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 Dr. Jill Heathcock specializes in pediatric physical therapy. Her research program looks at improving early motor skill development in young infants at risk for delay. Dr Heathcock is interested in how infants modify their spontaneous movements into purposeful movement such as reaching and stepping and how to design treatment programs to improve these skills. In collaboration with the University of Michigan, Dr. Heathcock is looking at how additional sensory information changes stepping patterns during partial-body-weight-supported treadmill training in infants at risk for Cerebral Palsy. In addition, she is also working with the University of Delaware and Nationwide Children’s Hospital to develop training programs to improve reaching skills in infants with brain injury.
Published Research
Heathcock JC, Lobo M, Galloway JC. Movement Training Advances the Emergence of Reaching in Infants Born at Less That 33 Weeks of Gestational Age: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Physical Therapy. 2008 Mar; 88(3).
Galloway JC, Bhat A, Heathcock JC, and Manal K. Shoulder and elbow joint power differ as a general feature of vertical arm movements. Experimental Brain Research. 2004 Aug; 157(3):391-396.
Heathcock JC, Bhat AN, Lobo MA, and Galloway JC. The performance of infants born preterm and full-term in the mobile paradigm: learning and memory. Physical Therapy. 2004 Sep; 84(9):808-21.
Heathcock JC, Bhat AN, Lobo MA, and Galloway JC. The relative kicking frequency of infants born full-term and preterm during learning, short-term and long-term memory periods of the mobile paradigm. Physical Therapy. 2005 Jan; 85(1):8-18.
Bhat A, Heathcock JC, and Galloway JC. Toy-oriented changes in hand and joint kinematics during the emergence of purposeful reaching. Infant Behavior and Development. 2005; 28: 445-465.
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