service

at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. She carries

responsibilities for the strategic direction and oversight

of the clinical, educational and research activities of the

integrated Audiology and Speech Pathology Program.

Audiology alumnae

Nicole Schuller

(AuD ’15) and Anna

Wickline (AuD ’18)

were chosen as part

of a group of seven

young professionals to

participate in Future

Leader training in Ohio.

Occupational Therapy

Benjamin Gross (MOT ’10) was elected vice chair

of the American Occupational Therapy Association’s

Afliated State Association Presidents (ASAP). The ASAP

is composed of state association presidents who are

elected by their members.

Physical Therapy

Nicole LeVan-Rubida (DPT ’07) was awarded

designation of board-certied clinical specialist in

neurologic physical therapy and was promoted to

clinical supervisor of Outpatient Rehabilitation Services

at The Reading Hospital – Tower Health, Reading, Pa.

Physician Assistant Studies

Janelle Porter

(MS ’12) is the

rst recipient of

the PA Studies

Outstanding

Alumni Award

honoring those

who have excelled

in service to the PA

profession or to

their communities.

Kevin Luong (MS ’11) received a

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Mentored Outreach Award from

the Physician Assistant Foundation.

The project will combine academic

and clinical expertise as Luong

teams with PAS Department Chair

David Beck and UPMC Chief

Advanced Practice Provider Ofcer Ben Reynolds to

improve the treatment of substance use disorders across

the UPMC health system.

Rehabilitation Science and Technology

Dr. Jeanne Zanca (MPT ’02,

PhD ’06) became a fellow of the

American Congress of Rehabilitation

Medicine. She is a senior research scientist,

Spinal Cord Injury Research, Kessler

Foundation; and research associate professor, Rutgers

New Jersey Medical School.

Alumni News

In November, SHRS hosted its rst international

alumni event in Dubai, UAE. Hosts Dr. Valerie

Watzlaf, HIM associate professor (back row,

right), and Patty Kummick, SHRS Internal

and External Relations executive director (back

row, left), were joined by alumnae Fatemah Al

Ghadheeb (HIM ’13), Zainab Lajami (PT ’14)

and Dr. Zahra Alakrawi (HIM ’17) (front row,

left to right), and Amal Nemangani (HIM ’08)

(back row, center left) and Dr. Haya Alkhatlan

(HIM ’10) (back row, center right).

6 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 7

Athletic Training/

Sports Medicine

Dr. Bradley Nindl,

professor and

NMRL director, presented a series

of ve lectures over ve days at

Texas universities in October 2019.

He was invited to speak by the

Texas Chapter of the American

College of Sports Medicine. He

highlighted his research addressing

military human performance

optimization and insulin-like growth

factor-1 as a biomarker for tness

and health outcomes.

Communication Science

and Disorders

Dr. Bernard Rousseau, professor

and chair, was appointed to a three-

year term on the American Speech-

Language-Hearing Foundation

Board of Trustees. The foundation

is governed by a Board of Trustees

whose members are appointed by the

Board of Directors of the American

Speech-Language-Hearing Association

(ASHA) as well as the CEO of

ASHA and the executive director

of the foundation.

Dr. Erin Lundblom, associate

professor, was elected to serve

as vice president of Convention

Planning & Program as a member

of the Pennsylvania Speech-

Language-Hearing Association

(PSHA)’s Executive Board. Her VP

responsibilities span the 2020 and

2021 conferences.

Dr. Will Evans, assistant professor,

was a member of the team named

a Pitt Innovation Challenge nalist

for their “Aphasia Games for Health”

submission. With their award, the

team is developing and prototyping

this card-based treatment game

for people with aphasia to use in

person or remotely through video

conferencing software to improve

language and ght social isolation.

Dr. Bharath Chandrasekaran,

professor, was the keynote speaker

of the department’s 21st Annual Jack

Matthews-Herbert Rubin Lecture

at Pitt. His talk focused on the

neuroscience of speech perception.

Associate Professor Michael Walsh

Dickey presented on predictors

of aphasia treatment at the Centre

for Clinical Research Excellence in

Aphasia Rehabilitation and Recovery.

The presentation was live casted

across Australia.

Dr. Lea Sayce, research assistant

professor, was a guest speaker at

the American Association for

Laboratory Animal Science –

Three Rivers Branch and delivered

a lecture on “Surgical Modeling of

Voice Disorders” based on the

NIH-funded work being performed

in the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory.

Dr. Catherine Palmer, professor, and

her team of investigators including

Associate Professors Elaine Mormer

(CSD) and Natalie Leland (OT)

and Professor Charity Patterson

(PT), received a $2.23 million award

from Patient-Centered Outcomes

Research Institute (PCORI) for

their project, HearCARE: Hearing

and Communication Assistance for

Resident Engagement. The researchers

are examining better ways for older

adults to receive hearing assistance in

senior living communities.

Dr. Palmer was also invited to

speak on practice management at

the American Academy of Audiology

conference in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Dr. Leah Helou, assistant professor,

won rst place in the Pitt Ventures

First Gear pitch competition.

Dr. Helou’s “Vocal Mirror” project

involves creating a web-based service

platform where speakers can get

feedback from listeners about how

they come across when they talk. Dr.

Helou will use the funds to develop

the website prototype, which will

support research and development

with collaborators including Drs.

Chris Brown, CSD associate

professor, and Jason Bohland, CSD

assistant professor.

Emergency Medicine Program

Dr. Tom Platt, program director

and associate professor, was elected

to the National Association of

Emergency Medical Technicians

Board as Region I director.

Occupational Therapy

Associate Professor Joanne

Baird presented at the American

Occupational Therapy Association

Education Summit in Fort Worth,

Texas, and at the International

Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare

(IMSH) in San Diego, Calif.

Associate Professor Roxanna

Bendixen presented at the 24th

International Annual Congress

of the World Muscle Society in

Copenhagen, Denmark.

Instructor Cara Lekovitch achieved

Board Certication in Gerontology

through the American Occupational

Therapy Association.

Associate Professor Natalie Leland

presented a webinar to address

fall prevention for the American

Orthopaedic Association as part

of their “Own the Bone” initiative.

She was also invited to participate

on the Centers for Medicare and

Medicaid Services Unied Post-Acute

Care Prospective Payment System

expert panel.

Faculty News

Dr. Leland presented at the joint

American Health Care Association

and National Association for

the Support of Long Term Care

Rehabilitation Symposium and at

the American Occupational Therapy

Association 2019 Home Health

Payment-Driven Groupings Model

Specialty Conference.

Assistant Professor Amit Sethi

received the 2019 Pennsylvania

Occupational Therapy Association

Research Award for advancing

occupational therapy research in

neurorehabilitation.

Professor and Chair Beth Skidmore

presented the keynote lecture

on “Community Participation:

Occupational Therapy’s Role in

Community Health and Well-Being”

at the Singapore National

Occupational Therapy Conference.

Dr. Skidmore also presented the

keynote address at the Encompass

Health United Together with

Monumental Strength 2019

Director of Therapy Operations

Annual Corporate Meeting in

Washington, D.C.

Dr. Skidmore was featured on

the “How to OT” podcast which

was published on January 7,

2020, available at https://anchor.

fm/howtoot/episodes/Dr-Beth-

Skidmore-Effectively-Implementing-

Metacognitive-Strategy-Training-

Interventions-ea1gfq.

Assistant Professor Alyson Stover

received the 2019 Pennsylvania

Occupational Therapy Association

Academic Educator Award for

excellence in occupational therapy

education and she presented a plenary

session on “From Prevention to

Recovery: Occupational Therapy’s

Vital Role in Combatting the Opioid

Epidemic” at the 2019 Pennsylvania

Occupational Therapy Association

Annual Conference.

Numerous students, alumni and

faculty presented at the 2019

American Congress of Rehabilitation

Medicine Annual Conference in

Chicago, Ill. Presenters included PhD

students (Rachelle Brick and Alex

Harper), alumni (Emily Kringle,

Chao-Yi Wu and Asari Yahata) and

faculty (Cara Lekovitch, Dr. Natalie

Leland, Dr. Beth Skidmore and Dr.

Lauren Terhorst).

Physical Therapy

Dr. Andrea

Hergenroeder,

associate professor,

received the 2020

Academy of Acute

Care Physical Therapy Educator

Award. The award recognizes a

member of the Academy of Acute

Care Physical Therapy who has

exhibited outstanding leadership

through their career as demonstrated

by contributions to acute physical

therapy education in at least three

of the following areas: scholarship,

teaching and administration or service.

Dr. Hergenroeder also received

the SHRS Dean’s Distinguished

Teaching Award for her excellence

in teaching as exemplied in part

by her ability to create a student-

centered learning environment

where students are actively engaged,

and her contemporary and innovative

teaching methods.

Susan L. Whitney, professor, is the

2020 recipient of the Academy of

Neurological Physical Therapy Anne

Shumway-Cook lectureship. The

lectureship is designed to acknowledge

and honor an individual who has

made signicant contributions to

neurologic physical therapy research

and practice.

Assistant Professor Vicki Hornyak

participated in the Collaborating

Across Borders (CAB) VII

interprofessional conference in

Indianapolis, Ind., a joint venture

between the American and

Canadian Interprofessional Health

Collaboratives. She co-presented

three platform presentations on work

highlighting the outcomes of the

Interprofessional Dedicated Education

Unit, a clinical experience for Pitt’s

students of the Health Sciences in

collaboration with UPMC nurses and

rehabilitation therapists.

