David A. Brown, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Senior Vice President and Dean, School of Health Professions

PubMed

Research Interests

Neural control and biomechanics of locomotion

Biography

David A. Brown, PT, PhD, FAPTA is Senior Vice President and Dean, School of Health Professions (SHP). He is also a Professor (tenure) in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Astronomy from University of Rochester (NY), a master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Duke University, and his Doctor of Philosophy in Exercise Science from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Brown has conducted research at Emory University, University of Iowa, Stanford University, Northwestern University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, in the study of the neural control and biomechanics of locomotion. He has examined motor-control issues associated with ambulation after stroke to propose theories surrounding a better understanding of how the damaged nervous system, post-stroke, reorganizes to create functional locomotor behavior. Methodological paradigms have included the influence of cycling, reflex activation and assisted/challenged gait.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Brown has collaborated with engineering professionals to develop products, secure patents and investigate the clinical feasibility of these products, in an approach that can serve as a model for all rehabilitation scientists with an interest in translational research. Patented devices developed by Dr. Brown include the limb-loaded cycle ergometer, KineAssist® Walking and Balance System, and PushPull Exercise Test.

He has consistently received funding from a variety of federal agencies, private foundations and commercial entities, including the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.

Dr. Brown has received numerous honors throughout his career. He is a past recipient of the American Physical Therapy Association's (APTA) Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy and the APTA Margaret L. Moore Award for Outstanding New Academic Faculty Member. He is also a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association.