REGINA SLOUTSKY, PT, DPT
Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Student & Physical Therapist
ABOUT ME
I am a physical therapist and Rehabilitation Sciences PhD student at Boston University, under the mentorship of Dr. Louis Awad.
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Broadly, I am interested in developing and optimizing interventions for people with neurological disorders — more specifically, improving walking post-stroke.
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My research focuses on studying the effects of a soft wearable robotic exosuit on the cognitive load and automaticity of walking.
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CLINICAL
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
In 2017, I joined the Neuromotor Recovery Lab and the Harvard Biodesign Lab as a research physical therapist. In this role, I provided clinical support across multiple projects, and developed a passion for clinical translational research.
The cornerstone of successful clinical translational research is collaboration. For me, this begins within the lab as I work together with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, designers, clinicians and patients; expands to collaboration across labs and departments within Boston University; and finally across organizations, including industry sponsors and clinical and academic research institutions, which are all integral for applying the research that we do in the lab.
My involvement with various projects has helped me to define the principles of clinical research as it compares to clinical practice, provided a platform for learning instrumentation to measure movement and the software and tools to process and analyze data, fostered proficiency in working with the IRB and regulatory agencies to develop and modify protocols, and given me the opportunity to contribute to scientific reporting through abstracts, posters, manuscripts and presentations.
CLINICAL
PRACTICE
After earning my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Boston University in 2011, I treated patients across the healthcare spectrum in acute care, rehabilitation, and home care settings. These instrumental experiences shaped my clinical practice, and continue to drive my research.
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Our options for interventions in the clinic are limited: clinicians often prescribe devices such as an ankle foot orthosis, or AFO, to help with drop-foot that is commonly seen in individuals post-stroke. Although this can helps with safety to prevent falls, it limits restoration of gait and fosters development of compensatory patterns, which ultimately leads to poor outcomes and decreased quality of life.
My goal is to develop and integrate more advanced technologies and interventions to improve patient outcomes through restoration of gait.
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