Physical Therapy division research highlights from Spring 2026

For Spring 2026, faculty in the Division of Physical Therapy continued to demonstrate strong scholarly engagement, advancing the field through peer‑reviewed publications, presentations at national and international conferences, and the pursuit of competitive grant funding. The highlights below capture a selection of these recent achievements.

Publications in peer‑reviewed journals and books

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

• Krishnan C., Sulzer J., Patten C., Ranganathan R. 

  Special Issue: Breakthroughs in Stroke Rehabilitation: Bridging Engineering, Neuroscience, and Motor Control. Restorative Neurology & Neuroscience. 2026 May;44(2):51-54

Acting Assistant Professor Clair  Child, DPT, PhD, MPH

• Ho A, Taylor JO, Child CE, Turner AM.

  Acceptability of an Online Longitudinal Discrete Choice Experiment for Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA), in press Jun 2026.

Assistant Professor Soshi Samejima, PhD

• Malik, R. N., Sobeeh, M. G., Maharaj, A. L., Shackleton, C., Hosseinzadeh, A., Saloojee, M., Khavandegar, A., Kontaxakis, A., Thordarson, T., Chang, C., Balthazaar, S. J. T., Williams, A. M. M., Lam, T., Ghuman, A., Anderson, K., Elliott, S. L., Berger, M. J., Samejima, S., Sachdeva, R., & Krassioukov, A. V. (2026). 

  Moving from mechanisms to clinical practice: non-invasive spinal cord stimulation for recovery of autonomic functions after spinal cord injury - a protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial. BMJ open, 16(5). 

• Malik, R. N., Samejima, S., Williams, A. M. M., Hosseinzadeh, A., Ogalo, E., Stolz, A., Lam, C., Shackleton, C., Miller, T., Sobeeh, M. G., Boyd, L. A., Kramer, J. L. K., Lam, T., Sachdeva, R., Berger, M. J., & Krassioukov, A. V. (2026). 

  Non-invasive spinal cord neuromodulation enables volitional anti-gravity leg movements after motor-complete spinal cord injury: responders vs. non-responders. Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation.

• Shackleton, C., Hosseinzadeh, A., Samejima, S., Malik, R., Krough, K., Ghuman, A., Clement, E., Sachdeva, R., and Krassioukov, A.V.

  Epidural spinal cord stimulation and anorectal function following spinal cord injury: A high-resolution manometry case report. Spinal Cord Series & Cases. (accepted).

Assistant Professor Soshi Samejima, PhD and Professor Chet Moritz, PhD

• Nakahara, R., Nasson, S., Bieler, E., Putsche-Young, E., Aguila, B., Shen, J., Chung, E., Winston, L., Burns, S., Crane, D., Eugenio, M., Krogh, K., Krassioukov, A., Moritz, C., & Samejima, S. (2026). 

  Effects of non-invasive spinal cord stimulation on autonomic function in individuals with subacute spinal cord injury: A pilot clinical trial protocol. PloS one, 21(4), e0347211.

Assistant Professor Rachel Prusynski, DPT, PhD, NCS

• Schliep ME, Dunlap P, Beneciuk J, Carpenter J, Douglas NF, Edelstein J, Ehrlich-Jones L, Johnston T, Khoja SS, Liu CJ, Li CY, Prusynski RA, Rassu F, Thackeray A, Resnik L, Thackeray A, Juckett L. 

  Bridging perspectives: Guiding the selection of patient-centered outcomes in rehabilitation learning health systems. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2026 April 30. 

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

• Babitts A, Chen AT, Ehde DM, Goode AP, Jarvik JG, Cizik AM, Meier EN, Friedly JL, Horn ME, Suri P, Burke CA, Johnston SK, Rundell SD. 

  Comparing Low and High Recovery Expectations Among Those with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Network Analysis. Pain Med. 2026 Apr 24.

Conference presentations and invited talks

Professor Chet Moritz, PhD

International Neuomodulation Society (INS) Lisbon Portugal, May 2026.