Prosthetics and Orthotics

Dr. Goeran Fiedler, assistant

professor, has been appointed as an

associate editor for Prosthetics and

Orthotics International.

Rehabilitation Science

and Technology

Professor David Brienza served as

keynote speaker at the 2nd World

Conference on Advanced Treatments

& Technologies in Wound Care in

Dusseldorf, Germany.

Dr. Alicia Koontz, professor, was

elected to the American Institute for

Medical and Biological Engineering

College of Fellows. She is also the

editor of the open-source publisher

PLOS’s online Veterans Disability and

Rehabilitation Research Channel.

Dr. Rory Cooper, associate dean for

Inclusion, FISA/PVA distinguished

professor and HERL director, was

featured on the cover and in the

pages of the September 2019 issue

of Inventors Digest and in the short

documentary video in the Freethink’s

“Superhuman” series. The series

proles the pioneers and patients on

the front lines of medical innovation.

Faculty News

8 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020

Cancellations Due to

Coronavirus Pandemic

Due to concerns over the spread

of the COVID-19 virus, the nation’s

restrictions on large gatherings

and the University’s and School’s

attempts to keep alumni, students,

faculty, staff and the community

safe, SHRS has cancelled its 50th

Anniversary events in May.

We regret any inconvenience.

We intend to reschedule our 50th

Anniversary celebration at a later

date where we will properly

recognize our distinguished alumni.

We will keep you informed as details

are determined.

Alumni receptions planned in

conjunction with professional

association conferences have also

been cancelled. We look forward

to gathering with you in these settings

as conferences are scheduled

once again.

We wish you and your families

good health and safe environments

during this pandemic and salute all

of you who are called to serve those

in greater need.

Calendar of Events

Athletic Training/Sports Medicine

The NMRL co-hosted the Human Performance

Enhancement Research Meeting featuring sessions on

military-unique situations, brain/health neurobiology,

warghter physical enhancement, precision performance

enablers, and future directions. A multidisciplinary group

of speakers provided insight about provocative, new

research themes of human performance enhancement.

U.S. Congressman Conor Lamb (center) joined

Professor Bradley Nindl and Associate Professor Kim

Beals at the HPE Research meeting on Pitt’s campus.

Health Information Management

HIM faculty and staff introduced SHRS’s rst online

courses leading to a degree. The Master of Science

in Health Informatics online degree offering kicked

off with 19 students in the rst cohort that began in

January. More SHRS online and hybrid degree programs

and certicate programs are expected to be introduced

over time.

Human Engineering Research Laboratories

HERL used the occasion of its 25th anniversary to

host leadership of the Paralyzed Veterans of America

in November 2019. Board members and leaders were

treated to a dinner and lab tours.

FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 9

Student News

Student News Department News

Members of the SHRS student

organizations, through the oversight

of the Student Advisory Board,

planned, organized and conducted

the rst SHRS Collaborative Care

Conference for undergraduate and

graduate students. The conference,

held at SHRS, featured concurrent

sessions where students from all

SHRS disciplines participated in case

studies as well as a panel discussion

including alumni engagement.

Communication Science

and Disorders

PhD students Amanda Mahoney

and Cara Donohue presented

a poster at the Pitt Med Ed Day

on development of a Massive

Online Open Course (MOOC)

on Computational Deglutition,

a collaboration between CSD and

Engineering, through which a

course is being prepared on

swallowing physiology and

kinematic analysis, and signal

processing/machine learning.

AuD students Hannah Famili and

Brandy Hollins were accepted

into the National Center for

Rehabilitative and Auditory Research

T35 training program. They will

spend 12 weeks in Portland, Ore.,

this summer completing the intensive

research program.

Audiology

student Lauren

Ciemniecki

was one of ve

students chosen

for the American

Academy of

Audiology Student Research Forum.

She was mentored by CSD Associate

Professor Elaine Mormer.

Occupational Therapy

OTD students Julia Beatty, Emily

Pullman, Sam Whitney, Giulia

Watkins, Katie Massarsky, Alyssa

Carson and Katie Grunewald

participated in the 2019 School of

Medicine Interprofessional Geriatric

Week with over 240 students from

Schools of the Health Sciences.

Anna Marie Clark, OTD student, co-

presented on “Ambitious Defensible

IEP Goals for Students with Greatest

Needs” at the 2020 Council for

Exceptional Children in Portland, Ore.

Haley Feller and Elise Krause, OTD

students, presented at the Steel City

Dental Conference on September

12, 2019. Their presentation,

“Ergonomics: Providing Patient Care,”

was featured at a one-day conference

for 55 dental hygiene students and

focused on strategies to protect one’s

body in the context of care.

PhD student Jessica Kersey

presented at the American Speech-

Language-Hearing Association

Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla.

OTD students Jameson Matunas,

Ashley Thompson, Spencer

Sutter and Rachel Fleming were

selected for the Jewish Healthcare

Foundation’s Jonas Salk Health

Activist Fellowship.

Monica Morrison, OTD student,

received a Pennsylvania Occupational

Therapy Association Student

Scholarship and the Department of

Occupational Therapy Professional

Excellence Award.

PhD student Stephanie Rouch

(MOT ’17) was accepted to the

Health Equity Certicate program in

the Graduate School of Public Health.

The following OTD students

were selected to be interns for the

American Occupational Therapy

Association Special Interest Sections:

Sara Lessem (Rehab and Disability),

Leighann Warholak (Work and

Industry) and Taylor Wellman

(Mental Health).

The following OTD and MOT

students from the OTD Class of 2022

and MOT Class of 2021 have been

inducted as members of Pi Theta

Epsilon, the national honor society

for occupational therapy students

and alumni: Colleen Andris, Alicia

Brindle, Olivia Brooks, Hannah

Brown, Anna Marie Clark, Kaylee

DeCecchis, Lauren Dundore,

Marissa Durbin, Rachel Eilers,

Megan Graybill, Allison Leventry,

Kelsey Miller, Amber Shojaie,

Kayla Soltis, Spencer Sutter,

Alexa Taylor, Ashley Thompson,

Kristen Vilett, Caitlyn Wear and

Julia Zezinka.

Prosthetics and Orthotics

MSPO students Brianna Perry and

Kevin Quinn, along with faculty

members Drs. Goeran Fiedler,

David Brienza and Mary-Ann

Miknevich, were winners in the Pitt

Innovation Challenge (PInCH) with

their submission, Good Vibrations, to

treat residual/phantom limb pain and

muscle atrophy in amputees.

Department News

As SHRS celebrates its 50th anniversary, it will honor a new cohort of

exceptional alumni with six different awards of excellence. The largest group

ever to receive these kudos, the 2020 class of awardees includes 21 men and

women who consistently make the school proud. They shine in research,

education, clinical practice and leadership. SHRS is better because they have

been here, and the elds of health and rehabilitation are stronger because of

their contributions.

10 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 11

Alumni Awards

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

This award is bestowed upon an elite group of SHRS

graduates every ve years. Recipients have distinguished

themselves through their academic, professional and

humanitarian accomplishments. We recognize their

commitment to professional excellence and dedication

to serving their community through scholarship, education

and advocacy.

Distinguished Alumni recipients for 2020:

Athletic Training—Larry Cooper, BS ’83

Audiology—David P. Jedlicka, BA ’06,

AuD ’10

Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health

Counseling—Catherine Armstrong Getchell,

MS ’04

Emergency Medicine—Mohamed Hagahmed,

MD, BS ’09

Health Information Management—Meagan

Sampogna Williams, BS ’00

Nutrition and Dietetics—Helen Agresti, BS ’00

Occupational Therapy—Megan E. Driscoll,

MOT ’12

Physical Therapy—Cindy Miles, PT ’77

Rehabilitation Technology—Jongbae Kim, PhD ’05

Speech-Language Pathology—Rochelle S. Chabon, PhD ’80

RISING STAR AWARD

This is the rst year SHRS recognizes emerging leaders

in the health and rehabilitation professions. The Rising

Star Award honors more recent alumni who exhibit

ongoing and exceptional growth in practice, research or

service; demonstrate leadership in their eld; and display a

commitment to furthering their profession.

The rst class of SHRS Rising Stars:

Occupational Therapy—Benjamin J. Gross, MOT ’10

Physical Therapy—Michael B. Gans, DPT ’06

Physician Assistant Studies—Kathryn J. Reed, MS ’16

Prosthetics and Orthotics—Alexander M. Rodriguez

Betancourt, MS ’13

Rehabilitation Technology—Maria Luisa Toro Hernandez,

MS ’11, PhD ’15

Speech-Language Pathology—Amanda I. Gillespie,

MS ’05, PhD ’13

RESEARCH DISCOVERY AWARD

The rst award of its kind at SHRS honors a world-class

researcher within the SHRS alumni community. We recognize

a commitment to professional excellence and dedication to

serving the community.

The inaugural Research Discovery Awardee:

Ryan Comfort Branski, PhD ’05 (CSD)

HUMANITARIAN AWARD

The SHRS Humanitarian Award recognizes

individuals whose demonstrated leadership

and outstanding volunteerism have served

to improve the lives of others. We honor

alumni who exemplify SHRS’s commitment

to community service and who personify the

compassion and caring that is intrinsic to the

varied health professions within the school.

