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Lorie G. Richards, PhD, OTR/L

Languages spoken: American Sign Language, Spanish, French

Academic Information

Departments Adjunct - Physical Therapy & Athletic Training

Board Certification

  • National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy

I began my career by earning a BS in Occupational Therapy from Elizabethtown College. I then worked as a clinical therapist for 3 years before deciding that I did not know enough and returned to school. I completed an MS and PhD in Experimental Psychology from Syracuse University, with an emphasis in cognitive neuropsychology. My first faculty position was at the University of Kansas Medical Center where I was first introduced to clinical research, having the great fortune to participate in a Claude D. Pepper grant emphasizing rehabilitation after stroke, and learning how to teach at the university level. I subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Florida and became a Research Health Scientist with the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, where I continued to develop my expertise in clinical trials in stroke rehabilitation. I moved to the University of Utah in 2011 to be the Chair of the Division of Occupational Therapy. I am enjoying the challenging nature of being a Chair at a research intensive university that also prides itself on excellence in education.

Research Statement

In the decade of the brain, it was made evident that the central nervous system is changes with experience throughout life. This discovery offers great promise for neurorehabilitation because it suggests that the type and amount of therapy provided to individuals with these conditions was important to their recovery. My research has focused on testing the efficacy of various motor rehabilitation interventions for promoting increased arm and hand function, and pairings of such interventions, for individuals with stroke. These interventions are based on principles of neuroplasticity (use it or lose it; repetition matters; ), neural function (e.g., interhemispheric inhibitory imbalance after stroke; pharmaseuticals to enhance neuroplasticity), motor learning (e.g., distributed vs massed practice), and biomechanics (e.g., restraining degrees of freedom during practice). I look forward to extending these ideas to the development of cognitive and visual rehabilitation strategies.

Education History

Undergraduate Elizabethtown College
 BS
Graduate Training Syracuse University
 MS
Doctoral Training Syracuse University
 PHD

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Amit Sethi (09/24/2012). Sethi, A, Patterson T, McGuirk T, Patten C, Richards L, Stergiou N. Temporal structure of variability decreases in upper extremity movements post stroke. Clinical Biomechanics
  2. Keith, Leslyn (11/2017). Lifestyle Modification Group for Lymphedema and Obesity.
  3. Wittenberg, G (09/2016). Wittenberg, G., Richards, L., Jones-Lush, L., Roys, S., Gullapalli, R., Yang, S., Guarino, P., & Lo, A. (2016). Predictors and brain connectivity changes associated with arm motor function improvement from intensive robotic practice in chronic stroke. F1000Research, 5, 2119 (doi: 10.12688/f1000research.8603.1)
  4. Koski, Jeanette (12/07/2014). Koski, J., & Richards, L. Reliability and Sensitivity to Change of Goal Attainment Scaling in Occupational Therapy Non-classroom Educational Experiences. Submitted to the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.
  5. Gibbons, E (02/12/2019). Simultaneous NODDI and GFA parameter map generation from subsampled q-space imaging using deep learning. Magn Reson Med, 81, 2399¿2411.
  6. Sethi, Amit (05/2013). Sethi, A., Richards, L., Patterson, T., McGuirk, T., Patton, C., Stergiou, N. (submitted). Speed and rhythm affects temporal variability in reaching movements post stroke. Journal of Motor Control.
  7. Sethi, Amit (01/18/2013). Sethi, A., Patterson, T., McGuirk, T., Patten, C., Richards, L., Stergiou N. (2013). Temporal structure of variability decreases in upper extremity movements post stroke. Clinical Biomechanics. Jan 18. doi:pii: S0268-0033(12)00262-8. 0.1016/j.clinbiomech.2012.11.006. [Epub ahead of print]
  8. Avery, J (12/2020). Comparison of trigger finger orthotic wearing schedules: A feasibility study.
  9. Voss, M.W. (05/2019). Boundaries of the Construct of Unemployment in the Pre-Retirement Years: exploring an expanded measurement of lost-work opportunity.
  10. Jeanette Koski (09/2015). Koski, J., & Richards, L. (2015). Reliability and Sensitivity to Change of Goal Attainment Scaling in Occupational Therapy Non-classroom Educational Experiences. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69 (supplement_2), 6912360010p1-6912360010p5. doi:10.5014/ajot.2015.018242
  11. (11/09/2010). The Management of Stroke Rehabilitation Working Group. VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Stroke Rehabilitation Guideline Summary.Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development. 2010;47
  12. Lorie Richards (11/19/2013).

    Richards, L., Davis, S., Nadeau, S., Patterson, T., & Sethi, A.(submitted). Constraint-Induced Therapy with Resistance Exercise Post-Stroke: a Pilot RCT. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development.

