Department: Division of Epidemiology

I received my BS in Biology from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2001. I received my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) from the University of Southern California in 2005. During my 9 years of practice as a physical therapist I worked primarily in the acute care setting managing the care of acute and chronic wounds. My interests in both the basic science and clinical aspects of wound have been combined through the Masters of Science in Wound Healing and Tissue Repair from Cardiff University in 2014.

The management of acute and chronic wounds remains difficult in the clinical setting due to multiple factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic. Disparities also exist in clinician education, resulting in poor outcomes and high cost of care. Clinical research in wound care is difficult due to the multiplicity of involved factors as well as ethical and cost issues. The use of epidemiologic methods and data from electronic medical records can generate “Practice Based Evidence” which will be acceptable to clinicians and aid researchers in the development of more focused clinical trials. Epidemiologic methods can also be applied to interventions and outcomes of physical therapy practice in other clinical settings. “Practice Based Evidence” can support the myriad of roles Physical Therapists play in recovery from illness and injury. This in turn can support practice and policy to optimize outcomes for patients while reducing healthcare costs.

I joined the VCU PhD program for its small size, diversity in research areas and focus on student development. GRE-MAP provides an interdisciplinary research group in which I can participate in research on how mobility influences and is effected by the ageing process and psychiatric disorders. The program has many other opportunities to participate in and present research in epidemiology as well as conduct research in collaboration with other departments at VCU.

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