Humanitarian Awardees:

Mary Lou Galantino, BS ’82 (PT)

Eliana C. Ferretti, MS ’03, PhD ’07 (RST)

PHILANTHROPIST AWARD

SHRS would not exist today without the generous charitable

support of corporations, foundations, alumni and friends. This

special honor recognizes an individual or organization whose

nancial commitment to SHRS has made a lasting impact on

the students, faculty, programs and research, and who has used

philanthropy to further the mission, vision and values of SHRS.

The 2020 Philanthropist Awardee:

David H. Perrin, PhD ’85 (HPA)

DEAN’S CHOICE

Throughout the years, SHRS alumni have made great strides

in health-related elds. Our graduates are highly respected

by their peers and some are recognized worldwide as leading

experts. The Dean’s Choice Award recognizes alumni who

have successfully expanded their careers far beyond what their

degrees signify.

The 2020 SHRS Dean’s Choice Awardee:

Kysha Harriell, BS ’96 (AT)

Until we can

gather for

our formal

50th Anniversary

celebration, we

congratulate all

of our honorable

alumni.

FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 13 12 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020

Clinical Instructor Profile

Toolan and the other Pitt interns are helping the MedAllies

team implement interoperability workows for care

coordination among EHRs in physician practices across the

states of New York and New Jersey.

“The students are working to help the practices become

interoperable with their clinical trading partners,” explains

Koval. “MedAllies employees who developed the process serve

as mentors, but the students are on the front lines, seeing how

everything we do impacts patient care.”

“We are working with health information exchange, software

development, e-referrals, implementation and optimization,

among other things,” notes Toolan.

“It is exciting to see something being used in the workplace and

thinking to yourself, ‘we learned this in class!’” she continues.

“It is very validating and rewarding to know your education

has prepared you for current industry practices.”

“Dianne has been a tremendous partner with the HIM

department, frequently supervising multiple students at one

time,” notes Assistant Professor Patricia Anania Firouzan. “The

students return from MedAllies invigorated by their experience

and excited to share the work that they accomplished. Their

experience serves them well as they enter the workforce.”

Former MedAllies intern Ankitha Challapalli (BS ’18) was

invited to join the IT Leadership Development Program

at Aetna, a CVS Health Company. She credits Koval with

preparing her for the two-year-long program, where she rotates

through four different areas within the IT organization.

“Dianne gave me a lot of hands-on exposure during my

time at MedAllies,” says Challapalli. “From day one, she

immersed all the interns in team meetings, events and

innovation sessions.”

“Dianne handed us the opportunity to network, learn and

absorb as much as we could,” continues Challapalli. “She went

above and beyond in providing us with a versatile range of

activities that helped build condence and passion for health

care technology.”

Koval says she treats interns like managers at MedAllies,

having them travel with the company to national conferences

and develop activities, materials and programs that the entire

company can use.

“Students have contributed so much to MedAllies over the

years,” Koval notes. “In addition to working on specic HIM-

related projects, they have created our company’s Business

Continuity Plan, generated a new leads list for prospective

clients, developed a new hire orientation program and an

acronym list to help future interns get up to speed quickly,

along with other management and team-building activities.”

Toolan notes that Koval is helping her to cultivate both

soft and hard business skills. “We are learning that both are

just as important in the HIM eld, and to learn from the best

mentor and her team will prepare me to be a better employee,”

says Toolan.

“In addition, I am excited to learn about areas that I have not

yet explored,” she adds. “Because HIM is always expanding, I

will be prepared to adapt to the change and even be a part of

the change in the future.”

Koval has a number of goals for the interns she supervises. “I

want them to have a better understanding of how health

information technology leads to improved clinical care,” she

says. “But I also want to instill in them the importance of being

a strong manager and leader in the industry.”

“Strong managers have the power to create a culture of caring,

collaboration and even friendly competition among their

employees,” she continues. “When people love what they do,

they are happy to go to work every day, and that results

in high engagement and productivity for the individual and

the company.”

Koval encourages all of her students to develop the leadership

skills they need to go out and make a difference in the industry

and in the clients they serve, and, when they are ready, to

become mentors themselves.

Escape room activity with the team.

“For the ve weeks they are with us, they work hard. They get

up early, they work late, and hopefully go home with a real

sense of their unique skill set, and how it can best be used to

become strong, inspiring managers and leaders,” she adds.

Cassie Toolan is one of six HIM students working with Koval

this spring. She says her internship is valuable because it is

giving her a peek into the specialization within the eld to help

determine what area she may want to pursue after graduation.

“Learning what you like—and what you are good at—helps

you to tailor a specic career path,” notes Toolan. “Once you

know what you are interested in, you can nd opportunities to

gain even more experience in that arena.”

Koval is a registered health information manager and chief

operating ofcer of Fishkill, N.Y.-based MedAllies, one of

the nation’s leading providers of electronic health records

(EHR) implementation and health information services for

interoperability between EHRs. With her background and

experience, she has a wealth of valuable information to share.

“When students arrive at MedAllies, I make sure they are

exposed to every aspect of our business,” says Koval. “They

see rsthand what it’s like to have a career in this eld. They

work with all departments as account managers and project

managers, and participate in face-to-face visits with clients.”

Weekly managers meeting at Panera Bread

(no computers allowed) to troubleshoot

problems as a team.

Ankitha Challapalli, Dianne Koval,

and Eugenia Noh

GO OUT

AND MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

For more than ten years, Dianne

Koval has been offering career

advice and on-the-job training to

undergraduate students from Pitt’s

Health Information Management

(HIM) program.

14 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 15

Facets Feature

FORGE AHEAD:

RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

IN A NEW DECADE

Take approximately 140 dedicated faculty

members supported by 120 staff, coupled with

more than 1,300 passionate students. Add

state-of-the-art science laboratories, a spirit

of collaboration and a desire to create new

knowledge that can improve the health, wellness

and rehabilitation for people with disabilities or

who are at risk for disabilities due to illness or

injuries across the lifespan.

This is SHRS in 2020. A powerhouse of research,

technology and innovation.

During the rst 25 years of its existence, SHRS established its reputation for

excellence in clinical education, with little research funding. During the 1990s,

a concerted effort began to foster a culture of scientic inquiry and research.

Recently, there has been a surge in the number and scope of studies, particularly

in areas that touch the lives of persons with disabilities.

In scal year 2019, SHRS reported $24.7 million in grant money, supporting

more than 200 research projects.

The grants come from prestigious funders including the National Institutes

of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DoD), the National Science

Foundation, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Department

of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Elizabeth R. Skidmore, SHRS associate dean of Research and professor and

chair, Department of Occupational Therapy (OT), says there’s a good reason

that funding agencies are attracted to SHRS.

“We are distinct among schools of similar nature in the breadth, volume and

impact of the research conducted by our students and faculty,” she notes.

“Rather than specializing in one particular clinical population or one particular

methodology, our research addresses a wide range of clinical and public health

needs, impacting practice at the level of the person, provider, health system and

federal health policy,” Skidmore continues.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,

committed citizens can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

~ Margaret Mead

THE CHALLENGE IS ON.

Research and innovation go hand in hand. Today, in

conjunction with the University’s Innovation Institute, SHRS

is holding its rst innovation challenge. Faculty, staff and

students are invited to compete for funds to assist with the

translation of technology. The multi-step challenge involves

an educational program and development activities.

“Rehabilitation research is not nished until it is translated

into products and services that improve people’s lives,” notes

Brienza. “At SHRS we are working to take the scientic

knowledge and technology we generate to where it can have

real impact. That’s the last signicant mile in the process.”

“The highly productive research programs at SHRS are

well-respected throughout the rehabilitation and health

science eld,” continues Skidmore. “This is evident from the

increased external funding, the many journal publications

and number of panels our faculty are invited to join. In

the decade ahead, we will build on what we have already

established—a highly collaborative environment that

supports centers of excellence throughout the University and

across the nation.”

16 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 17

Four different research initiatives—two from SHRS—are

currently underway.

Parmanto, the Center’s co-principal investigator and an

individual grantee, is developing a mobile health (mHealth)

app that addresses the special needs of caregivers. The app

will be delivered on a smartphone and include a portal

where caregivers can access information and resources that

can improve their own health and wellness while they care

for a person with disabilities.

OT Associate Professor Pamela Toto is adapting and

implementing an evidence-based intervention that

promotes aging in place and reduces the burden of care

for older adults and their caregivers through the Area Agency

on Aging.

CAPABLE, the Community Aging in Place—Advancing

Better Living for Elders intervention, focuses on providing

client-centered care to maximize wellness and prevent or

reduce disability.

“The goal in developing the Center is to centralize successful

caregiver training and resources across the University,

beyond SHRS, UCSUR and Nursing,” states Toto. “We don’t

and shouldn’t treat clients in silos, so it makes sense that we

don’t use that approach to meet the needs of caregivers either.

The grant gives us permission—and an obligation—to create

the best resources through an interprofessional approach.”

A REFRESHED INFRASTRUCTURE FOR

RESEARCH SUPPORT.

The SHRS Data Center, formerly the PT Data Center, now

provides a broader range of support in all phases of research,

from pre-award to post-award. It offers a variety of services

including data management, web-based applications, data

monitoring and statistical analyses for large, multi-site

clinical trials, health services and implementation research

and large observational studies.

Charity Patterson, PT professor and Data Center director,

says that since 2017, the SHRS Data Center has grown

from supporting one multi-center trial sponsored by the

DoD to managing ve multi-center trials from various

funding agencies.

Previous funding averaged $315,000 per year, but

projections for scal year 2020 are closer to $800,000.

“The Data Center is committed to team science and research

integrity. We provide expertise in study design, data quality

and analysis in all phases of research,” Patterson adds.

