People
Lab Principal Investigator:
Sujata Pradhan, PT, PhD
Sujata Pradhan is a Physical therapist and UW Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Division of Physical therapy. Dr. Pradhan’s research focus has been on the use of technology for rehabilitation in individuals with Parkinson disease. Dr. Pradhan’s teaching responsibilities in the department of Rehabilitation Medicine include coordinating and teaching Rehab 551 – Neurobiology for Rehabilitation. Her responsibilities within the division of Physical Therapy include coordinating and teaching Rehab 517 – Physical Therapy Seminar 1 as well as lecturing in and serving as a clinical instructor for Rehab 523 – Applied Neurology. She is also the Chair of the Admissions Committee for the UW-Doctor of Physical Therapy program and the Graduate Program Coordinator for the academic programs in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral fellowship: Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training – UW-Rehabilitation Medicine – 2008-2010
- PhD: Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, PA. 2002-2007
- Masters: Neuromuscular Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, PA- 2000-2002, MSc.(PT), University of Bombay, India- 1998-2000
- Undergraduate: Physical Therapy, MSc.(PT), University of Bombay, India- 1994-1998
Areas of Research Expertise
- Early motor deficits in individuals with Parkinson disease
- Use of gaming and virtual reality for rehabilitation in individuals with Parkinson disease
- The use of wearable sensors to monitor physical activity and participation in the community in individuals with Parkinson disease
A complete list of Dr. Pradhan’s publications can be found at this link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1F1h8pcg8me57/bibliography/public/
Research Collaborators
(in alphabetical order)
Current collaborators:
- Judith Deutsch, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Rutgers University
- Debbie Espy, PT, PhD, Cleveland State University
- Donald Fogelberg OTRL, PhD – University of Washington – Rehab Med. – Div. of OT
- Emily Fox, DPT, PhD, NCS, University of Florida, Department of Physical Therapy
- Lin-Ya Hsu PT, PhD – University of Washington – Rehab Med. – Div. of PT
- Valerie Kelly, PT, PhD – University of Washington – Rehab Med. – Div. of PT
- Danielle Levac, PT, PhD, Northeastern University
Students:
Samuel Jewell (SPT-3, 2020)
Sam is a Seattle native currently finishing up 3rd year of PT school at UW. Prior to pursing physical therapy his background included clinical coordination of the Pacific Udall Center Portland for Parkinson’s research. His interests include movement disorders, neurology, sports and orthopedics, and wearable technology. Sam presented his work related to physical activity in Parkisnon disease in the form of a poster presentation at the Combined Sections Meeting in Feb 2020 in Denver CO.
Rachel Prusynski (PhD student, 2020)
Rachel is a physical therapist and board certified specialist in neurologic physical therapy. She is currently a student in the PhD program in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Washington, where she has worked with Dr. Pradhan on examining the association between sleep and physical activity in people with Parkinson Disease. She presented her work in the form of a platform presentation at the Combined Sections Meeting in Feb 2020 in Denver CO. Her abstract won the Best abstract in the post-professional student category from the Academy of Neurologic Physical therapy. Rachel is learning the skills to become a health services researcher, and her dissertation research will be in the area of post-acute care payment and policy with a focus on therapy processes and outcomes in skilled nursing facilities. She also serves as a teaching assistant in the UW DPT program.
Martin Roskoff (SPT-3, 2019)
Marty graduated from the UW DPT program in 2019. He presented his work related to physical activity in Parkisnon disease in the form of a poster presentation at the Combined Sections Meeting in Feb 2019 in Washington DC. Marty works as an outpatient physical therapist in the Seattle area. He has a special interest in orthopedic manual therapy and is currently completing a residency program through the Ola Grimsby Institute.
Sarah Thomas DPT (PhD student, 2018)
Sarah Thomas is a Physical Therapist and PhD student in the UW Rehabilitation Science PhD program. Sarah presented her work related to physical activity in Parkisnon disease in the form of a poster presentation at the Combined Sections Meeting in Feb 2019 in Washington DC. She is currently working on her dissertation examining exercise preferences in individuals with Parkinson disease.
Laura Wessbecher (SPT-3, 2018)
Laura Wessbecher graduated UW’s DPT program in 2018 when she presented her work related to research carried out in the form of an independent study related to the gaming project at the Combined Sections meeting in San Antonio. She started UW’s Neurologic residency program the following fall. She finished the Neurologic residency at UW in the summer of 2019 and now works at UW mainly in inpatient rehab.
