Lauren Wengerd, PhD, MS, OTR/L
Assistant Professor
Neurological Surgery
Academic information
- Department: Neurological Surgery
Research interests
- Neurotechnologies and Interventions for Hand/Arm Recovery in Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury
- Implementation Science
- Translational Neuro-Engineering and Human-Centric Device Design
- ALS and Other Progressive Neurological Disorders
About
Biography
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at The Ohio State University with a joint appointment at the NeuroTech Institute. With a clinical background in occupational therapy and a PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, I lead interdisciplinary research at the intersection of neurorehabilitation, neurotechnology, and patient-centered care. My work focuses on advancing recovery and independence for individuals with neurological conditions through the development and implementation of innovative neurotechnologies.
Credentials
Education
- PhD - Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
- The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- MS - Occupational Therapy
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
- BS - Business Administration (Marketing)
- The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
Research
Research interests
- Neurotechnologies and Interventions for Hand/Arm Recovery in Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury
- Implementation Science
- Translational Neuro-Engineering and Human-Centric Device Design
- ALS and Other Progressive Neurological Disorders
Clinical Interests
- Upper extremity rehabilitation after stroke and spinal cord injury
- Spasticity management, including EMG-based interventions and H-reflex conditioning
- Functional electrical stimulation (FES) and activity-based restorative therapies
- Bridging the research-to-practice gap through collaboration with clinicians, scientists, and engineers
Grants and Projects
- Identifying Evidence-Based Practice Gaps in Stroke Rehabilitation to Maximize Research Impact: A Video Observational Study (PI: Lauren Wengerd), Funding Agency: American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF; $100,000). Purpose: To characterize and quantify the types of interventions used by occupational therapists to treat stroke-related hemiparesis across three outpatient rehabilitation centers in central Ohio
- A user-friendly, portable and non-invasive neuro-orthosis that restores volitionally controlled grasp functions for SCI survivors with tetraplegia (Co-PIs: Lauren Wengerd, OSU; David Friedenberg, Battelle). Funding Agency: Department of Defense CDMRP Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (1,249,870). Purpose: To investigate the efficacy and feasibility of using an EMG-triggered FES system to improve hand function in SCI survivors with tetraplegia.