Facets Feature

Research opportunities for undergraduate

students include working in one of these

discipline areas, either as an unpaid volunteer

or paid intern, for academic credit or as part of

the Bachelor of Philosophy program:

• Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health

Counseling – Kelly Beck

• Communication Science and Disorders –

Katie Belardi

• Emergency Medicine – Tom Platt

• Health Information Management –

Patricia Anania Firouzan

• Occupational Therapy – Laura Waterstram

• Physical Therapy – Sara Piva

• Rehabilitation Science and Technology/

Prosthetics and Orthotics – Dan Fisher

• Sports Medicine and Nutrition – Kevin Conley

GETTING THE RIGHT TREATMENT

TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME.

Optimizing the quality of life for patients

is an overarching goal of much of

the research conducted at SHRS.

Investigators in every department and

program are examining physiological

and behavioral mechanisms of

disorders and recovery. They’re

improving diagnostic methods

and developing and testing novel

interventions that impact patient care.

Technology plays a major role.

In his highly sophisticated psychoacoustics lab,

Communication Science and Disorders Associate Professor

Christopher Brown uses multi-channel sound arrays

and electroencephalography to study tinnitus, hearing

impairment and cochlear implant processing.

Professor Bradley Nindl and Assistant Professors

Chris Connaboy and Shawn Flanagan, faculty in the

Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, use

electroencephalography, brain imaging and motion

analysis in the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory to

study cognitive and physical performance in active military

members and elite athletes.

David Brienza, associate dean for Technology and Innovation

and Rehabilitation Science and Technology professor, has

developed and evaluated technology to preserve tissue

integrity in people with activity and mobility limitations,

while Skidmore uses augmented reality to address cognitive

impairments in patients who have experienced stroke.

INTERDISCIPLINARY

COLLABORATION AND

BEST PRACTICES.

A new model of

interdisciplinary collaboration

at SHRS has taken hold,

resulting in breakthrough

research that addresses social

as well as medical issues,

and sets new standards of

rehabilitation care.

Through a grant from NIH, investigators from the

Department of Physical Therapy (PT) and the University of

Pittsburgh’s Schools of Medicine, Engineering and Education

have established the Low Back Pain Center at Pitt.

“Unfortunately, some people with chronic low back pain end

up taking opioids for lack of a better alternative, despite the

lack of research supporting their use for chronic pain,” notes

Dean and PT Professor Anthony Delitto. “The Center

will largely focus on thoroughly understanding the

individual characteristics of patients with acute and

chronic low back pain to then help develop more

effective and safer treatments.”

At the Human Engineering Research Laboratories

(HERL), Pitt researchers are working with the

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Community

HealthChoices Health Plan and Transitional Paths

to Independent Living. Together they are piloting a

comprehensive technology-based intervention known as

ASSIST—Autonomy, Safety and Social Integration via Smart

Technologies. It supports independent living and community

integration of people with physical disabilities who are at

risk of institutionalization.

ASSIST focuses on providing mainstream home automation

technologies, such as entry control and light control, as

well as access technologies like smart speakers and touch-

free access to smartphones. It may also include apps for

smart speakers and smartphones that support instrumental

activities of daily living and community integration. ASSIST

will match the needs of individuals with disabilities to

these technologies and provide targeted training to ensure

technologies would be used effectively by people with

physical disabilities.

According to HERL Associate Professor Dan Ding,

“Through these technologies, we believe that individuals with

disabilities will be able to live more independently, become

more connected to their communities, and have more

choices and control over their lives.”

UNIQUE GRANT FROM NIDILRR.

Through a $4.3 million grant from the National Institute on

Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research

(NIDILRR), scholars from SHRS, Pitt’s School of Nursing

and the University Center for Social & Urban Research

(UCSUR) have established the National Rehabilitation

Research and Training Center on Family Support.

The Center is unique in that it leverages modern medical

research and technology to improve not only the health and

quality of life for people with disabilities, but also those who

support them.

“This is the only grant of its kind awarded by NIDILRR,”

notes Bambang Parmanto, Health Information Management

chair and professor. “We received this funding because

Pitt stands out as a leader in the eld of caregiving, and

we have the expertise in technology for health intervention

and implementation.”

Joseph Mancino Jr.

18 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 19

Prosthetics and Orthotics

PUTTING A SPRING

IN THEIR STEP

In a new study, Hovorka is collaborating with several

partners to examine the effectiveness of several types of

lower limb orthoses as they relate to the quality of life,

satisfaction and uidity of gait among stroke survivors.

Fior & Gentz Neuroswing of Lüneburg, Germany, and

Tillges Technology of Maplewood, Minn., are designing

the various orthoses for use in the study, while Del Bianco

Prosthetics and Orthotics in Raleigh, N.C., serves as the

clinical testing site.

Co-investigator of the study is Del Bianco’s Gary Wall, a

certied prosthetist and orthotist. He recruits and ts

patients with either an articulated or non-articulated brace

that contains the spring technology, a conventional, rigid

orthosis or no orthosis at all.

The team will examine clinical outcomes based on the OPUS

Health Quality of Life Index, OPUS Satisfaction with Device

Use assessment tool, and other measures such as a two-minute

walk test, narrowing beam-walk test, and timed up and go.

“We are at a time of great advances in the eld of P&O,”

says Wall. “While prostheses usually grab the attention of

mass media and research funding, orthoses are also seeing a

revolution in available ankle joints and material construction.”

Stroke is one of the leading causes of

disability in the United States. When

a stroke occurs, part of the brain is

deprived of blood, causing a variety

of mental and physical impairments.

Frequently, survivors of stroke have difculty standing or

walking because they lose control of muscles and coordination.

According to Christopher Hovorka, assistant professor in the

Prosthetics and Orthotics (P&O) program, assistive devices

such as braces—also known as orthoses—are traditionally

used to stabilize the ankle and foot to keep patients who

have weak muscles from collapsing when they stand and

walk. “The brace acts as a surrogate muscle,” explains

Hovorka. “But over time, the muscle itself becomes weaker

and less active.”

This phenomenon, known as “learned disuse,” can eventually

result in muscle atrophy. “It’s like the old adage, ‘if you don’t

use it, you lose it,’” Hovorka continues. “This notion has led

some rehabilitation practitioners to avoid the use of motion-

constraining lower limb orthoses combined with footwear.”

According to Hovorka, there is growing evidence showing

that new materials and technologies, including one that has

a spring-like mechanism in the orthosis, can improve the

walking velocity and ankle power of highly active persons

with neuromuscular disorders, such as children with cerebral

palsy and former military service members.

But there is limited research on the efcacy of similar ankle

braces on the gait of less active patients, like stroke survivors.

In addition, there is little knowledge on how orthoses control

motion or inuence a person’s neuromotor control system.

“However, orthotists have little authoritative knowledge on

how newer designs work, what patients are best suited for

them, and most importantly, which designs are preferred by

the patient,” he continues.

Hovorka believes this study will begin to provide some of

the critical information that clinicians need.

“Preliminary results are showing that stroke survivors are

walking with a more uid forward motion when they use

orthoses that contain the spring mechanisms,” reports

Hovorka. “The springs release stored energy to control tibial

advances and facilitate ankle power.”

“However, we also need to explore how to design a brace

with the correct number of springs to help a patient walk

more quickly,” he continues. “We believe this will also

increase the patient’s muscle activity.”

Hovorka says it will likely take years of study to effectively

prove his hypothesis, but small studies such as the one they

are currently conducting provide evidence that can be used

moving forward.

“Having a clinical partner such as Del Bianco Prosthetics and

Orthotics is tremendously helpful,” Hovorka adds.

“The value of university collaboration with an independent

clinic as ours cannot be overstated,” says Wall. “Oftentimes,

university research is hampered by the lack of access to ‘real’

patients and current clinical knowledge, while clinics such

as ours lack the overhead for Institutional Review Board

submission and professional staff to turn our ndings into

results that can be published in peer-reviewed manuscripts.”

Hovorka says that as knowledge is updated with well-

controlled clinical research in this area, it will help inform

practitioners of optimal evidence-based therapies involving

exoskeletons, orthoses and footwear.

Spring motion

Foot-ankle orthoses that contain high-force disc

springs like the one shown here help patients

walk with a more uid motion.

20 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 21

Sports Medicine and Nutrition

Imagine a receiver clutching a football, heading toward

the end zone with two defenders closing in. Based on an

internal understanding of his physical abilities and an

attuned perceptual system, the receiver sees an opportunity

to split the defenders and score a touchdown.

But what happens if the receiver recently returned from a

sports-related concussion? Will his perception of the closing

distance between the two defenders and his goal be accurate

enough to make the right moves? And will he be able to realize

the action with enough precision to avoid being tackled?

Perception-action coupling behaviors such as these are of

great interest to SHRS alumnus and Pitt School of Medicine

Post-doctoral Fellow Shawn R. Eagle (PhD ’19) as he

investigates sports-related concussions at the UPMC Sports

Medicine Concussion Program.

“Studies show that there is an increased risk of musculoskeletal

injury after concussion but no one knows why,” says Eagle.

A unique tool known as the Perception-Action Coupling

Task (PACT) is helping Eagle determine some of the “whys.”

In a recent study, he used PACT to evaluate the differences

between athletes with a history of concussion (but cleared

for full activity) and those with no history of concussion.

