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Occupational
Therapy
214 Raymond Hall
814-472-3899
Fax: 814-472-3950
Email
Mailing Address
Saint Francis University
P.O. Box 600
Loretto, PA 15940-0600
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Success Stories |
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| Christopher Stavisky (MOT ’08) is currently employed as an acute rehabilitation occupational therapist at the University of Rochester (NY) Medical Center. In addition to his clinical work, Christopher serves as a biomechanics consultant for the Biomechatronics Learning Laboratory at the Rochester Institute of Technology with the purpose of developing assistive technology devices that will supplement muscular activity and movement for individuals with neurological deficits and progressive muscular degenerative disorders.
“The primary diagnosis that we are targeting at this time is muscular dystrophy. It is our goal to develop a device that enables an individual who has lost functional movements of their upper extremities to regain movement independence with the aid of our device.”
Currently, the Upper Extremity Motion Analysis System, as the project is called, is able to track muscle activity through EMG signals and record joint kinematics at the shoulder and elbow. With these data, the research team will be able to create a device that will recreate movement that has been lost in the upper extremity due to muscle degeneration and/or neurological deficits.
“I feel very fortunate to be a part of the team in the Biomechatronics Learning Laboratory. Assistive technology has always been an interest of mine within the field of Occupational Therapy, and I currently have the opportunity to assist with a device’s development. This is a very exciting endeavor for which the research skills that I developed at Saint Francis University have well prepared me.” |
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