We are pleased to announce the local winner of the 2021 American Kinesiology Association Undergraduate Scholar Award. Rebecca Pierce was recognized for her excellence in academic accomplishments and leadership. Rebecca’s research experience began in her second year of college when she contributed more than 100 hours as a volunteer in Dr. Sara Gombatto’s Rehabilitation Biomechanics Laboratory. Rebecca assisted with the Sports Biomechanics Injury Prevention Program in collaboration with the SDSU Athletics Department. As an outcome of this work, Rebecca co‐authored an abstract presented at the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) national conference and a manuscript published in the academic journal Physical Therapy in Sport. She currently works as a research assistant to Dr. Gombatto and Dr. Katrina Maluf on a National Institutes of Health‐funded study testing the efficacy of a culturally adapted cognitive-behavioral, physical therapy intervention for Latinos with chronic spine pain. She has worked more than 580 hours actively involved in data collection and has led data processing and analysis efforts.
Rebecca takes incredible initiative to work through challenging tasks. Also, she has conducted over 175 observation hours in unique settings such as the Naval Medical Center’s Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care (C5) Unit and Sharp’s Aquatic Physical Therapy. Rebecca has recently been accepted into the SDSU Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. She is incredibly thankful for the ENS faculty and staff who made it possible for her to receive this honor.
