Faculty member in KU School of Health Professions hopes to make the world a better place through research

The life of a researcher can be challenging — there are a variety of deadlines and constant pressure to publish quality work. But researchers like Jacob Sosnoff, Ph.D., associate dean for research in the University of Kansas School of Health Professions, make it their life’s work because the results can be life changing.

“My main goal is to make the world a better place for my stay in it,” he said, referring to his research in the Department of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training. “I believe that the work that my group is doing will help people and that keeps me moving forward.”

Currently, his research is about whether people can be taught movement patterns to reduce the risk of injury when they fall. Since falls are the leading cause of accidental death and injury in older adults, figuring this out has significant benefit to the community. “We have shown that our training program can reduce the risk of fall-related head impact and reduces impact forces at the hip,” he said. “We are currently working to see if people take what they learn in the clinic into the real world.”

Sosnoff’s body of work so far is reflected in a recent ranking by ScholarGPS, a scholarly analytics platform. Along with his School of Health Professions colleagues Susan Carlson, Ph.D., A. J. Rice Professor of Nutrition, and Debra Sullivan, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Sosnoff was named as a Top Scholar.

Jacob Sosnoff, Ph.D., associate dean for research in KU School of Health Professions, is ranked as the No. 19 scholar in the world in the field of kinesiology for work conducted over the last five years.

This designation by ScholarGPS means that his published research was identified as having among the highest impacts in the world, based on productivity, impact and quality. Of the nearly 29 million scholars ranked, Sosnoff is in the top 0.34%. Among 641,555 allied health scholars, he is ranked in the top 0.22%. He is ranked as the No. 19 scholar in the world in the field of kinesiology for research conducted over the last five years.

Since 2004, Sosnoff has published 285 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and conference papers on topics including multiple sclerosis, old age, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and more. His articles have been cited more than 10,000 times.

Prior to joining KU Medical Center in the spring semester of 2021, he was a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Working in a relatively small community with limited access to clinical populations prompted him to seek a new opportunity, leading him to KU Medical Center, where he sought to maximize the impact of his research and work directly with clinical populations. 

“I have been fortunate to work with great mentors, collaborators and students that allow me to look at unique problems related to movement and ways we can solve them,” Sosnoff said.

Helping other researchers be successful is one of the perks of his job. “At KU Medical Center, we are fortunate to have gifted researchers who are tackling difficult questions,” he said. “I do my best to help them get the resources they need to do their important work. I remind people to stay focused and to give themselves grace. Research is a series of ups and downs, and perseverance is key. We have a great culture of mentorship at the medical center, and I am glad to contribute.”