Category: Research

Category: Research

Boston University Presents at the 2025 AOTA Conference

Boston University presented at the 2025 AOTA Conference in Philadelphia from April 3-5th, 2025. Below is a list of the presentations, talks, courses, etc. we led over the course of the expo. If you have questions about our work, feel free to reach out to us at ot@bu.edu for more details. We’d love to share […]

“A Shock to the Global Nutrition System”- Coauthored by Lindsey Locks in AJCN

In a new paper in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Assistant Professor of Health Sciences and Global Health Lindsey Locks and co-authors discuss how the dismantling of USAID will have detrimental effects for global nutrition health. The authors argue: The abrupt withdrawal from WHO and subsequent dismantling of USAID are colossal and unforced policy […]

Physical Therapy Department Presents at APTA Combined Sections Meeting

The Department of Physical Therapy presented at the annual American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting, held in Houston this year. Faculty delivered symposiums, platform, and poster presentations, showcasing the impactful and innovative work from the department. During the event, many faculty were recognized for their contributions to the profession: Franchino Porciuncula, James Cavanaugh, Jenna […]

Sargent Faculty Honored by American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Swathi Kiran, the James and Cecilia Tse Ying Professor in Neurorehabilitation, and Clinical Professor Elizabeth Hoover have been recognized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) for their contributions to the professions of speech-language pathology and speech & hearing science. Kiran received the Honors of the Association, the highest award ASHA bestows, for her distinguished contributions […]

Seniors Present Honors Thesis for Distinction Projects

Congratulations to all the Sargent College seniors who presented their honors thesis projects this semester. The Senior Thesis for Distinction is an opportunity for exceptional undergraduate Sargent College seniors to complete an in-depth research experience within a major or minor field of study. Under the supervision of a faculty mentor, this year, six students developed […]

Striving to Connect – Dan Fulford Quoted in Science

(4/25/2024, Science) Associate professor of occupational therapy and clinical psychologist Dan Fulford is quoted in this Science article on how health officials are raising alarms about loneliness and isolation. Expert Quote: Both loneliness and isolation can lead to depression, substance use, and other consequences that threaten physical health – Daniel Fulford, associate professor of occupational […]

Boston University Presentations at 2024 AOTA Inspire Conference

Sargent faculty, students, and alumni from the Department of Occupational Therapy were presenters at this year’s AOTA Inspire Conference. The conference provided Boston University and the broader occupational therapy community a wonderful opportunity to learn with and from each other, and to connect to discuss innovations in professional practice.   Congratulations to our faculty, students, […]

Music and Rhythm-based Technology Helps Stroke Survivors Improve Walking Ability in Nationwide Clinical Trial

Pivotal clinical trial achieved primary endpoint: Use of InTandemTM neurorehabilitation system resulted in a clinically meaningful and significant increase in walking speed for stroke survivors Compared to an Active Control, individuals randomized to InTandem were three times more likely to be responders Nearly 800,000 Americans experience a stroke each year, making it a leading cause […]

PhD Students Receive Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award

Sargent speech, language & hearing sciences PhD students Erin Carpenter and Michael Scimeca received the prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31) from the National Institutes of Health. Erin is a member of the Aphasia Research Laboratory, and her research interests include bilingual and monolingual aphasia rehabilitation, neural […]

What Are the Top Contaminated Foods? Quoting Joan Salge Blake

(1/6/24, MSNBC) Expert Quote: These facts may be alarming to hear, but know that the food system in the United States is relatively safe, thanks to the Food Safety Initiative, which began in 1997, says Joan Salge Blake, RDN, a clinical professor in the department of health sciences at Boston University. “This program coordinates the research, inspection, outbreak response, […]

Soft, Wearable Robot Helps a Person with Parkinson’s to Walk Without Freezing; Quoting Terry Ellis

(1/8/24, ReachMD) Expert Quote: “Because we don’t really understand freezing, we don’t really know why this approach works so well,” said Ellis. “But this work suggests the potential benefits of a ‘bottom-up’ rather than ‘top-down’ solution to treating gait freezing. We see that restoring almost-normal biomechanics alters the peripheral dynamics of gait and may influence […]

Wearable robot tackles Parkinson’s symptoms to aid walking and restore independence; Quoting Terry Ellis

(1/8/24, Institution of Mechanical Engineers) Expert Quote: The symptom is treated with a range of pharmacological, surgical and behavioural therapies – “none of which are particularly effective”, the researchers said. Their work demonstrates the potential of soft robotics to treat the frustrating and potentially dangerous symptom instead. It could allow people living with the disease […]

Robotic suit may help patients with Parkinson’s overcome freezing; Quoting Terry Ellis

(1/8/24, UPI) Expert Quote: “Because we don’t really understand freezing, we don’t really know why this approach works so well,” said researcher Terry Ellis, director of the Center for Neurorehabilitation at Boston University. “But this work suggests the potential benefits of a ‘bottom-up’ rather than ‘top-down’ solution to treating gait freezing,” Ellis continued. “We see that […]

Researchers develop robotic wearable device to improve walking for individual with Parkinson’s disease; Quoting Terry Ellis

(1/9/24, The Engineer) Expert Quote: The symptom is treated with a range of pharmacological, surgical and behavioural therapies – “none of which are particularly effective”, the researchers said. Their work demonstrates the potential of soft robotics to treat the frustrating and potentially dangerous symptom instead. It could allow people living with the disease to regain […]