Victor Santamaria, Ph.D., M.Sc., PT, PCS, was born and raised in Spain. He obtained his specialization in pediatric physical therapy, neurorehabilitation, and neuroscience and is currently a licensed clinician in New York State. Dr. Santamaria has more than 15 years of clinical experience and is an American Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatrics. He is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and its Pediatric Section. Dr. Santamaria has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles and is co-author of the book “Motor Control: Translating Research into Clinical Practice,” sixth edition.

Education

• Bachelor, Physical Therapy, University of Malaga
• M.Sc., Neuroscience of INCYL, University of Salamanca
• Ph.D., Human Physiology: Motor Control, University of Oregon
• Postdoc Fellowship, Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College
• Postdoc Fellowship, Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University
• PCS, Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy, ABPTS

Areas of Expertise

• Physical Therapy

Honors and Awards

• Evonuk Award, Human Physiology Department (UO), 2014

Research

Dr. Santamaria's research emphasis is on pediatric neuromotor conditions. His research focuses on postural control and how postural control deficits hamper motor development and impair other functions such as reaching. Dr. Santamaria studies the application of motor learning and control principles for developing clinical tools and novel motor interventions for children and adults who live with neuromotor disorders. His collaborative research on impaired postural and reaching control in children with Cerebral Palsy, and other neuromotor disorders, has received continuous support from the National Institute of Health and other funding agencies. Dr. Santamaria has collaborative research projects with engineers and computer scientists to investigate the clinical applicability of robotics, technology, and computers for rehabilitation purposes.

Publications

• Ai X, Santamaria V, Agrawal SK, et. al. "Characterizing the Effects of Adding Virtual and Augmented Reality in Robot-Assisted Training." IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 32(), (2024) 2709-2718. doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2024.3432661
• Rejc E, Bowersock C, Pisolkar T, et. al. "Robotic Postural Training With Epidural Stimulation for the Recovery of Upright Postural Control in Individuals With Motor Complete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study." Neurotrauma reports, 5(1), (2024) 277-292. doi: 10.1089/neur.2024.0013
• Omofuma I, Santamaria V, Ai X, et. al. "Training Postural Balance Control with Pelvic Force Field at the Boundary of Stability." Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland), 10(12), (2023) . doi: 10.3390/bioengineering10121398
• Rachwani J, Santamaria V, Ai X, et. al. "Infant Sitting and Multi-Directional Reaching Skill." Journal of motor behavior, 56(2), (2024) 109-118. doi: 10.1080/00222895.2023.2262428
• Santamaria V, Ai X, Chin K, et. al. "Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial to determine the efficacy of an intensive seated postural intervention delivered with robotic and rigid trunk support systems." BMJ open, 13(8), (2023) e073166. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073166
• Delfing D, Chin K, Hentrich L, et. al. "Assessing engagement in rehabilitation: development, validity, reliability, and responsiveness to change of the Rehabilitation Observation Measure of Engagement (ROME)." Disability and rehabilitation, 46(9), (2024) 1888-1897. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2023.2208379
• Ai X, Santamaria V, Omofuma I, et. al. "Effects of Boundary-Based Assist-as-Needed Force Field on Lower Limb Muscle Synergies During Standing Posture Training." IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 31(), (2023) 2306-2314. doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2023.3273990

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Professional Service

•  SHSP Research Committee Member, Physical Therapy