The annual Esther Larson McGinnis scholar lecture through the School of Kinesiology and Recreation has been set for Wednesday, October 23.
This year’s lecture will feature Irene S. Davis, Ph.D., PT, FACSM, FAPTA, FASB, who will present “The Benefits and Pitfalls of Minimal Footwear Running.”
Davis is the director of the Spaulding National Running Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School. Davis received her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of Massachusetts, and in physical therapy from the University of Florida. She earned her master’s degree in biomechanics from the University of Virginia, and her Ph.D. in biomechanics from Pennsylvania State University. Davis is a professor emeritus in physical therapy at the University of Delaware, where she served on the faculty for over 20 years.
Her research has focused on the relationship between lower extremity structure, mechanics, and injury. Her interest in injury mechanics extends to the development of interventions to alter these mechanics through gait retraining. She is interested in the mechanics of barefoot running and its effect on injury rates, and is a barefoot runner herself. Along with gait analysis, her research encompasses dynamic imaging and modeling. She has received funding from the Department of Defense, Army Research Office and National Institutes of Health to support her research related to stress fractures.
Davis has given nearly 300 lectures both nationally and internationally and authored over 100 publications on the topic of lower extremity mechanics during running. She has been active professionally in the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Society of Biomechanics, and International Society of Biomechanics. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Society of Biomechanics, and a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. She is a past president of the American Society of Biomechanics. She has organized and coordinated national research retreats on topics of the foot and ankle, anterior cruciate ligament injuries and patellofemoral pain syndrome. She has been featured on ABC’s World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Discovery, in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Parade and Time Magazine.
What: Dr. Irene S. Davis, Ph.D, PT, FACSM, FAPTA, FASB
When: Wednesday, October 23. Reception is 6:30-7 p.m., with lecture 7-8 p.m.
Where: Brown Ballroom, Bone Student Center
The event is free and open to the public.
For questions or accommodations, please contact Terri Jordan at (309) 438-5782 or Kelly Laurson at (309) 438-7082.
