Emily A. Keshner, Ph.D.

 

http://www.temple.edu/chp/faculty/EmilyAKeshner.html

PPT presentation by Dr. Keshner

Dr. Keshner is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy. She received her BS in Dance Education from New York University then completed her physical therapy education at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She received a MS in Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and then completed her doctoral degree in Movement Science and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dr. Keshner’s research interests have evolved from simple analyses of the kinematics of automatic postural reactions to determining how the central nervous system computes the neural and biomechanical components of motion. Her landmark studies on neural control mechanisms of the human head and neck examine frequency and kinematic characteristics in an attempt to distinguish the relative contributions of the neural and biomechanical mechanisms of head stabilization. Investigators trying to identify the mechanisms controlling head stability during functional activities reference these studies. Her work is internationally recognized and she has held numerous federal grants for her research. She is currently funded by both the National Institute for Aging and the National Institute for Deafness and Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Keshner has organized and presented at international meetings as well as published extensively in scientific journals that include the Journal of Neurophysiology, Experimental Brain Research, and the Journal of Vestibular Research. She has also contributed chapters about postural control and control of the head and neck for textbooks. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation and serves on the Editorial Board of Gait and Posture.

Dr. Keshner’s research is performed in the Virtual Reality and Postural Orientation Laboratory which was developed for both experimental and clinical testing of postural reactions within a simulated dynamic visual environment. This is the only laboratory of its kind in the US. With this environment she can examine compensation and adaptation of postural responses during natural dynamic visual disturbances in healthy individuals and in patients with neurologic disorders.