• Jeffrey Herron, Hanbin Cho, Adria Robert-Gonzalez, Maryam Bahadori-Nejad, Andrew Ko, Ben Grannan, Gabriel Friedman, Nicolai Wohns, Jonathan Fu, Sarah D'Souza, Amy Anderson, David Tirschwell, Claire Creutzfeldt, Nicole Mazwi, Aaron Bunnell, Eran Klein, Kurt Weaver, Steve Cramer, Chet Moritz, Jeff Ojemann (2026) NEUROMODULATION VIA SUBDURAL CORTICAL STIMULATION IMPROVES HAND FUNCTION IN CHRONIC STROKE USING A FIRST-IN-HUMAN FULLY-IMPLANTABLE RECORDING AND STIMULATION SYSTEM.
• Chet Moritz, Kristen Gelenitis, Jessica D’Amico, Fatma Inanici, Candace Tefertiller, Edelle C Field-Fote (2026) TRANSCUTANEOUS SPINAL CORD STIMULATION COMBINED WITH REHABILITATION IMPROVES SENSATION FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC CERVICAL SPINAL CORD INJURY: DETAILED INSIGHTS FROM THE UP-LIFT TRIAL. 

Assistant Professor Rachel Prusynski, DPT, PhD, NCS

Academy Health Annual Research Meeting

• Amaravadi H†, Prusynski RA, Leland NE, Fishman P, Philpps A, Mroz TM. Changes in access, care delivery, and health outcomes for metastatic cancer patients in skilled nursing facilities, following Medicare’s Patient-Driven Payment Model. Platform Presentation
• Amaravadi H†, Sabbatini A, Mroz TM, Prusynski RA. Effects of dual eligibility and ACO participation on post-acute care access and outcomes: Evidence from the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Platform Presentation.
• Prusynski RA, Mroz TM, Frogner B. Therapy staff turnover in skilled nursing facilities: facility characteristics and associations with resident outcomes. Poster presentation.
• Prusynski RA, Humbert A, Amaravadi H†, Burke R, Saliba D, Leland NE, Freburger J, Mroz TM. Is declining therapy provision in skilled nursing facilities a mediator for worse patient outcomes? Poster presentation.
• Prusynski RA, Yan Z†, Zachrison K, Hsia R, Mroz TM, Sabbatini A. Skilled nursing facility network capacity and hospital length of stay for dual and non-dual eligible Medicare beneficiaries. Poster presentation.
• Invited talk: Predicting inpatient outcomes with machine learning. Presentation to Intermountain Health Rehabilitation Directors. June 24, 2026.
• Interview In: AARP Smart Guide to Physical Therapy. https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/smart-guide-physical-therapy/. April 17, 2026.  
• Changes in skilled nursing and home health admissions associated with Medicare payment reforms and the COVID-19 pandemic” cited in Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, March 2026.
• “Medicare Advantage reimbursement structures impact home health delivery and outcomes” cited in Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, June 2026. 
   

Associate Professor Heather A. Feldner, PhD

• Jones, J., Agoalikum, S., Kuhl, P.K., Meltzoff, A.N., Ingraham, K., Steele, K.M., Feldner, H.A. (2026 May 1) Changes in social interaction and joystick activation over time in young powered mobility learners. Platform presented at the Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
• Agoalikum, S., Hoffman, M., Leija, K., Hensley, S., Knight, A., Landwehr-Prakel, K., Steele, K.M., Feldner, H.A. (2026, May 8) Moving to Explore: Motor Function, Mobility Aids & Exploratory Play in Children with Developmental Disabilities. Poster Presented at the University of Washington Department of Rehabilitation Medicine 40th Annual Justus F. Lehmann Symposium.

Associate Professor Heather A. Feldner, PhD and Professor Chet Moritz, PhD

World Congress of Biomechanics in Vancouver, BC, CN. July 2026.

• Katie M. Landwehr-Prakel, Anna M. Fragomeni, Kristie F. Bjornson, Chet T. Moritz, Heather A. Feldner, Katherine M. Steele. Impacts of spinal stimulation on muscle activity and heart rate responses during walker-based exoskeleton use in children with cerebral palsy.

