Member Spotlight

Member Spotlight

2008 APTA Emerging Leader

Joy Bruce, PT, MSPT, NCS

 
Neurology Section member Joy Bruce received the APTA Emerging Leader Award in 2008.  She served the Section as Chair of the Spinal Cord Injury SIG from 2005 to 2008.  Ms. Bruce is a Neurologic Certified Specialist (NCS) and is currently a physical therapist and clinical researcher at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA (www.shepherd.org), a catastrophic care hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with spinal cord injury, brain injury, and other neurological disorders.  She is currently in the dissertation phase of her PhD at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commenwealth University.  

Joy specializes in the management of patients with multi-system trauma or medically complex presentation, bracing for clients with neurological disorders, gait analysis, and biomechanical interventions.  She also serves as the activity-based therapist at Shepherd and is responsible for the implementation of modalities such as functional electrical stimulation bicycles, upper and lower extremity Bioness, and the Lokomat and other forms of supported locomotor training.  Additionally, Joy is the coordinator/manager of the new Spinal Cord Injury Research Laboratory which investigates neural plasticity in persons with spinal cord injury.  Her research includes coordinating a project with Georgia Tech investigating a new drive mechanism for persons with tetraplegia, the Tongue Drive System, and a project with the University of Georgia investigating the effects of an electrically stimulated strengthening program on muscle plasticity and glucose tolerance.

Joy Bruce's perspective on the future of neurologic physical therapy:

"It is time to move forward with your knowledge of neural plasticity and to develop interventions targeting previously underserved populations.  These include persons with clinically motor complete spinal cord injuries and persons with lower motor neuron injuries.  We also need to refine our current techniques, to cull practices which have not proved to be efficacious or effective, and to develop new strategies and tools to maximize the independence and participation of all of our patients.  We need to do this in partnership with our international neighbors, so that we can learn from each other's experiences and work toward the goal of reducing disability globally." 

   

The Section would like to extend a special thanks to all of the partnering organizations that have joined in to make the organization an invaluable resource for information, tools, and support for the population we serve.