Morgan Busboom Receives NIH F31 and LRP Awards

Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most prevalent and costly developmental disabilities in the United States. Current research and therapeutic interventions related to mobility for persons transitioning from adolescence into adulthood with CP, is lacking. In August 2023, PhD student, Dr. Morgan Busboom, was awarded an NIH F31 grant from the National Institute of Aging to probe a potential paradigm shifting therapeutic approach utilizing robotic exoskeletons that will drive beneficial neuroplasticity in transition aged persons with CP. This therapeutic approach is interesting because the exoskeleton can be used while the patient practices real-world tasks (i.e., stair and obstacle negotiation) rather than for compensation (i.e., body weight support, passive leg facilitation). Dr. Busboom is a physical therapist and PhD student in the PoWER Laboratory directed by Dr. Max Kurz at the Institute for Human Neuroscience at Boys Town National Research Hospital.

To learn more about Dr. Busboom’s project, please visit NIH Reporter.

Dr. Busboom was also awarded an NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program (LRP) from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in July. NIH LRPs were established by Congress in order to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers.