Department of Occupational Therapy Education

Professional Background:

Andy Wu, MOT, OTR/L, teaches biomechanical assessment including goniometry/manual muscle testing and interventions to facilitate physical performance for occupations such as splinting, transfers, physical agent modalities, and motor practice models. Wu is also involved with various research courses and serves as a mentor for student research.

Wu is director of occupational therapy services for JayDoc Free Clinic, a clinic operated by volunteer students-in-training to provide free health care services to the uninsured and underserved populations in the Kansas City metro area.

Academic Background:
Wu is a PhD candidate in Therapeutic Science at the University of Kansas. He received his Master of Occupational Therapy in 2008, and Bachelor of Science in Occupational Studies in 2006, from the University of Kansas.

Research Focus:

Current research efforts focus on investigating rehabilitation outcome of patients following acute stroke, considering ideomotor apraxia (IMA). This research seeks to elucidate whether presence of IMA after stroke affects ability to derive benefit from inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Of particular interest are functional outcomes and degree of motor impairment of patients demonstrating paresis with comorbid ideomotor apraxia.

Publications:

Wu, A. J., Radel, J., & Hanna-Pladdy, B. (2011). Improved function after combined physical and mental practice after stroke: A case of hemiparesis and apraxia. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65, 1–8. doi:10.5014/ajot.2011.000786.

Wu, A. J., Hermann, V., Ying, J., & Page, S. J. (2010). Brief Report—Chronometry of mentally versus physically practiced tasks in people with stroke. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64, 929–934. doi:10.5014/ajot.2010.09005.

Page, S. J., Maslyn, S., Hermann, V. H., Wu, A., Dunning, K., & Levine, P. G. (2009). Activity-based electrical stimulation training in a stroke patient with minimal movement in the paretic upper extremity. Neurorehabilitation Neural Repair, 23(6), 595-599. doi:10.1177/1545968308329922.