Sandra Edwards Colloquium

Dr. Ganesh Babulal is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, where he directs two research laboratories: The DRIVES Project and ARCHES. He also holds faculty positions at the Institute of Public Health and serves as a research associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Dr. Babulal’s research focuses on the intersection of cognition, mental health, and their influence on instrumental activities of daily living, such as driving, in healthy older adults and individuals with chronic neurological diseases. His work emphasizes healthy aging, identifying protective factors that support brain health, and examining risk factors for dementia. Dr. Babulal has authored eight book chapters and more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals such as Neurology, Journal of the American Medical Association, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Annals of Neurology, Sleep, and American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. His research has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, Alzheimer’s Association, and BrightFocus Foundation. Since 2014, he has secured over $25.7 million in extramural funding as a principal investigator.

Dr. Michelle L. Woodbury is a Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, SC. After a 12-year career as a neurorehabilitation occupational therapist, she transitioned to academia and earned her PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Florida. Dr. Woodbury holds dual faculty appointments at MUSC, where she directs the online Post-Professional OTD program and teaches stroke rehabilitation in the residential entry-level OT program. An award-winning educator, she also leads the Stroke Telerehabilitation program within the NIH-funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Stroke Recovery. Dr. Woodbury’s research is rooted in her clinical background, focusing on developing innovative, data-driven rehabilitation methods for stroke survivors. She co-developed Duck Duck Punch, a home-based stroke rehabilitation game, and established a keyform-based arm/hand task practice program. Currently, she is implementing telerehabilitation programs that integrate measurement-based techniques with patient-centered treatment plans. Her research has been continuously funded for over 15 years.

Dr. Amy Hartman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at University of Pittsburgh, with clinical expertise in pediatrics. Her research centers on empowering families in the areas of sleep, emotion regulation, and sensory processing, with a particular focus on families with children diagnosed with ADHD and/or autism. Dr. Hartman is committed to developing practical, home-based data collection methods and interventions tailored to individual family systems. She is also engaged in community-based research, working collaboratively with psychologists, psychiatrists, engineers, and other rehabilitation scientists. Her work is supported by the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation and the Sensory Integration Education Network.

Dr. Brooke Dexheimer is an Assistant Professor and Occupational Therapist at Virginia Commonwealth University. She directs the VCU NERDD Lab (Novel Environments for Reducing Disability & Dysfunction), which focuses on using biomedical technology to explore the mechanisms of sensory perception and motor control. Dr. Dexheimer holds a PhD in Kinesiology from Pennsylvania State University and is a National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Fellow. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in Translational Science from the Pennsylvania State University Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Prior to her PhD, Dr. Dexheimer completed her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis and her Bachelor's degree in Movement and Exercise Science from the University of Northern Iowa.