Dr. Hannah Foster serves as a Neurologic Residency Scholarly Mentor for the Brooks Institute of Higher Learning.

Dr. Hannah Foster has been with Brooks since 2011 and completed the Brooks Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency in 2013. She has been recognized as a Certified Brain Injury Specialist since 2012. In 2014, she became a Board Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist through the American Physical Therapy Association. After exploring the field of travel physical therapy from 2016-2019, Hannah has settled into a full-time acute care physical therapist position with Barrow Neurological Institute / St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ. She remains adjunct faculty within the Brooks Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency as a Research and Publication Mentor overseeing and mentoring residents through the process of authoring two case reports, as well as preparing abstracts for submission to professional conferences at the national and state level. Her true passion lies in working with patients who have sustained neurologic injuries, particularly those who have experienced a traumatic brain injury.

Doctorate: Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) – Medical University of South Carolina – Charleston, SC – graduated 2011

Residency: Graduated from the Brooks Neurologic PT Residency in 2013

Bachelor’s: Bachelor’s of Science in Education – University of Dayton – Dayton, Ohio – graduated 2008

Traumatic Brain Injury & Stroke rehabilitation and research, locomotor training

Elected to a two, 3-year terms on the Nominating Committee of the Brain Injury Special Interest Group within the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy of the American Physical Therapy Association (2015 – 2018; 2018 – 2021)

Manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development (JRRD) and for Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation

Peer Reviewed Journals:

Foster H, DeMark L, Spigel PM, Rose DK, and Fox EJ. The effects of backward walking training on balance and mobility in a person with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury: A case report. Physiotherapy Theory & Practice. 2016; 32(7):536-545.

Surdyke L, Fernandez J, Foster H, Spigel PM. Differential Diagnosis and Management of Incomplete Locked-In Syndrome after Traumatic Brain Injury. Case Reports in Neurological Medicine. 2017.

Poster Presentations:

Geer C, Spigel PM, Foster H. Influence of Incline Prone Positioning on Backward Disequilibrium after a Neurological Insult: A Case Report. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Denver, CO, February 2020. [Poster Presentation]

Lim M, Spigel PM, Foster H. Eccentric Plantar Flexion Training for Tibial Progression in Gait Post Stroke: A Case Report. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Denver, CO, February 2020. [Poster Presentation]

St. Germain M, Foster H, Spigel PM. A Balance-Based Rehabilitation Program Dosed at 50% Maximal Intensity in an Older Adult with Polymyositis. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Denver, CO, February 2020. [Poster Presentation]

Bowen K, DeMark L, Foster H, Spigel PM. Smart Phone Enabled Virtual Reality-Based Gait Training for an Individual Post-Stroke: A Case Study. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Washington D.C., January 2019. [Poster Presentation]

Davidson L, Foster H, Spigel PM. A Motor Learning Approach to Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Washington D.C., January 2019. [Poster Presentation]

McKinney C, Foster H, Conroy C, Willard G, Spigel PM. The Application of Externally-Paced Locomotor Training for the Recovery of Ambulation in a Patient with Acute Transverse Myelitis. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Washington D.C., January 2019. [Poster Presentation]

McCoy, M, Foster H, Spigel PM. The Effects of Power and Speed Training in an Individual with a Chronic Stroke. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Washington D.C., January 2019. [Poster Presentation]

Cahill R, Rankin E, Spigel PM, Foster H, Perry L. Integration of Neuropsychology with Physical Therapy for a Patient with Acute Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, New Orleans, LA, February 2018. [Accepted: Poster Presentation]

Link A, Perry L, Foster H, Spigel PM. Improving Functional Independence through Task Specific Training Despite Severe Hypertonicity in a Patient with Neuro-Behçet’s: A Case Report. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, New Orleans, LA, February 2018. [Accepted: Poster Presentation]

Gosselin H, Foster H, DeMark L, Spigel PM. Reducing Gait Speed and Improving Balance in an Individual with Parkinson’s Disease and Bilateral Deep Brain Stimulation. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, New Orleans, LA, February 2018. [Accepted: Poster Presentation]

Cron M, Spigel PM, Foster H. Early Aggressive Mobilization Following Locked-In Syndrome from Central Pontine Myelinolysis: A Case Study. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, New Orleans, LA, February 2018. [Accepted: Poster Presentation]

Cron M, Spigel PM, Foster H, DeMark L. Action Observation Treatment in the Functional Retraining of an Individual with Cognitive Impairment following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Study. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, New Orleans, LA, February 2018. [Accepted: Poster Presentation]

Baasch K, Spigel PM, Foster H. A Comprehensive Approach to Balance Rehabilitation Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Report. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, San Antonio, TX, February 2017. [Poster Presentation]

Popp C, Spigel PM, Foster H. Improving Functional Mobility and Independence in a Patient with Stiff-Person Syndrome: A Case Report. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, San Antonio, TX, February 2017. [Poster Presentation]

Balkan S, Spigel PM, Fernandex J, Beaulieu CL, Foster H. Aggressive Mobilzation in a Minimall Conscious State: A Case Report. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, San Antonio, TX, February 2017. [Poster Presentation]

Foster H, Conroy C, Freeborn P, and Fox EJ. Combined locomotor and dynamic trunk training to improve ataxia, balance, and walking function in a 17-year old with a traumatic brain injury. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Anaheim, CA, February 2016. [Poster Presentation]

Freeborn P, Gerena R, Conroy C, Foster H, Vandeventer P, Aceros J, and Fox EJ. A low-cost instrumented walker to assess the effects of upper-limb loading on gait characteristics and muscle activation. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Anaheim, CA, February 2016. [Poster Presentation]

Foster H, DeMark L, Balasubramanian CK, Rose DK, and Fox EJ. Decreased gait variability following an intense backward walking program in an individual with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, February 2015. [Poster Presentation]

Walworth J, Foster H, and Fox EJ. Functional retraining using automaticity and environmental modification in a patient with frontal lobe dysfunction: A case report. Brooks Research Day, Jacksonville, FL, October 2014. [Poster Presentation]

Foster H, DeMark L, Spigel PM, Rose DK, and Fox EJ. Backward walking to improve balance and mobility in a person with a chronic spinal cord injury. APTA Combined Sections Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, February 2014. [Poster Presentation]