Physical Therapy division research highlights from Autumn 2025

Faculty in the Division of Physical Therapy remained highly active during Autumn 2025, contributing to peer‑reviewed publications, presenting at national and international conferences, and securing competitive grant funding. Below is a snapshot of these recent accomplishments.

Publications in peer‑reviewed journals and books

Professor; Head of the Division of Physical Therapy Carolynn Patten, PhD, PT, FAPTA

• Ruotsalainen I, Patten C, Niemirepo T, Pajula J, Similä H, Immonen M.

  Gait patterns in patients with acute stroke and transient ischemic attack. Restor Neurol & Neurosci, Nov 2025

• Patten C, Neudorf DS, Nguyen RM, Ng KL.

  Chapter 17 – Stroke. Neuroplasticity-based Neurorehabilitation. Edited by: Nielsen JB, Larsen LH, Springer (Nature Publishing Group), Oct, 2025. 

Assistant Professor Rach Rachel Prusynski, DPT, PhD, NCS

• Prusynski RA, Amaravadi H*, Mroz TM, Brown C*, Saliba D, Leland N 

  Changing patient medical complexity after skilled nursing facility payment reform: an interrupted time series analysis. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2025 Dec

• Leland N, Prusynski RA, Amaravadi H*, Mroz TM Saliba D.

  Changes in patient medical complexity after skilled nursing facility payment reform: a qualitative analysis. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2025 Dec

Professor Chet Moritz, PhD

• Jessica D’Amico, Kristen Gelenitis, Fatma Inanici, Edelle C. Field-Fote, Candace Tefertiller, Chet Moritz (2025)

  Improved Sensation with Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation following Chronic Spinal Cord Injury. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering

• James Guest and Chet Moritz

  Study Design Considerations in Clinical Trials Testing Transcutaneous Stimulation for Spinal Cord Injury.  Spinal Cord. Accepted October 9, 2025. 

Acting Assistant Professor Claire E. Child, PhD

• Turner AM, Taylor JO, Child CE, Regier DA.

  Developing an Accessible Discrete Choice Survey to Identify Supportive Care Preferences of Older Adults With Dementia. Value in Health. November 2025

Acting Assistant Professor Claire E. Child, PhD and Associate Professor Mary Beth Brown, PT, PhD

• Lanton B, Gries MC, Child CE, Brown MB.                                 

  Stress Urinary Incontinence is Prevalent in Women with Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal. Jan 2026, ePub Dec 2025

• Long GM, Coggan AR, Lahm T, Brown MB.

  Reply to Musch et al. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2026 Jan Epub 2025 Nov

Associate Professor Murray E. Maitland, PT, PhD and Associate Professor Heather A. Feldner, PhD

• Fogelberg, D., Feldner, H.A., Albury, A., Allyn, K., Colvin, J., Wernke, M., Maitland, M

  A qualitative study of user perceptions during adaptation to a novel prosthetic foot. Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics. (accepted for publication) 

Assistant Professor Soshi Samejima, PhD

• Sachdeva R, Dwivedi A, Law M, Lam C, Wilcox JT, Alilain WJ, Houle J, Samejima S, Krassioukov AV.

  Regeneration and remyelination promoting effects of spinal cord stimulation following spinal cord injury: A scoping review. Exp Neurol. 2026 Feb; Epub 2025 Oct 21

Assistant Teaching Professor Kathleen Cummer, PT, DPT, PhD

• Cummer K, Ferugson M, Golovko G, Kaur M.

  Outcomes after Total Joint Arthroplasty in Patients with and without Diabetes Mellitus: A TriNetX Database Study. Journal of Orthopaedics, 2025 [in press]. 

Associate Professor Sean D. Rundell, PT, DPT, PhD

• Babitts A, Staab CA, Humbert A, Rubinstein SM, de Zoete A, Suri P, and Rundell SD.

  Application of variance ratios to assess heterogeneity of spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low back pain: A meta-epidemiological study. PM & R. 2025 Dec 30

Conference presentations and invited talks

Assistant Professor Lin-Ya Hsu, PhD, PT

• The 26th International Conference and Workshops of Child Development and Early Intervention, Taiwan:
• Invited Talk 1: Sitting Together and Reaching to Play (START-Play) Program in young children with neuromotor disorders
• Invited Talk 2: Home-Based Family Coaching in Early Intervention: Implementation and Insights

Professor Chet T. Moritz, PhD

• Society for Neuroscience 2025

  SADEGHI, I. MAROSSA, R. L. MURPHY, R. B. ROBINSON, C. T. MORITZ, S. I. PERLMUTTER, C. P. HOFSTETTER. Long-term therapeutic effects of spinal stimulation on H-reflex modulation, spasticity reduction, and hand function recovery in behaving rats with cervical spinal cord injury. 

