Promoting Translational Research Among Movement Science, Occupational Science, and Occupational Therapy

ABSTRACT

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.

Keywords:

• occupational therapy
• occupational science
• movement science
• neural control of movement
• neuroscience

FUNDING

This research was supported by Grant #16GRNT31010001 from the American Heart Association and Grant #R01HD059783 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to Robert L. Sainburg, Grant #NIH K12 HD055929 from NIH to Sook-Lei Liew, and Grant #NS083377 from NIH and grant #W81XWH-13-1-0496 from the Department of Defense to Scott H. Frey.