Gait Variability: Epidemiology, Assessment & Management

描述（由申请人提供）：Brach博士是一名物理治疗师和委员会认证的老年临床专家，他的目标是成为全国公认的运动和衰老研究领域的领导者。物理治疗师是检查和治疗影响活动能力的肌肉骨骼和神经肌肉问题的专家。因此，物理治疗师应该在多学科治疗行动不便的方法中发挥重要作用，并且应该在旨在改善行动能力的研究中发挥关键作用。作为一名物理治疗师，Brach博士在评估和治疗行动障碍方面有很强的技能，她在流行病学方面的培训使她在研究方法和基本统计技术方面打下了坚实的基础。她现在正在寻求纵向数据分析、高级步态分析（包括时间序列分析）和临床试验方法方面的额外重点培训。作为她的主要导师，Stephanie Studenski博士将指导Brach博士的研究培训和职业发展，成为老龄化领域的独立研究者和领导者。Stephanie Studenski博士本人也是流动性和老龄化研究的全国领导者。她的研究计划和职业发展将由一个多学科团队监督，包括流行病学家/老年病学家、统计学家、生物工程师和物理治疗师。匹兹堡大学Claude D. Pepper OAIC的丰富资源也将为她的支持和发展提供支持。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dr. Brach is a physical therapist and a board certified geriatric clinical specialist who aims to become a nationally-recognized leader in the field of mobility and aging research. Physical therapists are experts in the examination and treatment of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular problems that affect mobility. Therefore, physical therapists should play an important role in the multidisciplinary approach to treating mobility problems and should be key players in research aimed at improving mobility. As a physical therapist Dr. Brach has developed strong skills in the assessment and treatment of mobility problems, and her training in epidemiology has given her a strong foundation in research methods and basic statistical techniques. She now seeks additional focused training in longitudinal data analysis, advanced gait analysis (including time series analysis), and clinical trial methodology. As her primary mentor on the proposed Paul B. Beeson Career Development Award in Aging, Dr. Stephanie Studenski, herself a national leader in mobility and aging research, will supervise Dr. Brach's research training and career development towards becoming an independent investigator and leader in the field of aging. Her research program and career development will be overseen by a multi-disciplinary team including an Epidemiologist/Geriatrician, a Statistician, a Bioengineer, and a Physical Therapist. The rich resources of the University of Pittsburgh Claude D. Pepper OAIC will also be utilized for her support and development. In line with her goal of becoming a nationally recognized leader in the field of aging and mobility, Dr. Brach designed a series of three research projects that will allow her to examine in detail gait variability and adaptability, a component of mobility. In project 1, Dr. Brach will use an established dataset from the Cardiovascular Health Study to examine the contributors and consequences of gait variability in a biracial sample of over 500 older adults. Since many older adults with mobility problems are not identified when tested under low demand situations, in project 2 Dr. Brach will develop a measure of gait adaptability to test older persons walking under high demand conditions. The final project (project 3) will be a small RCT to examine exercise interventions to improve gait variability and adaptability in older persons.