Dr. Allen’s research focuses on identifying biomechanical targets that can guide interventional decisions in rehabilitation and device design for individuals with ambulatory impairments. This work leverages musculoskeletal modeling and machine learning techniques to identify deficits in lower-extremity biomechanics and to predict how different interventions or devices will improve ambulatory function. Dr. Allen and collaborators have recently identified several potential biomechanical targets for reducing fall risk and improving mobility in older adults and stroke survivors that her group is following up in NSF and NIH funded projects.

Dr. Allen joins us from West Virginia University, where she is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She then completed post-doctoral training at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. During her training, she was a recipient of both an NSF graduate research fellowship and an NIH F32 individual post-doctoral fellowship.

As a native (north) Floridian and UF Alum, Dr. Allen is excited to head back to Florida and to don the orange-and-blue again!