Judith M. Burnfield, PT, Ph.D., is the vice president of research, director of the Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, and Clifton Chair in Physical Therapy and Movement Science at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals. She is a nationally recognized physical rehabilitation clinician, researcher and scholar. Dr. Burnfield has published over 80 peer-reviewed journal papers and has directed grant initiatives worth over $8M. Her federally funded research has generated patented technologies used worldwide in rehabilitation, fitness, and home settings to improve function and independence. Dr. Burnfield completed her BS in physical therapy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, her Ph.D. in Biokinesiology at the University of Southern California, and her postdoctoral studies at the Los Amigos Research and Education Institute in California. Her current research focuses on improving functional independence, cardiorespiratory fitness and overall wellbeing of individuals impacted by chronic illnesses and injuries including Long COVID, stroke and brain injury.