Mission and Goals |
|
The Motion Analysis & Motor Performance Laboratory at the University of Virginia's Children's Medical Center has three basic missions: Clinical Mission: Our goal is to provide the very best clinical service to patients who are referred here for evaluation and to remain a regional/national referral center for the study of neuromuscular disorders, in particular cerebral palsy. Research Mission: Through our clinical research efforts, we aim to optomize the effectiveness of treatments for the motor dysfunction in cerebral palsy. We also conduct basic research into the biomechanics and neurophysiology of movement disorders and spinal injury deformities. We are committed to sharing these results with other centers through presentations and courses, peer-reviewed publications and collaborative research efforts. Teaching Mission: The education of students, physicians, and allied health professionals is accomplished through research rotations, courses, conferences, publications, and marketing efforts. Our primary goal is to educate the next generation of human motion scientists and clinicians. Success in each of these three missions requires an agenda that combines the lab's talents in the managing of patient care and information, creative science and engineering research, and innovative teaching methods. The common thread that must run through this agenda, and provide the major focus for the lab, is the study of human movement as it relates to musculoskeletal function and the documentation of the findings. |