Medical-Rehabilitation Research

The Medical-Rehabilitation Research Center  is committed to outcome management and research methodologies that evaluate the effectiveness of services and ensure that the highest quality is achieved across all levels of the continuum of care.

The Medical-Rehabilitation Research Center is committed to identifying the educational and training needs of students and health care professionals and providing specialized, educational programs.

• To evaluate the delivery of care
• To provide clinical outcomes analyses
• To examine new methods of care
• To provide training to pediatric medical and rehabilitation students and professionals

The Medical-Rehabilitation Research Center partners with local, regional and national foundations, corporations, universities, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to evaluate and promote excellence in care for children.  The Medical-Rehabilitation Research Center at Franciscan Children’s was the founding member of the Specialized Pediatric Applied Research Collaborative (SPARC), a national group of pediatric post-acute facilities pursuing a common research agenda. Our recent collaborators include:

• Bobath Centre, London
• Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
• Children’s Hospital Association, Washington, DC
• Courage Center, Minneapolis, MN
• CRECare, LLC, Newburyport, MA
• Department of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
• Department of Exercise & Health Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, UMASS Boston, Boston, MA
• Department of Occupational Therapy, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA
• Departments of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, MA
• Department of Physical Therapy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
• Department of Physical Therapy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
• Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
• Department of Physical Therapy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
• Department of Physical Therapy, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
• Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Department of Pediatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Health and Disability Research Institute, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA
• MA Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Nemours Hospital/Alfred I. duPont Institute, Wilmington, Delaware
• Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia

Hughes, ML, Iovanna, D, Dumas, HM. Emergency preparedness using simulation learning with parents of children with medical complexity: Outcomes and feedback following hospital discharge. Manuscript in preparation, 2024.

Kharasch, SJ, Salandy, S, Hoover, P, Kharasch, V. (in press) Review of Point of Care Diaphragmatic Ultrasound in Emergency Medicine: Background, Techniques, Achieving Competency, Research, and Recommendations. Pediatric Emergency Care.

Hughes ML, White L, O’Brien MJ, Aubin J, Bradford C. Listening to School Nurses’ Voices: A Mixed Methods Study on the Continued Impact of COVID-19 on School Nursing Practice. The Journal of School Nursing. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/10598405241237726

O’Brien, JE, Dumas, HM, Hughes, ML, Ryan, B, & Kharasch, VS. Post-acute day and night non-invasive respiratory intervention use and outcome: A brief report. Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicine. 2024; 17(2): 289-293. https://doi.org/10.3233/PRM-220094

Kharasch SJ, Dumas H, Huang C, Liteplo A, Shokoohi H, Kharasch V. Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Children with Medical Complexity. Hospital Pediatrics. 2023;13(5): e102-e108. https://doi.org:10.1542/hpeds.2022-006805

Kharasch SJ, Miozzo P, Victoria T, et al. Status post-ECMO: The role of point-of-care diaphragmatic ultrasound. Pediatric Pulmonology. 2023;58(7):2162-2165. doi:10.1002/ppul.26415

Dumas HM, Fragala-Pinkham MA, Moed R. Scoping Review of Judgment-Based Measures of Ambulation with Assistive Devices for Children and Youth. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics. 2021;41(2):120-137. doi:10.1080/01942638.2020.1766639

Hughes ML, Jordan C, Young G. Caregiver Engagement during Pediatric Post-Acute Care Hospitalization. Hospital Pediatrics. 2022; 12(11): 952-959.

Kharasch, S. J., Selame, L., Dumas, H., Shokoohi, H., Liteplo, A., Kharasch, E., & Kharasch, V. (2022). Point-of-care respiratory muscle ultrasound in a child with medical complexity. Pediatric pulmonology, 57(1), 333–336. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.25743

Dumas H, Golub-Victor A. An Experiential Learning Activity Using an Online Judgment-Based Pediatric Functional Measure During Hybrid Instruction with Doctor of Physical Therapy Students. Journal of Physical Therapy Education 2022;36: 87-93. https://doi.org/10.1097/JTE.0000000000000214

Dumas, H. M., Rosen, E. L., Viray, D., Sutherland, C., Seifert, M., & Ni, P. (2022). Inter- and Intra-rater Reliability of the Head Control Scale: Brief Report. Developmental neurorehabilitation, 25(1), 68–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/17518423.2021.1970042

Levac DL, Dumas HM, Meleis W. Benefits and challenges of screen-based interactions in pediatric rehabilitation: Clinical application of the Fun, Interactive Therapy Board (FITBoard). Pediatric Physical Therapy. Submitted 3/21.

