Scottish Rite Hospital has a state-of-the-art Movement Science Laboratory, which provides our medical staff with an in-depth analysis of how our patients move and function. The analysis allows our experts to better understand where a patient is having problems and the best treatment plan to address those concerns. 

A significant component to the work of the Movement Science Lab is research. The team conducts various studies to evaluate the success of a treatment plan by analyzing a patient’s movement and function before and after their care. Research from the lab is an element of the hospital’s six Centers for Excellence and has been selected to be presented at medical conferences around the world. 

This week, members from the team are participating in two meetings to share their latest research. Director of the Movement Science Laboratory Kirsten Tulchin-Francis, Ph.D. attended the International Foot and Ankle Biomechanics Community (i-FAB) conference. The i-FAB is held every two years and brings together medical professionals from around the globe to discuss the latest innovations in foot and ankle health. Tulchin-Francis is representing the hospital with two selected research projects: 

• Quantifying Pediatric Foot Deformities using Multi-Segment Foot Kinematics & Pedobarograph
• Plantar pressures in patients with symptomatic flexible flatfoot: How are they different than adolescents with asymptomatic flatfoot?

Movement Science Labratory manager, Kelly Jeans, M.S., is also representing the hospital at the Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics (ACPOC) conference. The ACPOC cultivates collaboration among leaders who care for children and young adults with orthopedic conditions. Jeans is presenting the hospital’s most recent clubfoot research titled, “Is Foot Position Maintained Long-Term Following the Abduction Bracing Period of The Ponseti Method?”

The hospital is also honored to have Assistant Chief of Staff Emeritus John G. Birch, M.D. chosen as the Hector Kay Memorial Lecturer at this year’s ACPOC meeting. This lectureship began in 1985 in honor of Hector W. Kay, who dedicated much of his professional life as an active researcher and educator within the field of prosthetics and orthotics. 

Learn more about the Movement Science Laboratory.