Eaglecast: Your Mobility Matters: Checking on Gait and Balance

The Locomotor and Movement Control Lab, located in the School of Kinesiology and led by Dr. Jaimie Roper, takes a clinical perspective to biomechanics. We believe that movement is the key to a quality life, and our research focuses on how gait and balance change throughout the lifespan and in individuals with neurological and movement-related disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Essential Tremor. The lab consists of Brandon Peoples, Kenneth Harrison, Keven Santamaria Guzman, Silvia Campos Vargas, Damaris Cifuentes, and Bria Smith (speaker).

Through rigorous scientific inquiry and innovative methodologies, the Locomotor and Movement Control Lab studies how movement quality—not just quantity—affects long-term health outcomes and functional independence. This presentation focuses on the importance of checking your gait and balance as you would the rest of your body. Bria also discusses the lab’s goal of helping people thrive across their lifespan and how they achieve that through research and community involvement.