Programs in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science At Drexel University January 2007 News Letter

In this news letter, focus is on our fab five pediatric faculty educators and research scientists: Maggie O’Neil, PT, PhD, MPH, Robert Palisano, PT, ScD, Lisa Chiarello, PT, PhD, PCS, Margo Orlin, PT, PhD and Maria Benedetto, PT, DPT. This group has been exceptionally active and successful!

Dr. Maggie O’Neil, PI on an NIH grant entitled, “The Child Health Project (CHP),” has been renewed for a second year of funding. Parent-child dyads are referred into the CHP at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Children enrolled are 6-13 years old with BMIs above the 85th percentile age for gender. The aim is to provide parents with tailored education intervention packets based on their “stage of change” or “readiness to change” their children’s health behaviors (specifically eating and physical activity habits). The grant will extend at least through 2007.

Drs. Chiarello, Orlin and Palisano are completing the first year of a 3-year $850,000 grant from Shriners Hospitals for Children to conduct a multi-center study of activity and participation of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. Aims are to identify: 1) how family needs change based on children’s age and functional ability and 2) child, family, and service factors that are determinants of the activity and participation. The overall intent is to enable children with cerebral palsy to fully participate in home, school and community life.

Dr. Orlin is studying the biomechanics of running in children with cerebral palsy at Shriners Hospitals for Children Philadelphia. Running has potential benefits for physical fitness, social interaction, and self-esteem.

Drs. Chiarello and Palisano are members of an international collaboration recently awarded 3-year grants from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research ($900,000) and the National Institutes of Disability Rehabilitation Research ($450,000) to identify determinants of gross motor abilities, self-care, and play of young children with cerebral palsy. The aim is to increase knowledge of the complex interactions among child, family, and service characteristics that influence outcomes.

Dr. Benedetto is conducting a study to validate a measure of functional walking that utilizes an obstacle course to reproduce tasks and environment conditions encountered in daily life.
Wow!

Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences: 25th Anniversary

Programs in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science At Drexel University January 2007 News Letter