Berry, J. G., Casto, E., Dumas, H., O’Brien, J., Steinhorn, D., Marks, M., Traul, C., Wilson, K., & Simpser, E. (2022). National survey of health services provided by pediatric post-acute care facilities in the US. Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicine, 15(3), 417–424. https://doi.org/10.3233/PRM-201519

Hayward L, Fragala-Pinkham MA, Eaton M.  Introduction of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale in an Ecuadorian Pediatric Setting: Evaluation of Training and Use in New Learners. Journal of Physical Therapy Education.  Submitted 10/19.

Fragala-Pinkham M, Pasternak A, McDermott MP, Mirek E, Glanzman AM, Montes J, Dunaway Young S, Salazar R, Quigley J, Riley SO, Chiriboga CA, Finkel RS, Tennekoon G, Martens WB, De Vivo DC, Darras BT. Psychometric properties of the PEDI-CAT for children and youth with spinal muscular atrophy. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine. 2021;14(3):451-461. doi: 10.3233/PRM-190664. PMID: 34275913.

Kharasch SJ, Dumas H, O’Brien J, Shokoohi H, Al Saud AA, Liteplo A, Schleifer J, Kharasch V. Detecting Ventilator-Induced Diaphragmatic Dysfunction Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Children With Long-term Mechanical Ventilation. Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine. 2021 Apr;40(4):845-852. doi: 10.1002/jum.15465. Epub 2020 Sep 3. PMID: 32881067.

Hayward L,Fragala-Pinkham M, Schneider J, Coe M, Vargas C, Wassenar A, Emmons M, Lizzio C, Hayward J, Torres D.  Examination of the short-term impact of a disability awareness training on attitudes toward people with disabilities: A community-based participatory evaluation approach. Physiotherapy Theory & Practice. 2021 Feb;37(2):257-270.

Fragala-Pinkham MA, Ball AL, Jeffries LM. Efficacy of Lower Extremity Cycling Interventions for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics. 2021;41(4):410-428. doi: 10.1080/01942638.2020.1862384.

Dumas HM, Fragala-Pinkham MA, Rosen EL, Ni P. A content validity evaluation of the PEDI-CAT Speedy Mobility domain. Physiotherapy Theory & Practice. 2021;37(4):517-526. doi:10.1080/09593985.2019.1633716

Dumas HM, Hughes LM, O’Brien JE.  Children Dependent on Respiratory Support: A 10-Year Review from One Pediatric Post-Acute Care Hospital. Pediatric Pulmonology. 2020;55(8):2050-2054.

Fragala-Pinkham MA, OʼNeil ME Commentary on “I Want to Play: Children With Cerebral Palsy Talk About Their Experiences on Barriers and Facilitators to Participation in Leisure Activities”. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2020 Jul;32(3):201.

Dumas HM. Quantifying motor learning strategies can translate to physiotherapy dose for children with cerebral palsy. Developmental Medicine &Child Neurology. 2019;61(9):996.

Sobus KML, Fragala-Pinkham M, Jerie Beth  Karkos JB. “Advocacy for Pediatric Rehabilitation” in Pediatric Rehabilitation, 6th Edition, 2019.

Fragala-Pinkham MA, Miller P, Dumas HM, Shore B.  Development and validation of equations linking Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) scores to PEDI-Computer Adaptive Test scores for youth with cerebral palsy.  Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics.  2020;40(1):106-120.

OʼNeil ME, Fragala-Pinkham Commentary on: “Preliminary Aquatic Physical Therapy Core Sets for Children and Youth With Neurological Disorders: A Consensus Process”. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2019 Jul;31(3):279

Hayward L, Fragala-Pinkham M, Schneider J, Coe M, Vargas C, Wassenar A, Emmons M, Lizzio C, Hayward J, Torres D. Examination of the short-term impact of a disability awareness training on attitudes toward people with disabilities: A community-based participatory evaluation approach. Physiotherapy Theory & Practice. 2019;17:1-14.

OʼNeil ME, Fragala-Pinkham M. Commentary on: “Preliminary Aquatic Physical Therapy Core Sets for Children and Youth With Neurological Disorders: A Consensus Process”. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2019;31(3):279.