PACT is a tablet-based software application that was

developed by Chris Connaboy, assistant professor,

Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition (SMN). It

requires participants to quickly and accurately complete a

task that involves “throwing” virtual balls through virtual

holes that randomly change sizes. Among other things, PACT

measures reaction, movement and response times as they

relate to the accuracy of judgment.

Eagle administered the PACT

assessment along with two of

the most widely used concussion

screening tests—the Immediate

Post-concussion Assessment and

Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) and

the Vestibular Ocular Motor

Screening (VOMS).

He found that college-aged

athletes who had recovered from a sports-related concussion

within the previous two years demonstrated slower and

less accurate performance on the PACT test compared to

athletes with no sports-related concussion history. They also

exhibited several impairments that were not evident through

other measures, including vestibular/oculomotor dysfunction.

According to Eagle, these decits in perception-action

coupling behavior is a critical nding. “Athletic competition

involves a myriad of dynamic movement decisions that

requires the detection and integration of perceptual

information with subsequent adaptations to motor output.”

He adds that subsequent research in perception-action

coupling behaviors might help mitigate the risk of another

concussion or musculoskeletal injury for athletes.

Connaboy says PACT offers portability and convenience to

researchers who are investigating behavioral risks in a variety of

populations. He originally developed the assessment to measure

how astronauts at the NASA Human Exploration Research

Analog (HERA) site adapted to rapid and unpredictable

changes during a 30-day period when they were exposed to

isolated, conned and controlled environments.

“The inability to correctly perceive possibilities for actions

may cause astronauts to attempt behaviors that place them

at greater risk,” says Connaboy. “If an individual incorrectly

perceives their ability to complete an action, they may either

attempt an action that is not possible or not attempt an

action that is possible.”

“This greatly impacts the success of the mission as well as

the safety of the astronaut,” he continues. “If we can identify

behaviors that cause risk, we can help to avoid future

accidents and injuries.”

During the HERA study, PACT provided critical information

to doctoral student Alice LaGoy (MS ’17) as she investigated

how sleep patterns affect performance. LaGoy learned that

accuracy of judgment was worse in individuals who slept

less and had worse sleep quality. Better sleep related to

improved perceptual judgments but not quicker judgments,

since better sleepers had slower response times than those

who did not sleep well. Conversely, both accuracy of

judgment and response times were affected by one night of

sleep deprivation.

“We found that performance was

inuenced by individual daily variation in

sleep patterns and by sleep deprivation,”

notes LaGoy. “The patterns of response

time were also inuenced by feelings of

anxiety and apprehension.”

The compelling utility of PACT

assessments has resulted in a newly

funded grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. The

Neuromuscular Research Laboratory team will employ

PACT to study sleep deprivation and performance among

members of the U.S. military in order to characterize key

markers of cognitive resilience among warghters.

“PACT is one way we use our knowledge and expertise to

address real-world problems,” says Connaboy. “We hope to

commercialize this tool to help minimize risk and prevent

injuries for individuals in a variety of occupations, from

long-haul truck drivers and airplane pilots to health care

workers and those who work in the oil elds.”

RISKY BUSINESS:

DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY

TO ASSESS INJURY RISK

Subject positioned for PACT testing.

Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling

22 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 23

Project CRESTS offers an interdisciplinary,

collaborative approach to improving the

training of educators and counselors who are

interested in working with young adults with

visual impairments.

In the fall of 2020, ve full-tuition CRESTS

scholarships—the rst ever in the Clinical

Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling

(Counseling) program—will be awarded

to Counseling students who are committed

to this cause.

According to Counseling Assistant Professor

Jamie Kulzer, students will receive cross-

disciplinary instruction to meet the

communication and adaptive needs of clients

with visual impairments.

“Our scholars will enroll in two additional

courses offered by Pitt’s School of Education’s

Teachers of Students with Visual Impairment

program,” says Kulzer. “They will also complete

their clinical experiences with students who are

blind or visually impaired at facilities such as the

Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children.”

“Ultimately, this interdisciplinary training

grant will elevate the curriculum in the

Counseling program and positively impact the

lives of individuals with visual impairments,”

Kulzer adds.

Tessa McCarthy, Department of Instruction and

Learning in Pitt’s School of Education, serves as

the principal investigator on the CRESTS grant.

“There are very few things that someone with

vision can do that someone without vision can’t

do,” explains McCarthy. “The person who is

blind may just need to perform tasks differently,

be a bit more organized and convince the people

around them of their capabilities. I think the

Counseling students who participate in Project

CRESTS will be able to see rsthand that this

really is true.”

Kulzer agrees. “Due to the large number of

counseling courses required by our accrediting

body, CACREP, Counseling training programs lack

focus on specic needs for individuals who are

visually impaired. With Project CRESTS, we have

a unique opportunity to give counselors additional

specialized training in a high-needs area.”

Individuals who are blind and

visually impaired typically have

the highest rates of post-secondary

education of any disability category.

But they also tend to have the

highest rates of unemployment and

underemployment after completing

their studies.

The reason: Teachers, support personnel and counselors

are not always trained in the disability-specic needs of

transition-aged blind students, or the steps they can take to

help them.

That’s about to change, thanks to a grant from the U.S.

Department of Education called Project CRESTS (Certied

Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Supporting

Transition Success).

ANNOUNCING THE NANCY L. OYLER

STUDENT AWARD IN COUNSELING

Additional Counseling scholarships are being offered beginning

in the fall of 2020 through the generosity of the John Francis

Oyler and Nancy Lee Victoria Fleck Oyler Foundation. The

Nancy L. Oyler Student Award in Counseling will be presented

to Counseling students who exemplify a commitment to

excellence in service to persons with disabilities.

The award honors the late Nancy

Oyler’s career as a rehabilitation

counselor who provided

psychosocial adjustment services to

persons with disabilities. She began

working at the Greater Pittsburgh

Guild for the Blind while attending

graduate school at Pitt. After

taking a hiatus to raise her three

children, Nancy Oyler returned

to the Guild, which had been

renamed Blind & Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh,

until her retirement in 2005.

Nancy’s husband, Dr. John F. Oyler, retired associate professor,

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the

University of Pittsburgh, says his wife was heavily inuenced

by the philosophy of Father Thomas Carroll, as recorded in

Carroll’s book, “Blindness: What It Is, What It Does, and How

to Live with It.”

“Father Carroll believed that psychological rehabilitation was

necessary before physical rehabilitation could succeed,” notes

Dr. Oyler.

“Nancy was always grateful for the opportunity to earn a

master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling,” he continues.

“We are eager to see this program continue to ourish. We felt

the best way to honor her was to provide similar opportunities

to current and future students.”

Counseling Director and Professor Michael McCue calls Nancy

Oyler a visionary and an advocate. “She was particularly

passionate about supporting individuals with disabilities. It is

entirely tting that the new scholarship be awarded to students

who plan to follow in her footsteps.”

“We are very grateful to the Oyler Foundation for this

endowment,” says McCue. “While it takes a great nancial

burden off the recipient, it also epitomizes the concept of paying

it forward. We hope to instill that idea in all of our students,

and this award is a wonderful example.”

The late Nancy Oyler and her

husband, Dr. John Oyler.

FIRST-EVER

SCHOLARSHIPS

HELP COUNSELORS

SEE STUDENTS

IN A NEW LIGHT

24 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 25

Occupational Therapy

White began teaching 3-D printing technology in her

Biomechanical Theory and Practice class in 2017. Students

learn how patterns are created based on specic sizes and

shapes, and then use spools of polylactic acid “thread” to

build the splint on the 3-D printer.

“The real skill comes from the OT’s ability to t the splint to

the client’s needs,” notes White.

Several Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) students

recently took what they learned in White’s class and applied

it in their Level II eldwork.

Madeleine Wirth (BS ’17) created a customized splint for a

client with a spinal cord injury who was living in a skilled

nursing facility. “The client had limited use of her upper

extremities,” says Wirth. “Her goals were to read her Kindle,

grab her own tissues and feed herself.”

At rst, Wirth tried a more traditional intervention that was

not effective. She recalled the success of the splints made

with a 3-D printer. After taking precise measurements, Wirth

printed a splint that gave her client more independence.

“My eldwork educator was very excited about the new

approach,” adds Wirth.

Fellow student Haley Feller (BA ’14) gave a presentation about

using 3-D printing to create custom orthoses for clients in the

outpatient clinic where she was completing her eldwork.

“Neither my eldwork supervisor nor the physical therapists

on staff were familiar with 3-D printing or its effectiveness

in a therapeutic setting,” says Feller.

“The biggest benet for clients is that 3-D printing leads to

greater levels of customization without sacricing durability

and quality of the orthosis,” Feller adds. “An indirect benet

is that it is less expensive to produce, which could result in

lower costs to insurance companies.”

White says that while 3-D printing has not been

perfected yet for general use in OT practice, she

foresees a time when it is readily available.

She adds that some occupational therapists currently

use 3-D technology to provide low- to no-cost adaptive

equipment to help clients complete an activity, modify

their environment or use an assistive device.

White has future plans to provide students with more

hands-on experiences with the 3-D printer. Her idea

is to involve students in the creation of adaptive

devices and occupation-based interventions using 3-D

technology for a simulated patient who has rheumatoid

arthritis. Additionally, she plans to introduce students

to software like Tinkercad, a free online app used to

create 3-D designs.

“Learning how to create custom 3-D printed assistive

devices and occupationally based activities will

empower future practitioners to improve the health and

well-being of all patients,” says White.

