Research

The Athletic and Human Performance Research Center (AHPRC) is a dedicated research space in which Marquette faculty and partners from the health care industry can collaborate on new research and cutting-edge innovation in the areas of elite athletic performance, human performance, rehabilitation, fitness data analytics, and other related disciplines.

The ßEhTA lab seeks to facilitate improved medical decision making within rehabilitation at the level of the individual, the group, and society. We like to ‘beta test’ ideas from the social sciences like economics and behavioral science in the rehabilitation space. At the individual level, we use a combination of behavioral and economic approaches to support self-management and to increase participation in therapeutic interventions. At the societal level, we use tools of health technology assessment to inform policy decisions.

HPAC, housed in Marquette University's Department of Physical Therapy Exercise Science Program, is a state-of-the-art lab providing fee-for-service health and fitness assessments for clinical and athletic populations. Serving a diverse clientele ranging from novice to elite athletes, coaches, and scientists, the HPAC collaborates across various colleges/programs and institutions, such as Physical Therapy, Biomedical Engineering, Athletics, Nursing, and medical clinics. HPAC's resources offer support for various studies, including stroke research and conducting physiological testing for Olympic hopefuls.

The Integrative Muscle Physiology and Energetics lab primary objective is to uncover the causes of muscle fatigue and understand the physiological mechanisms that impact human performance in various health conditions. Their unique approach involves an integrative and translational methodology, utilizing diverse techniques to investigate fatigue and performance limitations at both the whole limb and cellular levels. Additionally, the lab explores adaptive responses to exercise training, aiming to develop targeted interventions for enhancing muscle power, size, and reducing fatigability in both healthy individuals and those with clinical conditions.

The Integrative Neural Engineering and Research Laboratory is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in the field of neural engineering and rehabilitation of those people with neural disability.

The goal of the Life After Sports Trajectory (LAST) Lab is to improve the long-term health and lives of athletes. By working collaboratively and embracing our core values and diverse perspectives, we strive to achieve excellence in non-traditional sports medicine research.

The Motion Analysis and Biomechanics Laboratory at Marquette University is dedicated to examining the biomechanics of human movement. Located in Cramer Hall 004B, the Motion Analysis lab measures 1,200 square feet, with a 12-camera motion analysis system, eight digital cameras for markerless motion capture, two inground and two portable force plates, a 16-channel wireless EMG system, a Biodex 3 isokinetic dynamometer, a dual-probe musculoskeletal ultrasound unit, several IMU systems, and a pressure treadmill and force sensing insoles. There are also multiple computer workstations with MATLAB, LabVIEW, SPSS, and Visual3D licenses for recording, processing, and analyzing movement data. Contact Dr. Kipp for more information

The Neuromuscular Control of Movement Lab studies how neural circuits in the brain and spinal cord contribute to impaired limb movement in people with stroke. We use this knowledge to develop novel strategies for improving movement in this population. Our emphasis is on locomotor-like movements of the lower limbs.

The Neuromuscular Physiology Laboratory conducts studies to understand the mechanisms of exercise fatigue, performance and training, and differences between males and females, with aging and in clinical populations including people with diabetes and COVID. The laboratory has been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 2004 along with other granting bodies (>$15 million in funding). The laboratory consists of undergraduate and graduate students, along with postdoctoral research associates to become the next generation of scientists to conduct cutting-edge research.

The Pain PhysioLab seeks to understand pain modulation across the lifespan to optimize nonpharmacological pain management techniques in human participants.  They use quantitative sensory testing techniques to understand the pain response in different populations.  Their work has provided insight into the importance of exercise as a first-line treatment for pain management.

The fundamental hypothesis guiding the work  in the Streeter Lab is that respiratory afferents induce spinal plasticity and facilitate remodeling within the respiratory neural network. Our laboratory uses a multi-disciplinary approach including behavioral studies, neurophysiological preparations, and molecular techniques to investigate the functional significance and therapeutic potential of respiratory afferent activation, with the ultimate goal of identifying novel rehabilitative strategies to improve cardiorespiratory control following cervical spinal cord injury.