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.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
5K23AG026766-05
Application #
7643220
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAG1-ZIJ-9 (M3))
Program Officer
Joseph, Lyndon
Project Start
2005-08-15
Project End
2011-07-31
Budget Start
2009-08-01
Budget End
2011-07-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$176,376
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
004514360
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Wert, David M; VanSwearingen, Jessie; Perera, Subashan et al. (2016) The Impact of a Portable Metabolic Measurement Device on Gait Characteristics of Older Adults With Mobility Limitations. J Geriatr Phys Ther 39:77-82
Almarwani, Maha; Perera, Subashan; VanSwearingen, Jessie M et al. (2016) The test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change of spatial and temporal gait variability during usual over-ground walking for younger and older adults. Gait Posture 44:94-9
Brach, Jennifer S; Lowry, Kristin; Perera, Subashan et al. (2015) Improving motor control in walking: a randomized clinical trial in older adults with subclinical walking difficulty. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 96:388-94
Sustakoski, Ashley; Perera, Subashan; VanSwearingen, Jessie M et al. (2015) The impact of testing protocol on recorded gait speed. Gait Posture 41:329-31
Brach, Jennifer S; Vanswearingen, Jessie M (2013) Interventions to Improve Walking in Older Adults. Curr Transl Geriatr Exp Gerontol Rep 2:
Wert, David M; Brach, Jennifer S; Perera, Subashan et al. (2013) The association between energy cost of walking and physical function in older adults. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 57:198-203
Brach, Jennifer S; Van Swearingen, Jessie M; Perera, Subashan et al. (2013) Motor learning versus standard walking exercise in older adults with subclinical gait dysfunction: a randomized clinical trial. J Am Geriatr Soc 61:1879-86
Newell, Alaina M; VanSwearingen, Jessie M; Hile, Elizabeth et al. (2012) The modified Gait Efficacy Scale: establishing the psychometric properties in older adults. Phys Ther 92:318-28
Brach, Jennifer S; Wert, David; VanSwearingen, Jessie M et al. (2012) Use of stance time variability for predicting mobility disability in community-dwelling older persons: a prospective study. J Geriatr Phys Ther 35:112-7
Lowry, Kristin A; Brach, Jennifer S; Nebes, Robert D et al. (2012) Contributions of cognitive function to straight- and curved-path walking in older adults. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 93:802-7

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