Promoting Translational Research Among Movement Science, Occupational Science, and Occupational Therapy.
Integration of research in the fields of neural control of movement and biomechanics (collectively referred to as movement science) with the field of human occupation directly benefits both areas of study. Specifically, incorporating many of the quantitative scientific methods and analyses employed in movement science can help accelerate the development of rehabilitation-relevant research in occupational therapy (OT) and occupational science (OS). Reciprocally, OT and OS, which focus on the performance of everyday activities (occupations) to promote health and well-being, provide theoretical frameworks to guide research on the performance of actions in the context of social, psychological, and environmental factors. Given both fields' mutual interest in the study of movement as it relates to health and disease, the authors posit that combining OS and OT theories and principles with the theories and methods in movement science may lead to new, impactful, and clinically relevant knowledge. The first step is to ensure that individuals with OS or OT backgrounds are academically prepared to pursue advanced study in movement science. In this article, the authors propose 2 strategies to address this need.
a Department of Kinesiology , The Pennsylvania State University , University Park , PA.|b Department of Neurology , Penn State College of Medicine , Hershey , PA.
Robert L
RL
Sainburg
c Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA.|d Division of Physical Therapy and Biokinesiology, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA.|e Keck Department of Neurology , University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA.
Sook-Lei
SL
Liew
f Department of Psychological Sciences , University of Missouri , Columbia , MO.
Scott H
SH
Frey
c Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA.
Florence
F
Clark
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D009068:Movement; D016272:Occupational Health; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000639:trends*
movement science; neural control of movement; neuroscience; occupational science; occupational therapy