Report to the Community - Samuel Merritt University

ePort to the community 2010 — 2011
san francisco state university (ms.
cynthia gibson-horn, pt, inventor
multiple sclerosis
is an unpredictable
disease of the central
nervous system. it can
range from relatively
benign to disabling
to devastating, as
communication
between the brain
and other parts of
the body is disrupted.
approximately
400,000 people in the
united states have ms,
often between the ages
of 20 and 40.
of the balance intervention study)
are studying how wearing weighed
vests positively affect the stability
and effectiveness of ms patients
with ambulation made difficult by
their disease process. this is the
first nih grant awarded to a smu
faculty member in several decades.
less than 20 percent of all nih
grant applications submitted receive
funding, and the number of funded grants awarded to first
time recipients is substantially less.
gordon giles, phd, dip cot, otr/l, faota, professor
in the occupational therapy department, is a well-known
researcher in addressing rehabilitation after brain injury. his
research on neurofunctional approaches to rehabilitation
after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (tbi)
has appeared in many published journals as well as in
presentations to state and national occupational therapy
associations and
university conferences
across the country. dr.
giles has been recently
commissioned by the
american occupational
therapy association to
lead the team to write the
organization’s position
statement on cognitive
rehabilitation. following
Dr. Gordon Giles,
Professor occupational therapy
13