Update Your ProfileAcademic Title:
Professor
Primary Appointment:
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science
Secondary Appointment(s):
Diagnostic Radiology Nuclear Medicine, Neurology
Additional Title:
Director, PhD and DPT/PhD program in Physical Rehabilitation Science
Location:
AHRB, 205D
Phone (Primary):
(410) 706-5919
Education and Training
Dr. Westlake earned her Physical Therapy degree from McGill University and gained clinical experience in neurological and gerontological settings before subsequently completing both M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Rehabilitation Sciences from Queen's University in Canada. Her doctoral research investigated the role of proprioception and cognition in postural control, with a focus on training sensory integration to improve balance in older adults.
Building on this foundation, Dr. Westlake pursued postdoctoral training to explore neural control of movement. She received a CIHR Clinical Research fellowship for her translational clinical neuroscience and biomechanical postdoctoral training at Stanford University and the Palo Alto VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center, followed by an American Heart Association Fellowship to further her training in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). During this period, she developed specialized expertise in biomechanical assessment of movement and functional neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, MEG) to identify neuromotor targets, understand brain plasticity processes, and inform evidence-based rehabilitation interventions.
Dr. Westlake brings thirty years of combined clinical and research experience in treating neurological disorders and age-related mobility decline. She joined the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2011, where she continues to advance the field through her research and clinical expertise.
Biosketch
The overall focus of Dr. Westlake's collaborative and multi-disciplinary research program is on understanding the sensorimotor and cognitive-emotional mechanisms that underlie impaired movement and motor learning deficits in aging and neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, and mild cognitive impairment. Her lab studies the mechanisms of gait and postural instability and the development of innovative rehabilitative solutions that are supported by motor learning studies. This research involves an integrative approach, consisting of the study of sensorimotor function, biomechanics (kinematics, kinetics), brain function (fMRI, EEG), and psychophysiological responses (HRV, GSC) with respect to motor control and learning/neuroplasticity. Distinctive research areas include sleep-based motor learning consolidation using targeted memory reactivation and the investigation of cognitive-motor interactions in reactive fall recovery strategies. She is also committed to bringing technological advances that embody critical elements of behavioral neuroscience research to target sensorimotor recovery after neurological injury, including the development and patient testing of task-oriented robotic rehabilitation devices. Dr. Westlake is committed to translating research findings to clinical rehabilitation and community settings through clinical and industry partnerships and active leadership roles in professional organizations, including the Academy of Neurological Physical Therapy (ANPT) and the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) Committees, where she oversees and leads evidence-based practice guideline development and academic research initiatives.
Link to Dr. Westlake's Lab: Neuromechanisms of Movement and Learning (NeuMo) Laboratory
Research/Clinical Keywords
Rehabilitation, Balance, Falls, Motor Learning, Cognition, Neuroimaging, fMRI, Aging, Stroke, Parkinson's, Mild Cognitive Impairment
Highlighted Publications
Recent publications (as first or last author)
Westlake KP, McCombe Waller, S, Magder L, Akinsolotu, R, Udo J, Burridge J, Whitall J. Rehabilitation your way: A randomized trial comparing two home-based and self-managed programs after stroke. JAHA 2025 (accepted).
Tomlin KB, Akinlosotu R, Gorman EF, Schmitt E, Eaton S, Westlake KP. Motor Learning in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review. Neuropsychol Rev. 2025 May 15. doi: 10.1007/s11065-025-09661-x. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40372622.
Alissa N, Shipper AG, Zilliox L, Westlake K. A systematic review of the effect of physical rehabilitation on balance in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy who are at risk of falling. Clin Interv Aging 2024;19:1325-1339
Gray VL, Westlake KP. The feasibility of lateral externally-induced perturbation training in fall prevention after stroke. Int J Cerebrovasc Dis Stroke 2024 7:174
Tomlin KB, Johnson BP, Westlake KP. Age-Related Differences in Motor Skill Transfer with Brief Memory Reactivation. Brain Sci. 2024;14(1):65
Jeon W, Ramadan A, Whitall J, Alissa N, Westlake K. Age-related Differences in Kinematics, Kinetics, and Muscle Synergy Patterns Following a Sudden Gait Perturbation: Changes in Movement Strategies and Implications for Fall Prevention Rehabilitation. Appl Sci 2023; 13(15):9035.
Jeon W, Ramadan A, Whitall J, Alissa N, Westlake K. Analysis of age-related difference in lower limb muscle activation pattern and movement strategies during walking balance control on a compliant surface. Sci Rep 2023;13(1):16555
Westlake KP, Akinlosotu R, Udo J, Shipper A, Mccombe Waller S, Whitall J. Some home-based self-managed rehabilitation interventions can improve arm activity after stroke: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Front Neurol. 2023 14:1035256.
Johnson B, Tomlin KB, Censor N, Cohen LG, Westlake KP. Motor memory reactivation: Brief practice makes perfect. PsyArXiv 2022.