Students like Wirth share her vision. “The intersection

of technology and health care, specically rehabilitation,

is complex,” she observes. “After my experience in the

eld, I can envision technology that tracks repetition and

movement outside of therapy sessions. This would inform

therapy plans and the quality of therapy for our clients.”

Feller agrees. She foresees virtual reality becoming

a more commonplace technological intervention in

occupational therapy sessions of the future. “Through

virtual reality, OTs could simulate occupations with

clients before actually stepping into the occupation in a

contextually appropriate setting,” observes Feller. “That

way, we will be able to provide even more personalized

occupation-based care to clients.”

“OTs have always used rudimentary technology in the

eld,” notes White. “For example, we typically make our

own splints that t the needs of individual clients. But 3-D

printing lets us do it faster and more economically, allowing

us to reach a broader patient population.”

Until now, occupational therapists used traditional materials

such as thermo-plastics that are very expensive. The splints

take long to fabricate and then need to be tted to the

individual client. Often, the splint needs to be adjusted—or

even re-created.

Splints created with 3-D technology cost just a few dollars

compared to several hundred dollars for traditional thermo-

plastic splints. Furthermore, the material used in 3-D

printing is totally recyclable.

“If you need to make adjustments, the material goes at and

can be reused over and over again,” continues White. “This

allows us to make effective and inexpensive modications as

the patients’ needs change.”

Let’s talk about how occupational

therapists go out of their way to nd

personalized solutions to help people

live fuller lives.

They devise novel ways to help people of all ages perform

the activities that they want and need to do. Because clients

may be recovering from illness or injury or living with a

permanent disability, occupational therapists may adapt the

activity, modify the environment or use an assistive device.

But Department of Occupational Therapy (OT) Instructor

Jennifer White is using innovative technology to take

adaptive creativity to an even higher level. She’s using 3-D

printing. This, she says, gives new meaning to the words

“individualized care.”

LET’S GET PERSONAL

Madeleine Wirth (BS ’17) used 3-D printing

to create a customized splint that enabled a

client to have better use of her hands.

26 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 27

Communication Science and Disorders

Silo busting is not a new idea. For decades, forward-thinking companies have

been coaxing individuals out of their cubicles to collaborate with coworkers in

efforts to improve productivity and protability. When it comes to research, this

approach has not always been easy. But in the Department of Communication

Science and Disorders (CSD), faculty are sharing their lab resources and vision

with others, not only within their own department but across disciplines, with

seemingly unlikely partners throughout the University of Pittsburgh.

The result is a dynamic cross-pollination of ideas. And

exciting breakthroughs destined to improve patient care.

CSD Professor James Coyle has forged a unique research

partnership with Dr. Ervin Sejdic, associate professor in the

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE),

Swanson School of Engineering. Both are committed to

helping individuals with dysphagia (swallowing disorders)

due to neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s

disease, ALS and traumatic brain injury, or other causes,

achieve improved health and a better quality of life.

Over the past nine years they have collaborated on grants

and co-authored more than 30 journal articles. Their

greatest accomplishment to date is the development of a

new eld—computational deglutition—that uses articial

intelligence and its main components such as signal

and image processing to gain a better understanding of

swallowing disorders.

Typically, patients with dysphagia undergo screening or

sophisticated diagnostic assessments by highly trained

speech-language pathologists. “The most common tests to

evaluate swallowing use x-ray uoroscopic or ber optic

equipment,” notes Coyle. “These tests are not available to all

patients, are costly and invasive, and can involve the use of

radiation exposure.

“Our research has proven that we can use complex

algorithms and machine learning to approximate the

accuracy of an expert clinician’s judgment in identifying

dysphagia,” he adds.

In a recent study, Coyle and Sejdic assessed the physiological

components of swallowing by tracking the movement of the

hyoid bone in 114 patients at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital.

In addition to uoroscopic testing, they attached a non-

invasive accelerometry sensor to the surface of the neck of

each patient.

Coyle reports that the sensors not only proved to be nearly

as accurate as the judgment of expert human clinicians

using x-ray images in diagnosing physiological movement

of the hyoid bone but showed that hyoid bone movement

tracking was inuenced by patient diagnosis. In the past,

these ndings have been possible only through the use of

x-ray imaging.

“This provides preliminary evidence for using the sensor as a

noninvasive screening instrument and tool,” notes Coyle. In

the future, he urges researchers to share data sets with other

researchers in an effort to standardize instrumentation and

develop algorithms that can improve health care delivery

and patient outcomes.

Sejdic agrees. “In our work, we’re able to combine multiple

disjointed elds in articial intelligence such as data science

and machine learning with speech-

language pathology to develop novel

swallowing screening and assessment

tools that can be translated to bedsides.

“The main purpose of the eld of

computational deglutition is to utilize

advances in data science and articial

intelligence to develop better tools for

patient care,” he continues.

“The Pitt ECE department thrives on

interdisciplinary collaboration,” notes

ECE Department Chair Dr. Alan

George. “Our top strategic emphasis is

research and education in computer

and electrical engineering for the health sciences, and thus

the growing partnership between our two departments

and schools is of paramount importance to our interests

and future.”

VOICE AND PERCEPTION.

CSD Assistant Professor Leah Helou is using machine

learning to study the relationship between communication

and a person’s perceived identity.

“Your voice and speech behaviors strongly impact how

others perceive you,” explains Helou.

Helou says the human brain makes complex “social

calculations” about a person based on their voice and

speech. In our culture, a listener might think someone

sounds like a leader, another person with a soft voice might

be perceived as compassionate, and someone with a timid

voice might seem insecure. Interestingly, Helou has shown

in her research that individual listeners often aren’t accurate

about a speaker’s personality traits, but groups of listeners

tend to agree about a speaker nonetheless.

“Now we not only have the technology to build a massive

speech repository, we can also extract information to

determine what voice and speech features facilitate certain

perceptions,” Helou continues. “Maybe we can identify

less stereotyped social markers. For instance, leadership can

sound different across people. What does leadership sound

Engineering and CSD PhD students

in the x-ray room testing equipment.

like in millennial women of color versus

older Caucasian men? I can imagine many

interesting and useful social ramications

here.”

Assistant Professor Jason Bohland, who

joined the CSD department in September

2019, is an expert in speech production.

With a background in computer and

electrical engineering, speech science

and computational neuroscience, he is

collaborating with Helou to direct the

machine learning efforts and determine

which voice and speech features drive

listeners’ perceptions.

“Part of my work involves analyzing large datasets, including

behavioral data, functional and structural brain imaging

data and gene expression data,” says Bohland.

Helou is currently developing a website that other

researchers could access and use to upload their own speech

samples and solicit listener ratings of those samples. “The

sharing of information will help us unmask the mysteries of

voice and identity perception.”

“This project is a good example of how taking what might

have been a small experiment in a research lab to a much

larger scale can enable more powerful conclusions and give

other researchers a rich dataset to address future questions,”

adds Bohland.

CSD Professor and Department Chair Bernard Rousseau

believes collaborations such as these have the potential to

increase the impact, translation and commercialization of

new technologies and tools to improve health-related quality

of life in voice and swallowing.

“These projects demonstrate the powerful impact of bringing

teams of clinicians, scientists and engineers together to

transform health care. These interdisciplinary research

collaborations align very nicely with our vision to advance

health and wellness and eliminate barriers to full life

participation,” says Rousseau.

BREAKING DOWN SILOS,

CREATING NEW KNOWLEDGE

28 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 29

Physical Therapy

“When we conduct research, it’s

always nice to have our work

published in prestigious journals.

But that is not why we do it,” states

Associate Professor Michael Schneider,

Department of Physical Therapy (PT).

“We do it because we want health care

professionals to take these novel ideas

and therapies and implement them in

their clinics and practices where they

can make a real difference in the lives

of patients.”

The PT researchers at SHRS have an excellent record of

making this happen. The results of their research funded

through the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute

(PCORI) are prime examples.

PCORI is the country’s leading research organization

dedicated to funding studies comparing which care

approaches work best for which patients, focused on

outcomes most important to them. PCORI has also been

acknowledged as a leader in inuencing the U.S. clinical

research enterprise to become more patient-centered.

In 2012, Schneider was the rst investigator from the

University of Pittsburgh—and among the rst 25 in the

nation—to be awarded a PCORI clinical effectiveness grant.

Thanks to his research, older patients with lumbar spinal

stenosis (LSS) and their health care providers now have

three evidence-based non-surgical interventions that are safe

and helpful alternatives to steroid injections or surgery.

“Prior to this study, we were lacking evidence of the

effectiveness of non-surgical treatment options for this

condition,” notes Schneider. “Today, with evidence in hand,

we are offering continuing education classes for physical

therapists and chiropractors about effective manual therapies

and exercises for patients with LSS and are working to

implement appropriate interventions in the UPMC Centers

for Rehab Services across the area.”

“PCORI is unlike other funding agencies in that it really

challenges investigators to engage with patients in a

systematic way at various stages of our research,” says

Associate Professor Sara Piva. “This allows us to consider

patient needs and opinions at the beginning of our study,

and then follow up with them at the end of the project using

methods such as focus groups to hear what they liked about

different interventions.”

In Piva’s research, she compared the effectiveness of three

different treatments for patients following total knee

replacement. One group was under the care of a physical

therapist, one group participated in group exercises at a

community center and one group did not take part in any

study-related exercises.

“Although all three groups improved in physical function,

the patients in the PT group did the best when faced with

challenging daily activities that they want or need to do, like

carrying a bag of groceries up a ight of stairs,” notes Piva.