Fragala-Pinkham MA, Miros J. (2019) Community Resources: Sports and Active Recreation for Individuals with Cerebral Palsy. In: Miller, F, et. al. (eds.): Cerebral Palsy. Springer Nature Switzerland.

Shore BJ, Allar BG, Miller PE, Matheney TH, Snyder BD, Fragala-Pinkham M. Measuring the Reliability and Construct Validity of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) in Children With Cerebral Palsy. Archives in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2019;100(1):45-51.

Ahmadi M, O’Neil M, Fragala-Pinkham M, Lennon N, Trost S. Machine learning algorithms for activity recognition in ambulant children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. Journal of Neuroengineering Rehabilitation. 2018 Nov 15;15(1):105.

Levac D, Dumas HM, Meleis W. A tablet-based interactive movement tool for pediatric rehabilitation: Development and preliminary usability evaluation. JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology. 2018;5(2):e10307.

Knox V, Dumas HM, Fragala-Pinkham MA.  Development of a new preliminary item pool for children who are wheelchair users for the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT). APCP Journal. September, 2018.

Fragala-Pinkham MA, Fehlner A. Commentary on “Linking the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) to the International Classification of Function”.  Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2018;30(2):118.

O’Brien JE, Dumas HM, Fragala-Pinkham MA, Berry JG.  Admissions to Acute Care within 30 and 90 Days of Discharge Home from a Pediatric Post-acute Care Hospital. Hospital Pediatrics.  2017;7:682-685.

Berry JG, Wilson K, Dumas HM, Simpser E, O’Brien JE, et. al. Use of Post-Acute Facility Care in Children Hospitalized with Acute Respiratory Illness. Journal of Hospital Medicine.

2017;12(8):626-631.

Shore BJ, Allar BA, Miller PE, Matheney T, Snyder B, Fragala-Pinkham M. Evaluating the Discriminant Validity of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory – Computer Adaptive Test in Children with Cerebral Palsy. Physical Therapy. 2017;97(6):669-676.

Dumas HM, Fragala-Pinkham MA, Rosen, EL, O’Brien JE. Construct Validity of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) in Children with Medical Complexity. Disability & Rehabilitation. Disability and Rehabilitation.

2017;39(23):2446-2451.

Dumas HM, Fragala-Pinkham MA, Rosen, EL, Folmar E. Physical Therapy Dosing: Frequency and Type of Intervention in Pediatric Post-Acute Hospital Care. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2017;29(1):47-53.

Crowley RA, Dumas HM, Fragala-Pinkham MA, Dougherty DN, Hull EM, Hughes ML, Eric Hsaio E. Child to nurse communication in pediatric post-acute hospital care: Evaluation of the VerbalCare tablet application. Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. 2017;12(5):462-468.

Roostaei M, Baharlouei H, Azadi H, Fragala-Pinkham MA. Effects of Aquatic Intervention on Gross Motor Skills in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review.

Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2017;37(5):496-515.

Fragala-Pinkham MA, Dumas HM, Lombard KA, O’Brien JE. Responsiveness of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test in measuring functional outcomes for inpatient pediatric rehabilitation. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine.  2016;9(3):215-222.

Pasternak A, Siderisis G, Fragala-Pinkham M, Glanzman AM, et al and the Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinical Research Network for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (PNCRN). Rasch Analysis of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) Item Bank in Children and Young Adults with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Muscle and Nerve. 2016;54(6):1097-1107.

O’Neil ME, Ideishi RI, Benedetto M, Ideishi SK, Fragala-Pinkham M.  A Yoga Program for Preschool Children in Head Start and Early Intervention: A Feasibility Study.  Journal of Yoga and Physical Therapy. 2016; 6:2.

Hayward LM, Fragala-Pinkham M, Johnson K, Torres A. A Community-Based, Adaptive Soccer Program for Children with Autism: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation. Palestra 2016. 30(4):44-50.

Trost SG, Maria Fragala-Pinkham M, Lennon N, O’Neil ME. Decision Tree Models for Detection of Physical Activity Intensity in Youth with Cerebral Palsy. Med Science Sports Exercise.  2016;48(5):958-66.

Berry JG, Hall M, Dumas HM, O’Brien JE, et al. National Prevalence of Pediatric Hospital Discharges to Home Health and Post-Acute Facility Care.  JAMA- Pediatrics. 2016;170(4):326-333.

