Kessler researcher receives Clinical Biomechanics Award from American Society of Biomechanics

Peter Barrance, PhD, of Kessler Foundation received the 2013 Clinical Biomechanics Award on September 7 at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Barrance, senior research scientist in Human Performance & Engineering Research, is primary author of the winning abstract, "Tibiofemoral contact location changes associated with lateral heel wedging: A study using weight-bearing MRI."

Co-authors are Venkata Gade, MS, and Jerome Allen, formerly of Kessler Foundation, and Jeffrey Cole, MD, Director of Electrodiagnostic Medicine and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. Dr. Cole is clinical associate professor of PM&R at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Barrance is also an assistant professor of physical medicine & rehabilitation (PM&R) at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a member of the affiliated faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology.

"Kessler Foundation is pleased with this recognition of our important line of mobility research incorporating the latest in neuroimaging techniques," said John DeLuca, PhD, vice president for Research and Training at Kessler Foundation.

The study, which was conducted in 12 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee, will be published in a future issue of Clinical Biomechanics. Sponsored by Elsevier Science, Ltd., publisher of Clinical Biomechanics, the award (a plaque and $1,000) recognizes outstanding new biomechanics research targeting a contemporary clinical problem.

"The burden of osteoarthritis in terms of reduced mobility, lost workplace productivity, and escalating medical care costs, is hard to overstate," noted Dr. Barrance. "Our group develops MRI techniques to study changes related to osteoarthritis in the knee while patients are standing. These methods can be used to develop improved treatment options, and in the long term, they may replace the radiographic imaging that is now used clinically. We are honored by the Society's recognition of the clinical significance of this work, as represented by this award."

Funding was provided by a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), "Improved Weight-bearing Evaluation of Knee Osteoarthritis" (H133G080136), and Kessler Foundation.