People
Valerie E. Kelly, PT, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Kelly is a physical therapist and researcher in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. She has over 20 years of experience working with people who have Parkinson disease, both in the clinic and in the laboratory. Dr. Kelly is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, with responsibilities related to teaching and research. Her current research focuses on the impact of genetic and cognitive factors on gait and the response to gait rehabilitation among people with Parkinson disease.
Education and Training
- Postdoctoral fellowship, Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Ph.D., Movement Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
- M.S., Physical Therapy, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
- B.A., Physical Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Areas of Research Expertise
- Balance and gait impairments in older adults, with a focus on Parkinson disease
- Quantitative gait analysis using both optical motion capture and inertial sensor systems
- Gait rehabilitation for mobility limitations in people with Parkinson disease
- Associations between gait and cognition in adults with neurodegenerative disease
Current Members of the Dr. Kelly’s Research Team
Sheri Imsdahl, PhD
Dr. Imsdahl completed her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, with an emphasis on biomechanics, at the University of Washington. She has experience with motion capture, modeling, and quantitative gait analysis. Dr. Imsdahl collaborates with several research groups in the Amplifying Movement and Performance Laboratory.
Raima Amin, MD
Dr. Amin is a ABPN Board Certified Neurologist and a current fellow in the Movement Disorders Fellowship at the University of Washington and Puget Sound VA Healthcare System. Dr. Amin’s research focuses on a study within the Genetic Influences on Exercise in Parkinson Disease project.
Niffer Supowit, DPT
Dr. Supowit is a physical therapist with over ten years of experience working in a variety of physical therapy settings. Dr. Supowit completed her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Northern Arizona University in 2007 and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Washington.
Collaborators
Sujata Pradhan, PT, PhD
Dr. Pradhan’s research focuses on the use of technology for rehabilitation in people with Parkinson disease. Dr. Pradhan and Dr. Kelly work together on the Virtual Reality for Parkinson Disease Freezing of Gait project. Dr. Pradhan leads the Technology for Rehabilitation Advances In Neurologic Disease (TRAIN) Lab at the University of Washington.
Alumni
Amir Besharat, DO
Dr. Besharat is an ABPN Board Certified Neurologist who is currently an Assistant Professor at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California. Dr. Besharat completed a fellowship in Movement Disorders at the University of Washington and Puget Sound VA Healthcare System in 2020. As a fellow, Dr. Besharat led a study within the Virtual Reality for Parkinson Disease Freezing of Gait project in our research group.
Sara J. Morgan, CPO, PhD
Dr. Morgan is an orthotist and prosthetist and completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Science in 2014. Dr. Morgan is currently a Clinical Scientist at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.