• University of Pittsburgh Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Grand Rounds. Neurotechnology to promote long-term recovery after brain and spinal cord injury. October 15, 2025. 

Associate Professor Murray E. Maitland, PT, PhD

• APTA WA Annual Conference
• Molly C. Gries, Saifullah Farrag, Katheryn J. Allyn, Andrew T. Humbert, Alexander Albury, James M. Colvin, Matthew M. Wernke, Stephanie L.Carey, Murray E. Maitland Significant Differences in  Turn and Straight Components of the Timed Up and Go in Lower Extremity Amputees. 

Associate Professor Mary Beth Brown, PT, PhD

• The 2nd Interstitial Lung Disease Summit for Primary Care Providers Seattle, WA; Saturday, November 8, 2025 

  Invited speaker: Home Exercise for Individuals with ILD. 

• International keynote speaker: Remote monitoring-enabled exercise in interstitial lung disease. REVIVE 2025, a scientific Conclave on Pulmonary-Cardiac Rehabilitation, Bangalore, India, 12th October 2025

Assistant Professor Rachel Prusynski, DPT, PhD, NCS

• Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting: Hart E*, Amaravadi H*, Prusynski RA, Sabbatini A, Leland N, Fogelberg D, Mroz TM. Changes in Post-Acute Trajectories for Patients with Serious Mental Illness After Payment Reforms. Poster
• Amaravadi H*, Prusynski RA, Fishman P, Leland NE, Mroz TM. Incentives for Access: Examining Increased Admissions for Cancer Patients After the Patient-Driven Payment Model. Poster
• Kaiser Permanente Therapy Education Day: Inside the black box of post-acute care payment policy. Invited speaker. Renton, WA. September 29, 2025.
• APTA Academy of Geriatrics Journal Club article presentation: Some but not too much: multiparticipant therapy and positive patient outcomes in skilled nursing facilities. October 21, 2025.
• APTA Washington Student Special Interest Group Workshop: PT is political. Understanding how health policy shapes disparities in access and outcomes of physical therapy. November 24, 2025.
• Home health care delivery, outcomes vary by payment model: Rachel A Prusynski, DPT, PhD. Interview in: AJMC Managed Care Cast; https://www.ajmc.com/view/home-health-care-delivery-outcomes-vary-by-payment-model-rachel-a-prusynski-dpt-phd. November 18, 2025.

Associate Professor Heather A. Feldner, PhD

• 79th Annual American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine Conference, New Orleans, LA (2025, October 17):
• Preconference half-day education session- Low Tech and High Tech: Technology for All!
• Education session- Developmental Powered Mobility: Exploring Diverse Applications for Multisystem Development by Moving Beyond the ‘Point A to Point B’ Paradigm.
• 5th Annual Oceania Seating Symposium, Rotorua, NZ (2025, November 6):
• Education session- Ableism and Mobility Milestones: What Do We Mean by ‘Mobility is a Human Right?
• Education session- Developmental Powered Mobility: Kick-Starting Global Development Through ON Time, Self-Initiated Mobility and Activity Experiences.
• Education session- Establishing and Sustaining Accessibility Centers: Perspectives from the USA and Australia
• ON Time Mobility: A Rights-Based Framework to Support Self-Generated Movement in Young Children with Disabilities. Invited Webinar, United Cerebral Palsy Professional Learning Series, Phoenix, AZ.
• Rethinking Powered Mobility 'Readiness' for young children using the ON Time Mobility Framework. Invited Speaker, Sunrise Medical Professional Continuing Education Webinar Series, Fresno, CA.
• Mobility Snapshots: A Photovoice Narrative of Mobility Participation by Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury. Platform

Awarded grants

Assistant Professor Soshi Samejima, PhD

• Morton Cure Paralysis Fund: Closed-Loop Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation for Restoration of Exercise Capacity and Arm and Hand Function ($75,000 for 1 year; for Research assistant and research activity, no PI FTE allowed)

Associate Professor Heather A. Feldner, PhD

• Craig H. Nielsen Foundation: Mobility and the Impact of Psychosocial Factors Following Spinal Cord Injury. 2 year award, total costs 550K,  Role: Co-I, FTE 8%. Beginning April 2026.