“Patients and doctors can now use this evidence when they’re

considering options for improving physical function at later

stages of recovery after knee replacement surgery.”

TARGETING RISK.

“PCORI’s mission is to fund research that helps patients

consulting with their doctors to weigh their health care

options and make the best choices based on their values,

preferences and circumstances, which totally aligns with

research at SHRS,” notes SHRS Dean and PT Professor

Anthony Delitto.

Delitto recently completed a PCORI study that evaluated

the feasibility and effectiveness of using a nine-item

prognostic screening tool to successfully identify groups of

patients with the highest risk for transitioning from acute

low back pain (LBP) to chronic LBP.

In the Targeted Interventions to Prevent Chronic Low Back

Pain in High-Risk Patients (TARGET) trial, investigators

from four sites across the United States examined the

effectiveness of psychologically informed physical therapy

(PIPT) compared to usual care alone for LBP patients

identied as high risk for developing chronic back pain.

Results showed patients in both groups had higher-

than-expected transition to chronic LBP. However, the

stratication tool successfully identied groups at highest

risk, where almost 50% transitioned to chronic.

“Low back pain is a highly prevalent condition,” continues

Delitto. “Many patients do well with little intervention.

However, some patients do require more attention, and the

trick is to distinguish those who are at higher risk and provide

focused interventions to prevent transition to chronic.”

ON THE MOVE.

Walking difculty is a common and costly problem for

many older adults. But now, thanks to the research efforts of

Professor Jennifer Brach, there’s a solution.

Brach’s PCORI-funded On the Move (OTM) group exercise

program focuses on the timing and sequences of a patient’s

movements to improve the smoothness and efciency of

walking. Music, partner activities and certain props keep the

exercise session lively and fun. “On the Move exercises were

proven to improve overall walking difculty better than

typical group exercises,” says Brach.

Since results were published in the Journal of the American

Medical Association, the National Council on Aging has

designated On the Move as an evidence-based program that

“meets rigorous standards for quality research and readiness

for community use.”

Brach and her team are currently offering training sessions

in various cities across the country to prepare certied

OTM instructors, and through a new grant proposal to the

National Institutes of Health, Brach is hoping to implement

the program across Western Pennsylvania. So far, she has

also partnered with the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh to

offer OTM classes to its members.

“It’s very satisfying to see a program that was introduced in a

research environment now being used effectively in the real

world,” notes Brach.

RESEARCH SUCCESS = PATIENT SUCCESS

30 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 31

Rehabilitation Science and Technology

The numbers are staggering. The World Health Organization estimates

nearly one billion individuals in the world would benet from one or more

assistive devices to help them overcome the barriers that exist in their lives.

Furthermore, the organization predicts that number will double by 2050

due to expanding population rates.

Associate Professor Jonathan Pearlman, Department

of Rehabilitation Science and Technology (RST), and

Associate Professor Mary Goldberg, Human Engineering

Research Laboratories (HERL), are on a mission to help

ll that need. As recipients of a $4.6 million grant from the

National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and

Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), they have created

IMPACT, the Initiative to Mobilize Partnerships for

Successful Assistive Technology Transfer.

Now in its second year, the IMPACT Center provides

training and support for other NIDILRR grantees to

successfully move their assistive technology ideas through

the development pipeline.

“There is an urgency to build capacity for assistive technology

transfer,” says Pearlman. “The IMPACT Center is designed to

foster interdisciplinary collaboration and to share our expertise

in research and development with other grantees.”

The rst cohort of grantees recently completed a massive

online training course called idea 2 IMPACT (i2I). The

course is hosted on Coursera and is open to anyone around

the world interested in taking it on-demand asynchronously.

“The goal of the training is to help researchers and

entrepreneurs understand their strengths and identify

challenges that might impede getting their products to

market,” explains Goldberg.

“The pathway to commercialization might be different

for a product developed by a small business compared to

one from a large university,” she continues. “We focus on

creating the means to ensure success for every grantee.”

Kevin Cleary, scientic lead, the Sheikh Zayed Institute for

Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Hospital

in Washington, D.C., serves as the principal investigator and

project lead of a team composed of physical therapists and

engineers. They developed an ankle robot for rehabilitation

of children with cerebral palsy.

“The ankle robot controls an airplane video game which the

kids play to exercise their ankle and improve their range of

motion,” explains Cleary. “Improved range of motion should

help them ambulate better.”

The team hoped the i2I training would help them develop a

business plan. “Instead, it made us realize we need to talk to

customers outside our local environment rst to better dene

the need and the desired size of the device,” Cleary adds. His

team will participate in the second phase of training in the

spring of 2020.

A collaboration between researchers at the Boston University

School of Public Health and Phoenix Society for Burn

Survivors led to the development of the Life Impact Burn

Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Prole, a measure of social

participation for persons with burn injury. The LIBRE

Prole is a computerized adaptive test that assesses six social

participation domains. Research has demonstrated the

validity and reliability of the LIBRE Prole and it is ready

for dissemination.

Mary D. Slavin, director of Education and Dissemination,

Health Outcomes Unit, Boston University School of Public

Health, and Amy Acton, Executive Director of the Phoenix

Society for Burn Survivors, are working to make the LIBRE

Prole available to improve the lives of persons with burn injury.

TURNING IDEAS INTO

IMPACTFUL SOLUTIONS

“Through idea 2 IMPACT training, we learned that we are

at a critical juncture,” says Slavin. “We have an important

product and a vision for how we could implement the LIBRE

Prole, but we lack the relevant business and technology

expertise to bring this product to the next level.”

The IMPACT Center will help the team take the next steps.

“Developing a strong business plan will help us secure funding

to provide burn survivors with access to the LIBRE Prole

app to help them monitor their social recovery and connect

with targeted real-time resources and support,” adds Slavin.

Roger O. Smith’s team from the Rehabilitation Research

Design & Disability (R2D2) Center at the University of

Wisconsin-Milwaukee is developing a set of apps that rate

and display the accessibility of public buildings to promote

equitable community participation.

Smith says the i2I training provided clarity. Among other

things, it helped the researchers identify stakeholders,

product benets and competitors. They were also able to

establish regulations and reimbursement strategies and

develop an action plan for moving forward.

The Access Ratings for Buildings (AR-B) project will

soon roll out community engagement events to assist in

populating the community database. AR-B has partnered

with the 2020 Democratic National Convention with plans

to be the ofcial accessibility app used during the conference,

and provide people with disabilities a diverse assortment of

building reviews they may use to determine which ones meet

their needs.

“Programs such as IMPACT provide participants with

a guided entrepreneurship experience to maximize the

potential and marketability of their product,” says Smith.

“In turn, the product has greater chance of being distributed

to the public and benet the customers who need them.”

“We at SHRS have been very successful at assistive technology

development and transfer as well as increasing technology

transfer activities through partnerships,” adds Pearlman.

“We are pleased to be able to apply similar approaches to

a national network of NIDILRR grantees and provide the

resources and support they need to succeed.”

32 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 33

Health Information Management

Like any working professional, Vazquez’s schedule is hectic.

She trains twice a day, ve days a week and competes in one

match per week.

“The online format allows me to choose my own school

schedule and allocate time as I see t,” says Vazquez. “The

professors are always available for a phone call, an email or

even a video chat if I need help or have questions.”

According to HIM Assistant Professor Andi Saptono, online

delivery of this graduate program helps any working

professional up their game.

“HIM professionals are the heartbeat of any health care

organization,” notes Saptono. “Many prospective students

are in leadership positions at hospitals, physician practices or

insurance companies, and it’s difcult for them to step away

from their jobs in order to earn an advanced degree.”

The online MSHI, introduced in January 2020, offers the

same content as its on-campus equivalent. “It’s a convenient

program that allows HIM professionals to gain a whole new

skill set without interrupting their careers,” Saptono continues.

MSHI students select from four tracks—General

Health Informatics, Data Science, Registered Health

Information Administrator (RHIA) and Health Care

Supervision and Management.

Leming Zhou, associate professor and MSHI program director,

says the Pitt program is unlike others of its kind.

“Some universities offer HI degrees, but the content is not specic

to the health care industry,” he explains. “Their students might be

required to take Data Management courses that originate in the

Department of Computer Science, for example.”

“At SHRS, we draw on our expertise in health informatics,”

he continues. “That is our focus and our expertise. We’ve

developed a curriculum that is very ne-tuned to the current—

and future—needs of health informatics professionals.”

The online MSHI utilizes a “ipped classroom” technique,

requiring students to complete readings on their own prior to

an hour-long live session once a week.

Saptono says this greatly enhances the students experience.

“When the entire cohort comes together for a video conference, we

have a very lively discussion,” says Saptono. “It’s very interactive!”

“The weekly sessions are a great opportunity for me to check in

with my professors,” adds Vazquez. “It is easy to communicate

and, in my opinion, is equivalent to in-person classroom

sessions in that we can ask questions, get answers and pose

ideas we may have.”

Although she is following the Data Science track, Vazquez

believes the MSHI program will prepare her for any path in

the eld of health information management.

Zhou points out that the rapidly changing health care

environment demands that HIM professionals keep up with

new technology and practices. “Health-related data is growing

exponentially, creating challenges for managers in health care

institutions in how to store, analyze and use the vast amounts

of information available to them,” says Zhou.

He notes that new online certicate programs also help

working professionals gain new knowledge in specic

areas such as Health Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Health

Informatics Leadership and Revenue Cycle Management.