Neural Control of Movement Annual Meeting, Kobe, JPN. (2026, April 21)

• McCreary, M., Landwehr-Prakel, K., Fragomeni, A., Feldner, H.A., Steele, K.M. Biomechanical Effects of Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation Amplitude on Gait in Children with Cerebral Palsy. Poster.
• Landwehr-Prakel, K., Fragomeni, A., Bjornson, K., Moritz, C.T., Feldner, H.A., Steele, K.M. Impacts of Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation on Muscle Activity and Heart Rate Responses During Robotic Gait Trainer Use in Children with Cerebral Palsy. Poster

Assistant Teaching Professor Kathleen Cummer, PT, DPT, PhD

• “How diabetes impacts the muscles, tendons, and bones in our body (i.e., the musculoskeletal system)”. May 2026, Type 1 Diabetes Community group with Salute Nutrition. 2-hour session about the musculoskeletal conditions associated with living with diabetes.

Assistant Teaching Professor Kathleen Cummer, PT, DPT, PhD and Associate Professor Heather A. Feldner, PhD

• Cummer, K., Smith, B., Le, T., Trikudanathan, S., Feldner, H.A. (2026, June 27). Experiences of People Living with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Outpatient Orthopedic Physical Therapy: A Qualitative Study. Poster presented at the American Physical Therapy Association Orthopedics Virtual Conference, Online.

Associate Professor Heather A. Feldner, PhD

• Selected for a 3-year term as a standing study section member for the NIH, Motor Function, Speech, and Rehabilitation (MFSR) study section.  
• Invited speaker at the Oregon State University Kinesiology Seminar Series, Corvallis, OR. Plot Twists and Pivot Points: Choosing My Own Adventure in Mobility, Disability, and Technology Research.

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

• What If? Moving Towards Data-informed Clinical Practice, 40th Annual Justus Lehmann Symposium, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, May 2026.
• Sivakumar S*, McGuirk TE, Moy TL, Boxer RS, Patten C. Development of a Multidimensional Mobility Profile for Older Adults.  California Academic Geriatrics Institutions Annual Conference, Stanford University, Palo Alto, May, 2026.
• From Motor Units to Motor Recovery. KIN 2026, Invited Alumni Speaker, Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, June 16, 2026.
• Invited talk:  Stroke Rehabilitation. Third Annual National Vascular Neurology Conference. VA National Telestroke Program, U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs, January 2026.
• NIH Study Section, BIND (Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disorders), Standing Member. (June, 2026).

Associate Professor Cristine Agresta, PT, MPT, PhD

• Invited to expert panel/round table with Envois at AASPT annual meeting

Associate Professor Mary Beth Brown, PT, PhD and Clair  Child, DPT, PhD, MPH

Regional meeting of The LAM Foundation, Bellevue, WA, April 26th, 2026: “LAMFit: How to Use Physical Fitness to Live Well with LAM”.

American Thoracic Society International Conference. Orlando, FL, May 2026

• Child CE, Mohamedali F, Ho LA, Brown MB. Active Community Engagement Increases Self-reported And Objectively Measured Physical Activity In Lymphangioleiomyomatosis. NEW INSIGHTS IN SARCOIDOSIS AND RARE LUNG DISEASES. Thematic Poster Presentation.
  
  Brown MB, Lanton B, Gries MC, Child CE,. Stress Urinary Incontinence Is Prevalent and Underreported in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis. NEW INSIGHTS IN SARCOIDOSIS AND RARE LUNG DISEASES. Thematic Poster Presentation.

Associate Professor Mary Beth Brown, PT, PhD 

• 40th Annual Justus F. Lehmann Symposium June 7th, 2026 - ‘Sports & Exercise as Medicine’: “When No Guidelines Exist – Growing an Evidence Base for Exercise in a Rare Disease”.

Awarded grants

Associate Professor Heather A. Feldner, PhD

• NIH R01: Dynamic, Real World Learning, Innovative Mobility, and Versatile Exploration (DRIVE): Evaluating a dose-matched developmental powered mobility intervention for young children with Cerebral Palsy. $3M, 5 years, FTE 28% , Role: PI.
• NIH R21: Optimizing spinal stimulation intensity for gait training in cerebral palsy (Role: Co-I (PI Steele) FTE 10%.