Dr. Rodgers' major areas of research include rehabilitation biomechanics, wheelchair propulsion biomechanics, and gait analysis. She oversees a training grant that provides two pre-doctoral and one post-doctoral traineeships. The purpose of this grant is to attract and train potential rehabilitation scientists in predoctoral and post doctoral positions. This project offers pre-doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows academic and research preparation in fields pertinent to physical rehabilitation science. The Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core of the Pepper Center provides start-up support for high quality research proposals of high relevance to the Center's overall theme, exploring mechanisms underlying the disability phenotype in older persons and the functional and clinical reponses to exercise.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
Patterson SL, Forrester LW, Rodgers MM, Ryan AS, Ivey FM, Sorkin JD, Macko RF: Determinants of walking function after stroke: Differences by deficit severity. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1:115-119, 2007
Patterson SL, Rodgers MM, Macko RF, Forrester LW: Effect of treadmill exercise training on spatial and temporal gait parameters in individuals with chronic stroke. (in press, J Rehabil Res Dev)
Finley,MA, Rodgers, MM. Effect of two-speed geared manual wheelchair propulsion on shoulder pain and function. (in press, Arch Phys Med Rehabil)
Principle Investigator for "Advance Rehabilitation Research Training Project" training grant (T32 HD041899-01A1) funded by NIH/NCMRR through 2008. Director Pilot/Exploratory Studies Core & co-Director Research Career Development Core for Claude D Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (NIH 1 P30 AG28747-01, A Goldberg, PI) through 2011.