  13. Terrill, A (09/2018). Development of a Novel Positive Psychology-Based Intervention for Couples Post-Stroke. 63, 43-54.
  14. Amit Sethi (02/2012). Sethi, A., Patterson, T., McGuirk, T., Richards, L (submitted). Reliability of approximate entropy during reach to grasp movements post stroke. Journal of Hand Therapy.
  15. Watt, H. (06/01/2021). Integrated services or pullout? Factors influencing school-based occupational therapy service delivery models.
  16. Sethi, A (01/2017). Sethi, A, Stergiou, N., Patterson, T., Patten C., & Richards, L. (2017). Speed and rhythm affect temporal structure of variability in reaching post stroke: a pilot study. Journal of Motor Behavior. 49, 35-45, DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2016.1219304
  17. Hodgson, K (02/2019). Predicting motor outcomes in stroke patients using diffusion spectrum MRI microstructural measures. 10, 72.
  18. Loh, S.Y., (12/2017). Professional Autonomy and Progress of Occupational Therapy - A Case Study on a Neglected Health Profession in Malaysia. DOI: 10.29011/JHHA-105. 100005.
  19. Peters, HT (01/2017). Peters HT, Richards L, Basobas B, Faieta J, Page S. (2017). Changing Their Minds: Enhancing Post-Stroke Occupational Performance Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. Journal of Motor Behavior, 49, 8-19, DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2016.1191417
  20. DiBella, EVR (11/2021). Beyond diffusion tensor MRI methods for improved characterization of the brain after ischemic stroke: A Review. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol.
  21. Nadeau, Steven (09/23/2013). Nadeau, S., Davis, S., Wu, S., Dai, Y, & Richards, L. (submitted). A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of D-Cycloserine and Distributed Practice as Adjuvants to Constraint Induced Movement Therapy after Stroke. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.
  22. Cassidy, Theresa (07/2017). Cassidy, T., Richards, L., & Eakman, A. (2017). Feasibility of a Lifestyle Redesign®-inspired Intervention for Well Older Adults. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 71:7104190050p1-7104190050p6. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2017.024430.
  23. Nadeau, Steven (04/2014).

    A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of D-cycloserine and Distributed Practice as Adjuvants to Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy After Stroke.

    Nadeau SE, Davis SE, Wu SS, Dai Y, Richards LG.

    Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2014 Apr 26. [Epub ahead of print]

    PMID: 24769437
  24. Gibbons EK, Hodgson KK, Chaudhari AS, Richards LG, Majersik JJ, Adluru G, DiBella EVR (02/01/2019). Simultaneous NODDI and GFA parameter map generation from subsampled q-space imaging using deep learning. Magn Reson Med, 81(4), 2399-2411.
  25. Wittenberg, G (08/2015). Wittenberg, G., Richards, L.,Jones-Lush, L., Roys, S.,Gallipoli, R., Yang, S., Guarino, P., & Lo, A.(submitted). Predictors of functional improvement and brain effects with intensive arm practice after stroke. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
  26. Woodbury, M (2012).
  27. Sethi, Ami (2013).
  28. (2011).
  29. Richards, L (2020). Advances in Stroke Therapies Targeting Stroke Recovery. Stroke, 51, 348-350.
  30. Richards, Lori (2012).
  31. Hodgson K, Adluru G, Richards LG, Majersik JJ, Stoddard G, Adluru N, DiBella (2019). Predicting Motor Outcomes in Stroke Patients Using Diffusion Spectrum MRI Microstructural Measures. Frontiers in neurology, 10, 72.
  32. Winstein, C (2016).
  33. Avery, J (2021). Comparison of trigger finger orthotic wearing schedules: A feasibility study. 39, 182-205.
  34. Pashmdarfard, M (2021). Factors Affecting Participation of Children with Cerebral Palsy in Meaningful Activities: Systematic Review. Occupational therapy in health care, 30, 1-38.
  35. Crammer, (2017). Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Research: Issues, Opportunities, and the National Institutes of Health StrokeNet. 48, 813-819.
  36. Woodbury, M (2013).
  37. (2011).
  38. Stein, (2021). Which Road to Recovery?: Factors Influencing Postacute Stroke Discharge Destinations: A Delphi Study. Stroke, 0,
  39. Terrill, A.L (2022). Intimate relationships and stroke: Piloting a dyadic intervention to improve depression. International journal of environmental research and public health,

Abstract

  1. Adluru, G (11/2014).

    Ganesh Adluru, G., Adluru, N., Moeller, S., Zhang, H., Richards, L., &. DiBella, E. (2014). Simultaneous multi slice diffusion spectrum imaging for rapid acquisition of microstructure measures. 2015 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, New York, NY April 16-19.

  2. Terrill, A (10/2018). Pilot testing a positive psychology intervention to promote well-being in couples coping with stroke. [Abstract]., 61, e194.
  3. Terrill, (2016).

Other

  1. Richards, LG (01/2021). Advances in Stroke: Therapies Targeting Stroke Recovery. Stroke (52, pp. 348-350). Stroke.
  2. Pizzi, M (09/2017). Promoting Health, Well-Being, and Quality of Life in Occupational Therapy: A Commitment to a Paradigm Shift for the Next 100 Years. AOTA (71) AOTA.
  3. Adluru, G (12/2015). Adluru, G., Bolster, Jr., B.D., Frost, R., Richards, L., & DiBella, E.V. (2015). Undersampled simultaneous multi-slice readout-segmented EPI diffusion acquisition with a patch-based low rank constraint. Proceedings of the ISMRM 23rd Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2015, May 30- June 05, 2015, Toronto, Canada.
  4. Lorie G. Richard (2020). Advances in Stroke: Therapies Targeting Stroke Recovery. Stroke,
  5. Richards, Lorie Gag (2022). Advances in therapy.
  6. Richards, L (2020). Richards, L.G., and Vallée, C. (in press). Not just mortality and morbidity, but also functioning: Opportunities and challenges for Occupational Therapy in the World Health Organization's Rehabilitation 2030.
  7. Richards, L (2015).