PhD '19 Alumni

What year did you start the program? 2015

What are your prior degrees and at which institutions?
BS, Physical Therapy, Haute École de la Province de Liège, BELGIUM
MS, Physical Therapy, Haute École de la Province de Liège, BELGIUM

What were your research setting(s), mentor’s name and name of lab?
Mentors: Susan Fasoli, ScD, OTR/L, Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, The MGH Institute
Paolo Bonato, PhD, Director, Motion Analysis Laboratory. Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School.
Lab: Motion Analysis Laboratory. Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, MA

 

What was your research focused on?
The focus of my PhD was the integration of technologies in the field of neurorehabilitation.

More specifically:

  • Using sensing technologies (i.e. body worn sensors) to monitor patients during their recovery, either predict clinical scores to plan interventions in a more efficient way or to gather information about use in everyday life. 
  • Using robotic technologies as assistive devices to improve ambulation in patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and to deliver high dosage rehabilitation  interventions. 
  • Trying to understand the effect of robotic arm unloading and develop guidelines for clinical use. 

Any publications or external presentations you produced based on the research you completed while in the program.

Conference papers
C. Adans-Dester, A. Scarton, J. Daneault. V. Vega, G. Severini, Z. Sawacha, U. Della Croce, P. Bonato “Evaluation of a robotic knee brace during the performance of functional tasks in stroke survivors.” DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.07.044 Conference: Gait & Posture –September 2015.

JF. Daneault, G. Vergara-Diaz, C. Adans-Dester, G. Ferreira-Carvalho, VCK. Cheung, P. Bonato “Alterations in muscle synergies in early stage Parkinson's disease”. Movement Disorders 31, S435. 2016

Abstracts and posters
S.I. Lee, C. Adans-Dester, A. O’Brien, G. Vergara-Diaz, R.D. Zafonte, R.M. Black-Schaffer, P. Bonato, “Using Wearable Motion Sensors to Estimate Longitudinal Changes in Movement Quality in Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors Undergoing Rehabilitation”. 93rd Annual Conference of American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), Chicago, USA, Oct, 2016. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Volume 97, Issue 10, e117.
Presenter and finalist for the poster award program.

A. O’Brien, C. Adans-Dester, A. Scarton, J. O’Brien Murby, L. Laliberte, P. Bonato, “Robotic-assisted Gait Training as Part of the Rehabilitation Program in Persons with Traumatic and Anoxic Brain Injury”. 93rd Annual Conference of American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), Chicago, USA, Oct, 2016. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Volume 97, Issue 10, e117

E. Fabara, A. O’Brien, G. Vergara-Diaz, C. Adans-Dester, P. Bonato, “Usability of a new over-ground bodyweight support device (Andago 2.0) for gait training”.  93rd Annual Conference of American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), Chicago, USA, Oct, 2016. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Volume 97, Issue 10, e134

G. Vergara-Diaz, J. Dussan-Sarria, M. Dominguez-Iglesia, A. O’Brien, C. Adans-Dester, S.K. Lui, P. Bonato, “Retrospective Analysis of Clinical Practice Data of Robot-Assisted Gait Training in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury”.  93rd Annual Conference of American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), Chicago, USA, Oct, 2016. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Volume 97, Issue 10, e136

G.F. Carvalho, G. Vergara-Diaz, A. Scarton, C. Adans-Dester, J.G.V. Miranda, Z. Isaac, D. Bevilaqua-Grossi, R. Zafonte, P. Bonato, “Augmenting Back Pain Exercise Therapy Using an Interactive Gaming-Based Intervention in The Home Setting”. 93rd Annual Conference of American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), Chicago, USA, Oct, 2016. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Volume 97, Issue 10, e133

A. Scarton, C. Adans-Dester, S. Paganoni, A. O’Brien, J-F. Daneault, G. Severini, P. Bonato, “Robot-Assisted Gait Training in Individuals with Primary Lateral Sclerosis: a case serie”. 9th World Congress for Neurorehabilitation (WCNR), Philadelphia, USA, May, 2016. 

S.I. Lee, C. Adans-Dester, G.V. Diaz, G. Mascia, S. Patel, R. Black-Schaffer, R. Zafonte, P. Bonato, “Using Wearable Motion Sensors to Estimate Longitudinal Changes in Movement Quality in Stroke Survivors Undergoing Rehabilitation," Wireless Health 2015 (WH2015), Bethesda, MD, October, 2015.

Symposium Presentations
“Using Wearable Motion Sensors to Estimate Longitudinal Changes in Movement Quality in Stroke Survivors Undergoing Rehabilitation.” Stroke Recovery Research Symposium, SRRI – Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. USA, Boston. November 2015.

“ARTIC – Lessons Learned and Initial Results from a Clinical Robotics Consortium “. International Neurorehabilitation Symposium (INRS). Spain, Valencia. June 2015.

What do you think is special about the PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences program here at the MGH Institute?
The multidisciplinary of the program is a real strength. Learning from other disciplines and/or specialties is an asset for our careers, especially to see rehabilitation as a continuum and not compartmented by disciplines.
The size of the program, which allows to have a lot of interactions with professors, fellows, visitors and exchange points of views in very open way.  

Why did you choose to come to this program rather than a doctoral research program in your specific profession?
To add to what I mentioned above, I choose MGH Institute of Health Profession for its reputation of the as well as the PhD program faculty members. We have the chance of learning from experts recognized worldwide and in a privileged environment. Lastly, I appreciated the convenience of staying affiliated why my institution part-time and pursue a doctoral degree simultaneously.

What are your goals for the future after you graduate?
I hope to have a mixed-faculty position where I would have the chance to practice, pursue research, disseminate the knowledge gained and train the next generation of therapists. 
It is my hope that my research will help integrating technologies in the rehabilitation field, with the aim of improving interventions and their effectiveness for recovery of physical function.