Meet the Team

Collaboration Investigators

Emily J Fox

Emily J Fox PT, PhD

Associate Professor & Director of The Brooks-PHHP Research Collaboration; Director of Neuromuscular Research and the Motion Analysis Center, Brooks Rehabilitation
Department: HP-PHYSICAL THERAPY
Phone: (352) 273-6117
Mailing Address:
Physical Address:

Emily Fox, PT, DPT, MHS, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Director of Neuromuscular Research at Brooks Rehabilitation. She also directs the Brooks Motion Analysis Center, a clinical and research assessment facility. She is the Director of the Brooks-PHHP Research Collaboration, an established collaboration between Brooks Rehabilitation and the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions. In this role, she brings strategic leadership to to grow rehabilitation research and enhance the missions of Brooks and PHHP.

Dr. Fox’s research is focused on control and recovery following neurologic injury and disease. Her objective is to apply intrinsic neural and biomechanical control principles to enhance rehabilitation and promote recovery. As a physical therapist and researcher, she has extensive experience working with individuals with stroke, spinal cord injury, and older adults. Her research represents an interdisciplinary, translational approach to investigate mechanisms underlying motor control and the use of activity-based interventions to restore function.

The specific objectives of her research are to: 1) identify mechanisms associated with motor function and recovery, 2) develop innovative approaches to enhance walking control and recovery, including community ambulation, 3) investigate novel approaches to enhance the delivery and effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions and 4) advance strategies to enhance respiratory recovery after spinal cord injury. Dr. Fox’s current funded projects investigate therapeutic approaches such as transcutaneous electrical stimulation and acute intermittent hypoxia to enhance neuromuscular plasticity and recovery.

Jason M Beneciuk

Jason M Beneciuk DPT, PhD, MPH

Research Associate Professor
Department: HP-PHYSICAL THERAPY
Phone: (352) 273-6085
Mailing Address:
Physical Address:
Research Interests:
  • Musculoskeletal pain
Dorian K Rose

Dorian K Rose PT, MS, PhD, FAPTA

Research Professor
Department: HP-PHYSICAL THERAPY
Phone: (352) 273-8307
Mailing Address:
Physical Address:
Research Summary:

The overall mission of my research program is to enhance the quality of life for individuals with disability resulting from neurologic injury or disease. My research program tests clinically relevant hypotheses aimed at restoring motor control and functional mobility following stroke. My portfolio includes clinical outcome studies that assess the efficacy or effectiveness of novel rehabilitation interventions, explain mechanisms of treatment effectiveness and assess one’s return to community participation. Within neurologic movement science, my primary focus is intervention strategies and underlying mechanisms of recovery in stroke rehabilitatio

Research Interests:
  • Clinical Trials Design & Analysis
  • Monitoring and evaluating stroke therapy
  • Stroke
  • facilitation of physical activity and exercise
Joel E Bialosky

Joel E Bialosky

Clinical Professor
Department: HP-PHYSICAL THERAPY
Phone: (352) 733-1162
Mailing Address:
Physical Address:
Meryl Alappattu

Meryl Alappattu DPT, PhD

Research Associate Professor
Department: HP-PHYSICAL THERAPY
Phone: (352) 273-9661
Mailing Address:
Physical Address:
Research Interests:
  • Chronic Pain
  • Pain
  • Pelvic pain
  • Rehabilitation
  • Women’s Health

Collaboration Coordinator

Amanda L Kastner
Department: HP-PHYSICAL THERAPY

Amanda L Kastner PhD

Brooks-UF PHHP Research Collaboration Coordinator
Phone: (352) 273-6122

Trainees

Oluwafemi Adegbemigun
Department: HP-REHAB SCI DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Oluwafemi Adegbemigun

GRADUATE AST-R
Phone: (346) 428-7676
Caroline Andrade
Department: HP-REHAB SCI DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Caroline Andrade

Teaching Assistant
Phone: (352) 494-4654
Alysha T Bogard
Department: HP-PHYSICAL THERAPY

Alysha T Bogard PhD

Post Doctoral Research Associate
Phone: (303) 827-9875
Katherine E Buzzanca
Department: HP-PHYSICAL THERAPY

Katherine E Buzzanca

Postdoctoral Associate
Phone: (561) 267-8791
Ayanna Frederick
Department: HP-REHAB SCI DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Ayanna Frederick

GRADUATE AST-R
Phone: (352) 294-7048
Jessica V Goncalves
Department: HP-REHAB SCI DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Jessica V Goncalves

GRADUATE AST-R
Phone: (352) 273-6104
Jill R Hayes
Department: HP-PHYSICAL THERAPY

Jill R Hayes

PREDOC FELLOWSHIP
Phone: (352) 273-6085
Tinu A Olarewaju
Department: HP-REHAB SCI DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Tinu A Olarewaju

GRADUATE AST-R
Phone: (352) 273-6104
Logan J Rodgers
Department: HP-REHAB SCI DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Logan J Rodgers

GRADUATE AST-R
Phone: (352) 273-6085
Hannah Snyder
Department: HP-REHAB SCI DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Hannah Snyder

Graduate Assistant
Phone: (352) 273-6214
Todd E Williams
Department: HP-REHAB SCI DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Todd E Williams

GRADUATE AST-R
Phone: (352) 273-6085

Advisory Board

UF Public Health and Health Professions

Beth Virnig, PhD, MPH

Dean and Robert G. Frank Endowed Professor

Dr. Beth Virnig, Dean, PHHP

Brooks Rehabilitation

Mark Bowden, PT, PhD

Vice President of Clinical Integration and Research

Mark-Bowden

External Advisors

UF Physical Therapy

Gordon Mitchell, PhD

Professor, BREATHE Center Director, and Deputy Director of UF McKnight Brain Institute

American physical therapy association

Tara Jo Manal, PT, DPT, FAPTA

APTA Vice President of Scientific Affairs
Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Services and Residency Training, University of Delaware