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Joan O'Keefe, PhD, PT

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Joan O'Keefe, PhD, PT

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Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology

Rush Medical College

Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology

Contact Information

Address: 600 S. Paulina St., Office 505B
Chicago, IL 60612
Phone:
(312) 563-3940
Fax:
(312) 942-5744
Email:
joan_a_okeefe@rush.edu

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Research Profile

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Education

PhD, Loyola University Chicago
Biography

Joan Ann (Joanne) O’Keefe, PhD, PT is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Anatomy & Cell Biology and Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She received her B.S. in Physical Therapy from the University of Illinois, her PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology from Loyola University Chicago and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Kentucky.
Honors & Awards
- 2021-2023 Huntington’s Disease Society of America Human Biology Fellowship Award
- 2017 RUSH University Award for Excellence in Education
- 2017 Mark Lepper Society of Teachers Award for Teaching Excellence
- 2016-2021 K01 Award National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- 2015-2016 Schweppe/Armour Bequest Pilot Project, Rush Translational Sciences Consortium Grant
- 2015 National Fragile X Foundation Graduate Student Fellowship Award
- 2014 Cohn Research Fellowship Recipient Award, Rush University
- 2012 Young Investigator Award, National Fragile X Foundation
- 1992 University of Kentucky Postdoctoral Fellowship Award for Women in Science
- 1990 Society for Neuroscience (Chicago Chapter) Graduate Student Symposium Award
- 1990-1991 Arthur J. Schmitt Fellowship Awards
- 1989 Society for Sigma Xi Research Grant Recipient
- 1986-1990 Recipient of Loyola University Basic Science Fellowships
- 1977-1981 Dean’s List University of Illinois
- 1978 Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society
- 1977 Illinois State Scholar
Research & Grants
- NIH-NINDS U01 14234988 Clinical Outcome Assessment and Treatment Monitoring Markers for Clinical Trial Readiness in FXTAS (Co-Investigator). This multi-site longitudinal project aims to establish valid, reliable, and sensitive clinical outcome measures, including digital tremor and balance measurements and brain imaging markers, for use in future clinical trials of patients with FXTAS to monitor treatment response. These measures will be optimized across multiple clinic sites and guided by an Advisory Committee of patient advocates, clinicians, researchers, and drug industry representatives.
- NIH-NINDS 1 U01 NS113851; “Study in Parkinson's Disease of Exercise Phase 3 Clinical Trial: SPARX3” (Rush Site PI)
  This project aims to test whether the progression of the signs of PD is attenuated at 12 months in non-medicated people with PD when they perform high-intensity endurance treadmill exercise.
- 1I21RX005133-01A1 (Co-Investigator) “Stimulating the Vagus nerve to improve gait in Veterans with Parkinson's disease”; Department of Veterans Affairs: VA Rehabilitation Research and Development SPiRE Program. The goal is to develop a non-invasive, neuromodulatory transcutaneous cervical Vagal Nerve Stimulation as an at-home intervention to improve gait and balance in veterans with PD.
- DDX3X Foundation (Co-Investigator) : Characterizing the Natural History of DDX3X Syndrome to Inform the Development of Intervention Outcome Measures.
- Cures Within Reach (Co-Investigator) “Using a Wearable Leg Stimulation Device to Improve Mobility of Veterans with Parkinson's Disease.” This open-label, crossover pilot trial is evaluating whether the Cionic Neural Sleeve electrical stimulation device improves walking and freezing episodes in veterans with PD.
- University of Notre Dame Philanthropy (Co-Investigator): Intrathecal 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin for Neurological Decline in Patients with Niemann-Pick Disease Type C10
- DOD: HT9425-24-1-0099 (PI) “Neural Underpinnings of the Relationship Between Cognitive and Gait Dysfunction in Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS)”. The major goals of this project are to understand the structural and functional neural underpinnings of the relationship between cognitive and gait dysfunction in FXTAS to be applied to future interventional studies.
- Rush Imaging Research Core Pilot Seed Grant (PI). “Structural and functional brain imaging to identify the neural underpinnings of the relationship between cognitive and gait dysfunction in Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS).” The major goal of this seed grant is to collect pilot fNIRS, MRI, and digital gait data in 10 controls and 10 FXTAS individuals to provide preliminary data for a future DOD or R01 grant.
- Huntington’s Disease Society of America (PI); “Neural underpinnings of cognitive, balance and gait deficits in Huntington’s disease.” The major goal of this project is to examine cortical activity via portable fNIRS technology to examine cortical functional relationships mediating gait, balance, and cognitive impairments in Huntington’s disease.
- U01NS113851 (Co-Investigator)
  “Study in Parkinson Disease of Exercise Phase 3 Clinical Trial: SPARX3”. This is a Phase 3 multi-site RCT to study the impact of moderate or high intensity treadmill exercise on changes in MDS-UPDRS motor scores and digital gait outcome measures longitudinally in persons with early-stage Parkinson disease.
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (Co-PI)
  “Digital Assessment of Gait and Speech in Parkinson’s Disease”. Major goals are to assess the ability of a wearable insole to accurately measure gait in Parkinson disease (PD) and detect clinically meaningful changes in gait in PD.
- NIH/NICHD K01HD088762 (PI)
  “Impact of Cognition on Balance and Gait Markers for FXTAS”. The major goal of this project is to provide an early detection model for Fragile X tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) using balance and gait markers and interacting cognitive and molecular factors.
- Rush Schweppe Translational Science Consortium Pilot grant (PI): “Balance and Gait Biomarkers for Fragile X Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS)”
- Rush University Cohn Research Fellowship (PI)

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