O’Neil ME, Fragala-Pinkham M, Lennon N, George A, Forman J, Trost SG. Reliability and Validity of Objective Measures of Physical Activity in Youth with Cerebral Palsy Who are Ambulatory. Physical Therapy. 2016;96:37-45.

Lombard K. Physical Therapy for a Child Post-Stroke with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) awaiting Heart Transplant: A Case Report. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2016;28(1):126-132. https://doi:10.1097/PEP.0000000000000225

O’Brien JE, Dumas HM. Development and Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the Post-Acute Acuity Rating for Children (PAARC). Rehabilitation Research and Practice. 2015. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/rerp/2015/841523/.

Dumas HM, Fragala-Pinkham MA, Rosen EL, Lombard KA, Farrell C. Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) and the Alberta Infant Motor Scales (AIMS): Validity and Responsiveness. Physical Therapy. 2015;95:1559-1568.

Fragala-Pinkham M, O’Neil M, Lennon N, Forman JL, Trost SG. Validity of the OMNI Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale for Youth with Cerebral Palsy.  Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 2015;57(8):748-753. https://doi:10.1111/dmcn.12703

Lennon N, Thorpe D; Balemans ACJ, Fragala-Pinkham M, O’Neil M, Bjornson K, Boyd R, Dallmeijer A. The Clinimetric Properties of Measures of Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness in Adolescents and Adults with Cerebral Palsy: A review of the literature. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 2015;45-46:316-328. https://doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.08.002
O’Brien JE, Berry JG, Dumas HM. Pediatric Post-Acute Hospital Care:  Striving for Identity and Value. Hospital Pediatrics. 2015;5(10):548-551. https://doi:10.1542/hpeds.2015-0133

O’Brien JE, Dumas HM, Leslie D. Neonatal Abstinence: Outcomes in Post-Acute Care. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine. 2015;8(2):157-160.

O’Brien JE. Dumas HM, Nash CM, Mekary R. Unplanned readmissions to acute care from a pediatric post-acute care hospital: Incidence, clinical reasons and predictive factors. Hospital Pediatrics. 2015;5(3):134-40.

Golub-Victor AC, Dumas H. PT graduates’ perceptions of a higher education early intervention training program on employment and practice. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2015;27(2):152-159. doi:10.1097/PEP.0000000000000141

Dumas HM, Golub-Victor AC. Commentary on “Reliability and Validity of Timed Floor to Stand Test-Natural in School-Aged Children”. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2015;27(2):118

Rowland JL, Fragala-Pinkham M, Miles C, O’Neil ME.  The Scope of Pediatric Physical Therapy Practice in Health Promotion and Fitness for Youth with Disabilities. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2015;27(1):2-15. https://doi:10.1097/PEP.0000000000000098

O’Brien JE, Dumas HM. Weaning with Morphine Only versus Weaning with Morphine and Phenobarbital for Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Journal of Pediatric and Neonatal Care. February, 2015;  https:// doi.org/10.14437/PNCOA-3-112.

Rowland JL, Fragala-Pinkham M, Miles C, O’Neil ME.  The Scope of Pediatric Physical Therapy Practice in Health Promotion and Fitness for Youth with Disabilities. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2015;27(1):2-15. https://doi:10.1097/PEP.0000000000000098

O’Brien JE. Dumas HM, Nash CM, Mekary R. Unplanned readmissions to acute care from a pediatric post-acute care hospital: Incidence, clinical reasons and predictive factors. Hospital Pediatrics. 2014; 4:217-221. https:// doi:10.1542/hpeds.2014-0071

O’Neil ME, Fragala-Pinkham MA, Forman JL, Trost SG. Measuring reliability and validity of the ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer for children with cerebral palsy: A feasibility study.  Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine. 2014;7(3):233-240. https://doi:10.3233/PRM-140292

O’Brien JE, Dumas HM, Nash CM, Burke SA, Holson DC, Mast J, Pelegano J, Simpser EF, Traul C, Whitford K.  Pediatric Post-Acute Care Hospital Transitions: An Evaluation of Current Practice. Hospital Pediatrics. 2014;4(4):217-221.

Fragala-Pinkham MA, Smith HJ, Lombard, K, Barlow C, O’Neil ME. Aquatic Aerobic Exercise for Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Study. Physiotherapy Theory & Practice. 2014;30(2):69-78. https://doi:10.3109/09593985.2013.825825.

Smith HJ. Physical Therapy for a Child with Sudden-Onset of Choreoathetosis: A Case Report. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2014;26(1):85–93.