Additional Publication Citations
Dr. Westlake's complete list of publications can be found here: PubMed Bibliography
Clinical Specialty Details
Neurorehabilitation
Geriatric physical therapy
Grants and Contracts
Current
- 2025-2026, Maryland Industrial Partnerships Grant, "FES Treatment for Shoulder Adhesive Capsulitis" (K. Westlake, PI), $100,000
- 2023-2028, ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) 90ARHF0009-01-00, "University of Maryland Advanced Neuromotor Rehabilitation Research Training (UMANRRT)" (K. Westlake, LK-Q Zhang, multi PI), $1,310,205
- 2023-2025, Maryland Industrial Partnerships Grant, "REACH Upper Extremity Trainer: Clinical Testing: Phases I and II" (K. Westlake, PI), $200,000
- 2022-2025, NIA R21 HD107461-01, "Neuromuscular and biomechanical control of weight transfer in individuals post-stroke during gait." (H-Y Hsiao, PI, K. Westlake, site PI), $275,000
- 2021-2025, NINDS U44 5U44NS111076-03, Portable ankle robotics to reverse foot drop after stroke (K. Westlake, Academic PI), $5,893,712
- 2021-2026, NIA 2P30 AG028747-16 UM Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, (Magaziner, Ryan, Katzel, PIs) K. Westlake, Co-I/Co-lead Rehabilitation Science and Technologies Core, $8,627,890
- 2021-2025, American Physical Therapy Association, "Balance rehabilitation and falls prevention in neurological populations clinical practice guidelines." (K. Westlake, PI), $9,000
- 2021-2026, NIA R01AG073152-01, "Neuromechanisms of falls in older adults with MCI: Targeting assessment and training of reactive balance control" (T. Bhatt, PI, K. Westlake, site PI), $1,859,030
- 2018-2025, NIA R01 AG060051-01, "Hip muscle power, lateral balance function, and falls in aging" (K. Westlake, co-I), $1,810,745
Recently completed (last 5 years)
- 2021-2022, UMB Accelerated Translational Incubator Pilot (ATIP) Program # 1UL1TR003098, Exploring responses to reactive balance perturbations in older adults (K. Westlake PI), $30,000
- 2020-2021, Maryland Industrial Partnership Grant, "Instrumented Bilateral Arm Trainer with Actuation" (K. Westlake, Academic PI), $100,000
- 2018-2021, NIA R03 AG060290-01, "Influence of Attentional Control on Protective Arm Responses to Balance" (K. Westlake, PI), $100,000
- 2017-2022, NIDILRR Field Initiated Project 90IFRE0011, "Efficacy of an interactive web-based home therapy program in the recovery of arm and hand following stroke: A randomized trial" (K. Westlake, PI), $600,000
In the News
- Westlake K and Menaker J. “Falls: A leading cause of death and disability.”, Maryland Public Television (PBS) Direct Connection Your Health Series, Oct. 23, 2017.
- Westlake K and Rogers M. “Falls and the Elderly: How to stay balanced” National Public Radio (NPR) On the Record, Jan. 30, 2018 (re-aired Aug. 29, 2018).
- Westlake K. “Study seeks to improve stroke recovery.” Baltimore Beacon newspaper, June 2020.
- Westlake K. “Stroke survivors can help future recovery.” Baltimore Beacon newspaper, July 2021.
- Westlake K. “Helping to prevent falls in seniors”, Health Radar, interviewed on Aug 2, 2023.
- Westlake K. “Balance studies may help prevent falls.” Baltimore Beacon newspaper, Sept 2023.
- Westlake K and Falvey J. “University of Maryland looks at Fall Prevention and Rehabilitation” National Public Radio (NPR) On the Record, Jul 3, 2024
Community Service
Member, Maryland Falls Free Coalition
Speaker at local stroke and Parkinson's support groups
Professional Activity
National Appointments (past 5 years)
- Member, Task force on establishing and sustaining a culture of research in academic physical therapy, ACAPT Institute of Scholarly Inquiry (2024-present)
- Leader, Balance and Falls in Neurological Conditions Clinical Practice Guidelines Development Group, APTA Academy of Neurologic Rehabilitation (2019-present)
- Co-Chair (2017-2023) and Member Evidence-Based Documents Advisory Committee, APTA Academy of Neurologic Rehabilitation (2017-present)
- Ad hoc reviewer, NIH Study Sections: NIH Motor Function, Speech, and Rehabilitation Study Section (2025), Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences Study Section (2024), NIH Fellowship application study section (2022, 2024), NIH-NIDDK, DDK-B Study Section (2022, 2023), NIH Small Business Innovation Research Program Special Emphasis Panel (2021)
Editorial Service (current)
- Editorial Board Member, Journal of Neurological Physical Therapy
Lab Techniques and Equipment
Dr. Westlake's NeuMo Lab has the following lab technique expertise and equipment:
- Neuromonitoring
- fMRI
- EEG
- MEG
- Biomechanical analysis of human movement
- EMG
- Kinematics: Vicon
- Kinetics: Bertek force platforms
- Spatiotemporal analysis of gait: GaitRite
- Cognitive-Emotional Assessment
- Psychophysiological assessment (HRV, electrodermal activity): Biopak system
- Cognitive assessment software tools
- Sleep monitoring (collaborations with UM Sleep lab)
- Clinical intervention and motor learning studies
- Laboratory-based
- ActiveStep Balance perturbation system
- Custom Balance boardwalk (patent pending, K. Westlake)
- Kinereach system
- Virtual reality head-mounted system
- Clinical and home based settings (collaborations with UM Rehab)
- Actigraph sensors
- Web-based programming for self-managed interventions
- Laboratory-based
- Academic-Industry partnerships
- Rehabilitation technology development
Links of Interest
Dr. Westlake's Lab
PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowship opportunities
- Physical Rehabilitation PhD Program: PRS PhD Program
- University of Maryland Advanced Neuromotor Rehabilitation Research Training Postdoctoral Fellowship opportunities: UMANRRT
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