Assistant Professor Deepak Kumar to Receive APTA Eugene Michels New Investigator Award

Deepak Kumar, PT, PhD, OCS, has been selected as a 2018 recipient of the Eugene Michels New Investigator Award from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Kumar is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training with joint appointments in Sargent’s Department of Health Sciences and the Clinical Epidemiology Research & Training Unit at BU School of Medicine.

The Eugene Michels New Investigator Award honors individuals engaged in outstanding independent research activities within 10 years of completion of formal physical therapy education. Awardees have high-quality peer-reviewed publications, grant funding, collaborations, and other educational and service activities which demonstrate commitment to a specific research theme that directly impacts physical therapy.

As director of the Movement & Applied Imaging Lab, Kumar’s overarching research goal is to enable optimal quality and quantity of movement across the lifespan for individuals either at-risk of, or those with, hip or knee osteoarthritis. Funded by the National Institutes of Health and Rheumatology Research Foundation, his research seeks to identify biomechanical mechanisms underlying osteoarthritis and use this knowledge to develop personalized and scalable interventions to reduce disability in these populations.

He has published in leading journals including Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, American Journal of Sports Medicine, and Journal of Orthopaedic Research.

The award will be presented at the 2018 APTA NEXT Conference and Exposition in Orlando, Florida this June.