Senior Research Scientist
Karen J. Nolan, PhD is a Senior Research Scientist in Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation, Associate Professor of PM&R at Rutgers NJMS, Clinical Research Scientist at Children’s Specialized Hospital, and Affiliated Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Dr. Nolan has extensive experience in leading the design and implementation of biomechanical research with a strong expertise in balance, gait, movement analysis, neuromuscular physiology, rehabilitation robotics, and peripheral motor control. Research by Dr. Nolan has focused on large multi-site randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in brain injury populations through the Department of Defense (DoD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), and industry-sponsored funding. Dr. Nolan is currently the PI of an RCT (funded by NIDILRR RERC) investigating the efficacy of robotic exoskeleton gait training for acute stroke and Co-PI of a double blind RCT (funded by DoD) investigating the efficacy of a virtual reality balance intervention for military, veteran and civilian populations with TBI. Dr. Nolan was previously the site PI for the Innovative Neurotronics WalkAide Compared to Conventional Ankle-Foot Orthosis (AFO) in Stroke Patients (INSTRIDE) multi-center RCT investigating a neuroprosthetic intervention for individuals with drop foot secondary to stroke. Through this work, she has gained significant experience in conducting large-scale, multi-site RCTs utilizing objective measures of functional ambulation and balance in TBI and stroke. Dr. Nolan is recognized as a leader in the field of biomechanics and motor rehabilitation and has been invited to give presentations on these topics at national and international conferences. Dr. Nolan serves as a grant reviewer for NIH, NIDILRR, VA, and is a member of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, International Society of Biomechanics, and Gait, Clinical Movement Analysis Society and Wearable Robotics Association.
Dr. Nolan has extensive experience in leading the design and implementation of biomechanical research and strong expertise in balance, gait, movement analysis, neuromuscular physiology, rehabilitation robotics, and peripheral motor control. Research by Dr. Nolan has focused on large multi-site randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in brain injury populations through the Department of Defense (DoD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), and industry-sponsored funding. Dr. Nolan is currently the PI of an RCT (funded by NIDILRR RERC) investigating the efficacy of robotic exoskeleton gait training for acute stroke and Co-PI of a double blind RCT (funded by DoD) investigating the efficacy of a virtual reality balance intervention for military, veteran and civilian populations with TBI.