Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science

The major goal of ongoing research in this lab is to improve the health and wellness of people with chronic disease or disability. The lab encompasses approximately 4000 square feet on the ground floor of the new Kansas Life Science Innovation Center (opened March 2007) and includes a large waiting area, receptionist desk, faculty and research associate offices and a conference room. The three labs within this space are designed to assess: 1) body composition, 2) muscle strength and endurance, and 3) aerobic fitness. Additionally, there is a large exercise intervention room that is newly furnished with LifeFitness aerobic equipment and a resistance training circuit. Current Projects:

• Pilot Project of Health Promotion for People with Diabetes (Kluding; funded by CReFF Pilot Grant from KUMC’s GCRC)
  
  
• Pilot Study of Exercise and Peripheral Nerve Function in People with Diabetes (Kluding; funded by Clinical Research Pilot grant from KUMC’s Research Institute)
  
  
• The Effects of Compression on Reducing Limb Edema and Increasing Function (Kluding; funded by grant from Normatec Industries)
  
  
• The Effect of Single Limb Exercise Training on Femoral Artery Blood Flow and Oxygen Uptake in Chronic Stroke (Billinger; dissertation project)
  
  
• Predictors of Post-Stroke Fatigue (Tseng; dissertation project)

The Lab Team
Principal Investigators
	Patricia Kluding, PT, PhD Assistant Professor KU Dept. of Physical Therapy & Rehab. Science University of Kansas Medical Center
	Debra Sulllivan, PhD, RD, LD Chair and Associate Professor KU Dept. of Dietetics & Nutrition University of Kansas Medical Center
	Sandra Billinger, PT, PhD, FAHA Research Assistant Professor KU Dept. of Physical Therapy & Rehab. Science University of Kansas Medical Center
Research Associates	Jeannine Goetz, MS, RD, LD Kendra Spaeth, MS, RD, LD
PhD Students	Steve Jernigan, PT Rachel Moses Jason Rucker, PT Rupali Sandhu Benjamin Tseng