Current Student Research Projects

T32 Summer Trainees

The goal of the KU Training Program in Neurological and Rehabilitation Sciences is to provide pre-doctoral interdisciplinary training in translational research in basic and clinical aspects of neuroscience, especially as it applies to neurological conditions amenable to rehabilitative treatments.

DPT students in the T32 program having been under mentorship of Neena Sharma: Jackie Vaughan, 2018; Andrew Doyle, 2018; Emily Gundy, 2014; Christian Busch, 2013; Brianna Cowley, 2012; Patrick Gorman, 2011; Angela Lentz, 2010.

Past Student Research Projects

Kosaku Aoyagi (mentor: Neena Sharma)
Project title: Phenotyping Chronic Low Back Pain Patients with Central Sensitization
The aims of this study were to capture characteristics of people with chronic low back pain who also represented symptoms of central sensitization, and sub-grouped them from the entire population with chronic low back pain.

Fahed Mehyar (mentor: Neena Sharma)
Title: Neuromuscular control following spinal manual therapy
There is a wide variability in quantifying grades of spinal mobilization. The objective of this study was to develop a new method to quantify spinal mobilization. The second aim of this study was to examine neuromuscular effects of manual therapy.

Zaid Mansour (mentor: Neena Sharma)
Title: Brain Volume in Chronic Low Back Pain
Recent studies suggest central nervous changes in chronic low back pain. The purpose of this study was to examine brain volume in chronic low back pain and following conservative interventions.

Gurpreet Singh (mentor: Neena Sharma)
Title: Balance Training in People with Parkinson’s Disease
The project included analysis of gait and balance impairments and effects of static and dynamic balance training in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

Krista Sanchez, M.S. (mentor: Neena Sharma)
Title: Neuromuscular Control of Lumbar Spine in People with Chronic Low Back Pain
The project examined seated sway balance in people with and without chronic low back pain.

Saddam Kanaan, Ph.D., PT (mentor: Neena Sharma)
Title: Predicting Health Care Needs Following Lumbar Spine Surgeries
The project included retrospective and prospective longitudinal studies. The aim of this project was to use large scale database and prospective pre-surgery, intra-surgery, and post-surgery data to build prediction models for short and long term outcomes following lumbar spine surgeries.