Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
My research interests reside at the intersection of clinical and cognitive neuroscience and occupational therapy. My goal is to understand how higher order cognitive abilities interact with disease manifestations, personal factors and everyday contexts to influence function, participation and quality of life in older adults with chronic neurological disorders. This information will be used to enhance current practice or develop new intervention strategies to improve or maintain individuals’ daily performance and quality of life. Presently, I am addressing these questions in the context of Parkinson disease (PD). My guiding research aims are to: (1) determine the relevance of higher order cognitive deficits in individuals with PD measured in the laboratory or clinic to everyday cognitive functioning and activity participation, and (2) determine person, environment and occupation factors that influence the relationships among cognitive ability, everyday performance and quality of life in individuals with PD.