Human Performance Center at Gannon University Receives $150,000 in Grants
Posted: November 13, 2013The new Human Performance Center at Gannon University got one
step closer to the state of the art thanks to a pair of grants
received recently.
The grants, $100,000 from the Alden Trust and $50,000 from the
Dr. and Mrs. Arthur William Phillips Charitable Trust, will be used
to equip the Center with sophisticated measurement and analysis
equipment.
The grant from the Alden Trust will fund the purchase of a
ParvoMedics metabolic measurement system and portable metabolic
unit that will measure the cardiovascular performance of test
subjects on a Computrainer stationary bicycle specifically designed
to interface with the ParvoMedics unit, or a massive high-speed
treadmill, the surface of which measures 40 square feet.
The bicycles (there will be three) and the treadmill will be
purchased using funds from the grant. The size of the treadmill
will allow for greater freedom of movement and will also allow more
than one person to be tested at a time.
The cardiovascular testing equipment will be used to support
programs in physical therapy, sport and exercise science and
biomedical engineering.
The grant from the Phillips Trust will fund the acquisition of
sophisticated motion capture equipment and its associated telemetry
equipment that use a series of cameras to record the movements of
test subjects from a variety of angles that can then be analyzed to
determine muscle strength, the presence of medical abnormalities
and the biomechanics of movement.
Students in Gannon's graduate and undergraduate programs in
physical and occupational therapy, and sport and exercise science
will use the motion capture equipment in educational programs not
heretofore offered in the region.
This equipment will make possible a range of advanced research
projects that will involve 10-20 students and faculty annually.
Educational community outreach projects centered on rehabilitation
from strokes and sports injuries, as well as clinics and screenings
will also benefit from the deployment of this technology.
"Gannon University is delighted to receive these grants, which
will enable an unprecedented range of educational, research and
community service efforts," said Steven Mauro, Ph.D., dean of
Gannon's Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences. "Our
ability to comprehensively train experts and create
cross-disciplinary synergies directed at a patient's optimal
well-being is something the university and the region has never
seen before.
The programs of the Morosky College of Health Professions and
Sciences, which represents more than a third of the University's
enrollment, have been a regional leader in the adoption of
classroom technology that defines the way that health care is
delivered. This effort has been immeasurably aided by the support
of philanthropic organizations, including the Phillips Charitable
Trust.
In 2008, a generous grant from the Trust helped to equip the
pediatric care room in Gannon's Patient Simulation Center. With 14
mannikins, the Center is the largest and best equipped in the
region, and provides training for students, regional health care
professionals and emergency medical personnel.