“The certicate programs provide a way for working HIM

professionals to gain access to new trends and information in

a relatively short period of time,” says Zhou. He notes that

students can apply the credits they earn from a certicate

program to a master’s degree down the road.

“Whether a student is enrolled in an online or in-person

class, the MSHI or a certicate program, they will have the

opportunity to work with the most amazing professors,”

continues Vazquez. “They are passionate, experienced,

inclusive, patient and accommodating. They care deeply

about their students and the future of health care. They have

contributed immensely to my education and for that, I am

forever grateful.”

PROFESSIONALS

GET AN ASSIST

FROM NEW ONLINE

MASTER’S PROGRAM

Juliana Vazquez works hard and plays hard. In 2019, she earned an

undergraduate degree in Health Information Management (HIM) while leading

Pitt’s soccer team to its rst Atlantic Coast Conference match win in three years.

Today, she’s playing professional soccer with the Puerto Rico Sol FC—and

working toward her master’s degree in Health Informatics (MSHI). All thanks to

a new online program through SHRS’s HIM Department.

New classes for the master’s degree and

certicate programs in Health Informatics

are now forming for the summer and fall

2020 semesters. For more information

about curriculum, requirements or learning

outcomes, visit https://online.shrs.pitt.edu/.

34 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 35

Physician Assistant Studies

Medical ultrasound imaging has

been a reliable diagnostic tool for

more than 50 years. But recent

developments have changed the way

the technology looks, the way it is

used—and who is using it.

A redesigned Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) machine is

a far cry from the traditional ultrasound device that typically

occupies a diagnostic suite in any hospital and requires

a specially trained technician to operate. It’s significantly

more compact than POCUS models introduced a few years

ago. They were the size of laptops and could be rolled into a

patient’s room, much like an EKG machine.

The new POCUS is a hand-held device with a single probe that

connects to a smartphone or tablet and can be used in a variety

of locations, including at a patient’s bedside. It fits in the lab

coat pocket of someone who is on the front lines of medical

care—like a licensed physician assistant (PA).

According to Physician Assistant Susan Graff (MS ’12), it is

revolutionizing patient care.

“I work with critically ill patients at UPMC Presbyterian and

UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. Often questions arise that a

physical exam simply cannot answer,” explains Graff. “Maybe I

suspect a blood clot in the patient’s vein, or fluid on the lungs.”

“I don’t have to compromise the patient’s health by waiting for

a technician to come, or rely on anyone else for answers,” she

continues. “I use a hand-held POCUS to get answers right on

the spot. I can then consult with the doctor on call and begin

immediate treatment.”

The use of POCUS began in trauma and emergency care

settings but has expanded to other specialties ranging from

internal medicine to obstetrics.

Although the hand-held devices can be found in some clinical

settings, its use is not widespread. Yet.

“Medical schools are beginning to train their students in the

use of hand-held POCUS, but it’s not always included in the

training of other health care professionals like PAs,” says

Mary Allias, assistant professor, Department of Physician

Assistant Studies.

“Here at Pitt, we want our PA students to be able to provide

cutting-edge care. That’s why we are adding POCUS training

to our curriculum in the summer of 2020,” she continues.

Graff, also an adjunct assistant professor in Pitt’s PA program,

says POCUS technology was cost-prohibitive even five years

ago. “The size and affordability of today’s model makes it a

dream come true for PA educators.”

She notes that by using POCUS in the classroom, students gain

a greater understanding of the human body. “PA students have

always been taught to use a stethoscope to listen carefully to a

patient’s heartbeat,” says Graff. “Imagine having the opportunity

to actually watch the heart that creates those sounds.”

Allias and Graff agree that at this time, it’s unclear how the

new technology may impact the cost of providing health care

services. “Our role as educators is to ensure our students

are keeping pace with the latest diagnostic techniques, like

POCUS,” says Graff. “We want our students to be armed with

this kind of knowledge and experience so they stand out as the

most sought-after candidates in their field.”

PA Chair and Assistant Professor David Beck welcomes the

new training. “By embracing this technology, we are preparing

our graduates to work at the top of their licenses in ways that

only a few PAs can,” says Beck.

“This training will make our graduates more competitive in the

marketplace,” adds Allias. “But more importantly, it will allow

them to provide a higher level of care to their patients.”

NEW TECHNOLOGY

IN THE HANDS OF PAs

“POCUS training gives our students a valuable new skillset and most certainly

enriches the quality of our curriculum,” says Adjunct Assistant Professor Susan Graff.

36 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 FACETS SPRING/SUMMER 2020 37

lab notes

Faculty researchers from the

Department of Physical Therapy

(PT) fondly recall the early days of

the Physical Therapy Clinical and

Translational Research Center

(PT-CTRC) when they operated

out of a tiny space in Forbes

Tower. “We jokingly said we were

conducting research in a closet,”

recalls PT-CTRC Founding Director

and Professor G. Kelley Fitzgerald.

Since 2009, thanks to a partnership with the University

of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute

(CTSI), the lab has evolved into a sprawling 6,000-square-

foot facility in Bridgeside Point with four full-time physical

Ongoing research to improve the quality of life for patients

with knee osteoarthritis (OA) recently culminated in the

presentation of the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical

Therapy’s 2019 Rose Award to Fitzgerald and his Pitt

colleagues, Assistant Professors Allyn Bove and Christopher

Bise, and Dr. Kenneth Smith, Pitt School of Medicine

professor of Medicine and Clinical and Translational Science.

Fitzgerald’s most recent study, which began in the PT-CTRC,

examines the clinical effectiveness of physical therapy booster

sessions for patients with knee osteoarthritis.

“It’s common for individuals to go to PT for a certain

number of treatments and then be released with

instructions to follow an exercise program at home,”

explains Fitzgerald. “But research shows that, over time,

the benecial effects of PT start to decline.”

In his booster study, Fitzgerald is examining the

effectiveness of holding back some of the physical therapy

sessions that insurance would typically cover and bringing

patients back to PT for a booster visit every three months.

“We’re nding that when patients are treated with a

booster session of physical therapy, they do not experience

a decline, but in fact are still doing well two years later,”

reports Fitzgerald. “Our study indicates that this type of

intervention will be more cost effective in the long run,

with less money spent on knee-related medical care.”

Fitzgerald hopes to start using booster sessions for knee OA

at the UPMC Centers for Rehab Services in the near future.

“This is how we measure the success of the PT-CTRC …

seeing pilot studies evolve into large clinical trials, and

eventually, evidence-based practice being implemented in

the real world,” Fitzgerald concludes.

delivery of research procedures with high delity. This

approach has promoted continued collaboration with the

University’s Medical School, the departments of Psychiatry,

Orthopedics and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, as

well as investigators from other universities.

“Collaboration adds to the depth and caliber of all of our

research,” notes Gil.

“The beauty of the PT-CTRC is that we have been able to

conduct small studies that are very successful, and turn

them into very large, multi-site studies that are funded

by renowned research organizations such as the National

Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Patient-Centered

Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI),” says Fitzgerald.

Associate Professor Sara Piva, who was the founding co-

director of the lab with Fitzgerald, credits the PT-CTRC

with helping to launch her research career. “I was a junior

investigator working on several pilot studies relating to

patients with total knee replacement when the facility

opened,” says Piva. “Without having the extensive resources,

it would have been very challenging to complete my studies

and receive signicant funding to do much larger randomized

trials. The PT-CTRC made it much easier.”

“The umbrella of CTSI also helped me utilize UPMC

Monteore CTRC for needle biopsies to obtain muscle

tissue in another study in patients with rheumatoid

arthritis,” adds Piva. “Because the hospital is also a partner

of CTSI, I had access to their medical facilities for my

study. It was a very efcient process.”

For Professor Jennifer Brach, a pilot study conducted at the

lab early in her career helped her collect the preliminary

data that was necessary to secure a larger Research Project

(R01) grant from the NIH. Her ve-year-long PRIMA

(Program to Improve Mobility in Aging) study is currently

in its nal phase. The ndings, expected later this year, will

provide evidence for the added value of task-specic timing

and coordination training in promoting walking ability in

older adults.

therapists who provide consistent, high-quality physical

performance testing and rehabilitation intervention to

clinical and translational investigators from various

departments across the university.

“CTSI focuses on supporting multidisciplinary

collaborations that advance research and its translation

to practice. We worked with SHRS leadership and

identied physical therapy research as a eld that could

be accelerated through broader institutional support and

catalyzing new research collaborations,” says Steven E.

Reis, MD, associate vice chancellor for Clinical Research,

Pitt Health Sciences, and founding director of CTSI.

“The PT-CTRC does just that. It provides research

resources and serves as a center for collaborators to

come together to conduct state-of-the-art research and to

test novel methods to implement research ndings into

practice,” Reis continues.

As administrative director of the PT-CTRC, Assistant

Professor Alexandra Gil helps to facilitate the research

projects. She says the success of the PT-CTRC is ensured

by a wonderful team of experienced physical therapists

who are able to combine patient-centric care with the

Sara Piva, David Wortman, Joseph Mancino Jr.,

Kathryn Brown, Debra Voss and Alexandra Gil (seated).

Kathryn Brown

David Wortman

HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY, PT-CTRC!

CELEBRATING THE EVOLUTION OF RESEARCH AND COLLABORATION

Nonproﬁt Org.

U.S. Postage

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Pittsburgh, PA

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SHRS Standings

in 2021 U.S. News & World Report Survey

of Best Graduate Schools

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