The timing of the MGH Institute’s annual Research and Scholarship Day on January 7 was a perfect juxtaposition to the ongoing attempts by many to deny the accuracy and legitimacy of science and facts.

“With yesterday’s unfortunate occurrences in Washington, the importance of speaking out and sharing research knowledge in a productive, respectful, and generous way is what we’re all about,” said Dr. Alex Johnson, provost and vice president of academic affairs, referencing the chaos and violence that occurred on January 6 at the United States Capitol while Congress was meeting to affirm the election results of President-Elect Joseph Biden. “I see this as a kind of push back from the Institute against other things that are going on.”

Noting that more than 40 faculty, alumni, and PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences scholars presented during the event, Johnson said, “When I look at the numbers, the research culture is catching up with our values in education and the clinical work we do. Faculty are pushing their careers ahead and bringing us with them. This is a day to honor that.”

Dr. Nara Gavini, executive director of research, told the virtual audience of more than 100 people of the many successes since the Institute began pursuing an enhanced research portfolio that has grown in ten years from $750,000 to more than $16 million in total current research grants – a number he predicted would continue to increase.

Dr. Patrice Nicholas, distinguished teaching professor and director of the Institute’s Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health, spoke of the Center’s efforts to launch and sustain a program of research and scholarship focusing on the intersection of climate change and health care, including how the coronavirus pandemic has exposed and exacerbated these dual crises in underserved communities.

In addition, the third class of Teaching Excellence Academy for Learning (EAL) Fellows was announced. They are Suellen Breakey, Eleonor Pusey-Reid, and Kathy Simmonds, all of whom are faculty in the School of Nursing.

Plenary Presentations

Prue Plummer: “Obstacle Crossing as a Risk Assessment Tool for Future Falls in Subacute Stroke.”
Emilie Larrivee, Kate Radville, and Joanna Christodoulou: “Online Trainings for Teaching Assessment Skills to Graduate Student Clinicians: Benefits and Future Directions.”
Alex Hoyt: “Certification of Nurse Practitioners Working in Adult Acute Care: Results of a National Survey.”

Presentations

Stroke Recovery
Eliezer Bose: Topographical Data Analysis to Identify High-Density Clusters in Stroke Patients Undergoing Post-Acute Rehabilitation.
Danielle K. Kline: Arm Motor Recovery After Ischemic Stroke: A Focus on Clinically Distinct Trajectory Groups.
Isha Vora: The Relationship Between Somatosensory and Motor Recovery from Acute Hospital Admission to 3 Months Post-Stroke.

Pain Management
Chris Joyce: Beyond the Pain: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Physical Therapy Experience of Underserved Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain.
Paulo Teixeira:  Pain Perception in Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis with Varying levels of Pain Inhibitory Control: An Exploratory Study.
Julie Keysor and Rawan AlHeresh: The Work Experience Survey for Rheumatic Conditions: Reported Barriers among People at Risk of Work Loss.

Teaching and Learning  
Keshrie Naidoo, Christopher Clock, Lauren Rimmel, Justin Wong, and Laura Plummer: Navigating Higher Education: The Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners in a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.
Antonia Makosky, Abraham Ndiwane, Kim Truong, Indigo Young, and Karen Flaherty: Themes from Using OSCE to Teach Cultural Humility to Nurse Practitioner Students.
Rouzana Komesidou, Julie Wolter, Jessie Rickets, Crystle Alonzo, Norma Hancock, Melissa Fuller, Xue Bao, Mary Rasner, and Tiffany Hogan, Implementing school-based, whole-classroom screenings for developmental language disorder and dyslexia.

Clinical Innovations
Allison Cirino, Clinical Outcomes of Families with Cardiac Variants Identified by a Genotype-First Approach
Rebecca Hill, Breastfeeding Mothers of Infants with Tongue-Tie May Benefit from Frenotomy, but the Impact on Infant Feeding Remains Unknown.
Jason Lucey, Kerry Nolte, Leah Hixon, Faith Farnham, Mercedes McCoy, and Jessica Montehermoso, Healthcare Experience of People Who Inject Drugs (PWID).

Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Interventions
Michael Kiefer, Natural History of 10-Meter Walk/Run Test Performance in Spinal Muscular Atrophy: A Longitudinal Analysis.
Russ Banks, Sports Related Concussion Impacts Speech Rate and Muscle Physiology
Megan Schliep, Cue Responsiveness as a Measure of Emerging Language Ability in Aphasia.
Kristen Nunn and Sofia Vallila-Rohter, A Review of the Mechanisms Supporting Errorless Learning, Errorful Learning, and Retrieval Practice in Aphasia.

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