Faculty

Ann F. VanSant

P.T., Ph.D., F.A.P.T.A.

Dr. VanSant received her B.S. in Physical Therapy from Russell Sage College, an MS from Virginia Commonwealth University and a doctorate in motor development from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Dr. VanSant served as President of Temple's Faculty Senate from 1998 to 2000, and served as Presidential Fellow in the Office of the President from 2001 to 2006.

Her research is directed at describing age differences, across the human life span, in movement patterns used to perform functional skills. In addition to examining and characterizing atypical populations performing these functional skills, she is working to identify control parameters that are associated with qualitative change in movement patterns and to analyze performance variability as an indicator of developmental change.

Dr. VanSant has served as the Editor of Pediatric Physical Therapy since 1994. Under her tenure Pediatric Physical Therapy received APTA’s Component Award for Best Peer Reviewed Journal in 2002, 2004, and 2005.

She was given the Bud DeHaven Award for Extraordinary Contributions to Pediatric Physical Therapy in 2005 and was elected a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association in 2006.

Representative publications:
VanSant AF. New Concepts in Motor Control and the Development of Movement. In BH Connolly & PA Montgomery (eds.): Therapeutic Exercise in Pediatrics, 3rd Ed. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated, 2005.
Beattie P, Bezner J, Binkley JM, et al. Clinical research agenda for physical therapy. Phys Ther. 2000;80:499-523

Sweeney J, Heriza C, Reilly M, West M, VanSant A. Guidelines for clinical practice in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment. Pediatr Phys Ther. 1999;11(3):118-126.

Marsala G, VanSant A. Movement patterns used by toddlers to rise from supine. Phys Ther. 1998;78:149-159.

Williams K, Haywood K, VanSant A. Changes in throwing by older adults: a longitudinal investigation. Res Quart Exer Sport. 1998;69(1):1-10.

Cohen B, Cardillo E, Lugg D, Schwartz D, Mount J, VanSant A, Cornman-Levy D. Description of movement patterns of young adults moving supine from the foot to the head of the bed. Phys Ther. 1998;78:999-1006.

VanSant AF. A lifespan perspective of age differences in righting movements. Motor Development: Research & Reviews. 1997;1:46-63.

Williams K, Haywood K, VanSant AF. Force and accuracy throws by older adult performers. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 1996;4:194-202.

King LA, VanSant AF. The effect of solid ankle foot orthoses on movement patterns used to rise from supine to stand. Phys Ther. 1995;75:952-964.