Research

For my doctoral research, I am a member of the Visual Function Lab which is conducting the pilot study Association of Vision with Function and Participation in Daily Life (Principal Investigator: Dr. Anjali Bhorade). We conduct assessments both in the clinic and in the homes of participants with glaucoma to better understand how vision affects people's ability to perform daily activities and to continue to live at home. For my project in particular, I am administering three of the assessments from the main battery to participants' spouses to determine whether there are differences in perceptions of the functional ability of the person with glaucoma. Results will hopefully improve caregiver education strategies and highlight the need for standardized performance measures for people with low vision.

I am also a research assistant for the Cognitive Rehabilitation Research Group (CRRG), an interdisciplinary project to translate neuroscience into effective rehabilitation treatments for stroke patients. As a research assistant, I administer neuropsychlogical assessments and outcome measures to patients who are recovering from mild strokes. I also complete clerical duties to assist in managing the Stroke Lesion Database, which holds lesion data for every patient who visits Barnes-Jewish Hospital with a stroke. Please visit www.strokecenter.org to learn more about the CRRG project (Principal Investigator: Dr. Carolyn Baum).