Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/01/2021
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location
Virtual via Zoom

Kharma Foucher, MD, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Departments of Kinesiology and Nutrition and Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Virtual via Zoom & projected in Communicore, C1-15

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According to the CDC, arthritis affects nearly 1 in 4 adults and is the most common cause of self-reported disability in the United States. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and most often affects the large joints of the lower extremity. Activity limitation is common in people with OA and can have consequences ranging from increased pain and poorer function to an increased incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Barriers to physical activity in people with OA are multifactorial and include physical and psychological factors. Our work seeks to understand how aberrant biomechanics and walking energetics associated with OA work together to limit physical activity in the context of psychological factors such as fatigue and kinesiophobia. In this seminar, we will discuss recent studies exploring these issues in hip and knee OA and introduce a novel rehabilitation strategy.

Bio:

Kharma Foucher, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Kinesiology and Nutrition and Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the Associate Director of Education and Professional Development in the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science. She received an S.B. degree in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University and her PhD in Bioengineering and MD degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research uses biomechanics to understand, predict, and improve person-oriented osteoarthritis outcomes. Current projects examine the impact of osteoarthritis-related gait impairment on physical activity. Dr. Foucher is a standing member of the the NIH Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences study section and is the Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Orthopaedic Research Society. At UIC, she teaches tissue mechanics and gait mechanics at the undergraduate and graduate levels.