Research
Faculty conduct research on a variety of issues related to disease and the disablement process throughout the lifespan. The department conducts and participates in collaborative and interdisciplinary research relevant to physical therapy in the clinical sciences and in the basic sciences. Research is conducted in a variety of locations including research laboratories within and outside the department as well as in a variety of clinical settings.
Research Labs
There are multiple labs on site at Virginia Commonwealth University, where physical therapy faculty and students conduct research across a wide spectrum of clinically relevant topics. In addition departmental faculty engage in clinical research and collect data at various clinical sites in the greater Richmond area as well as various sites across the U.S.
- Applied Movement Performance Lab
- Engineering and Biomechanics Research Lab
- Motor Control Lab
- Motor Development Lab
- Sensorimotor Plasticity Research Center
Investigators
Investigators are scientists devoted to research - developing preliminary data, testing procedures and developing hypotheses. Listed below are the investigators and research highlights of Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Physical Therapy.
Benjamin J. Darter, PT, Ph.D.
Research and clinical interests are in the areas of rehabilitation following extremity amputation, optimization of gait performance, and overall health promotion. Director of the Applied Movement Performance Lab.
Sheryl Finucane, PT, Ph.D.
Research interests include musculoskeletal tissue healing and adaptation to exercise. Finucane teaches in the Rehabilitation and Movement Science Ph.D. program.
Cheryl Ford-Smith, PT, MS, NCS.
Research interests include fall prevention in the elderly, reliability of balance evaluation tools, treatment intervention for balance and vestibular rehabilitation.
Thomas P. Mayhew, PT, Ph.D.
Current research interests are associated with educational issues such as determinants of program success and licensure for DPT students.
Peter Pidcoe, PT, DPT, Ph.D.
Research interests include biomechanics and motor control aspects of human motion in sports medicine, pediatrics and elite performance settings, the quantitative assessment and design of therapeutic interventions in orthopaedic treatment settings, and the design and construction of specialized research equipment. Pidcoe teaches in the Rehabilitation and Movement Science Ph.D. program.
Daniel Riddle, PT, Ph.D., FAPTA
Research interests are in diagnostic, prognostic and intervention-based studies of persons with osteoarthritis or joint arthroplasty.
Mary Snyder Shall, PT, Ph.D.
Research interests include fine motor control, extra ocular motor units, compartmentalization of skeletal muscle, vestibular afferent input to extra ocular and spinal cord innervated muscles, and the effect of the practice of yoga and breathing exercises on lung function and quality of life in patients with cancer.
James Thomas, PT, Ph.D.
Research interests are in the area of back pain and trunk control. The Motor Control Lab brings together experts in the field of motor control science and uses Virtual Reality tools to better understand control of trunk movements and how various orthopedic or neurologic impairments alter that control.
Emma Wheeler, PT, MS
Research interests include risk factors for falling in the elderly, therapeutic modalities, clinical education and the use of admission data to enhance recruitment and predict success in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.