People Faculty

RakiÉ Cham

Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Bioengineering

Email:
Phone:	(412) 624-7227
Fax:	(412) 383-8788
Office:	BEH 740

Education

PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Bioengineering
MSc, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
BSc, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Professional Interests

Rakie Cham, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Rakie earned her B.Sc (1993) and M.Sc (1995) degrees in Physics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She pursued her doctoral studies in Bioengineering and graduated in 2000 from the University of Pittsburgh. Rakie's research interests include gait biomechanics, postural control, and falls prevention in older adults. She is particularly interested in understanding the biomechanical factors that precipitate falls during gait following triggering events such as slips or trips. Populations of interest include healthy/young and older adults, but also patient populations, thus providing insights on the multidimensional sensory, motor and biomechanical requirements needed for a successful recovery in a given environment. Finally, Rakie has also been involved in ergonomic projects to minimize falls-related anad other musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace.

Selected Publications

Redfern MS, Cham R: "The influence of flooring on standing comfort and fatigue," American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 700-708, September - October 2000.
Cham R, Redfern MS: "Effect of flooring on standing comfort and fatigue," Human Factors, vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 381-391, Fall 2001.
Redfern MS, Cham R, Gielo-Perczak K, Grönqvist R, Hirvonen M, Lanshammar H, Marpet M, Pai YC, Powers C: "Biomechanics of slips," Ergonomics, vol. 44, no. 13, pp. 1138-1166, October 2001.
Cham R, Redfern MS: "Lower extremity corrective reactions to slip events," Journal of Biomechanics, vol. 34, no. 11, pp. 1439-1445, November 2001.
Cham R, Redfern MS: "Changes in gait when anticipating slippery surfaces," Gait and Posture, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 159-171, March 2002.
Cham R, Redfern MS: "Heel contact dynamics during slip events on level and inclined surfaces," Safety Science, vol. 40, no. 7-8, pp. 559-576, June 2002.
Redfern, M.S., Cham, R., Gielo-Perczak, K., Grönqvist, R., Hirvonen, M., Lanshammar, H., Marpet, M., Pai, C.Y-C., & Powers, C. (2003). Biomechanics of slips. In W-R. Chang, & T.K. Courtney (Eds.), R. Grönqvist, & M. Redfern (Assoc. Eds.), Measuring slipperiness-human locomotion and surface factors (pp. 37-65). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.
Chambers, AJ, Margerum, S, Redfern, MS, and Cham, R (2003). Kinematics of the foot during slips. Occupational Ergonomics, 3, 225-234.
Redfern, M.S., Cham, R., & Moyer. B. (2004). Slips and falls. (Section 8.3), In: Delleman N, Haslegrave C, Chaffin D (Eds.), Working Postures and Movements - Tools for Evaluation and Engineering, Chapter 8 "Leg and Foot", (p. 211-224) CRC Press LLC.
Cham, R., & Redfern, M.S. (2004). Flooring and standing comfort. (Section 8.2). In: Delleman N, Haslegrave C, Chaffin D (Eds., Working Postures and Movements - Tools for Evaluation and Engineering, Chapter 8 "Leg and Foot", (p. 224-238). CRC Press LLC.
Redfern, M.S., Cham, R., & Moyer, B. (2004). Slips and falls. In: Delleman N, Haslegrave C, Chaffin D (Eds.), Working Postures & Movements - Tools for Evaluation and Engineering, Chapter 8.3, (p. 224-238), Taylor and Francis, New York, NY.
Cham, R, and Redfern, MS (2004). Gait adaptations during load carrying on level and inclined surfaces. Occupational Ergonomics, 4, 11-26.
Moyer BE, Chambers AJ, Redfern MS, Cham R: "Gait parameters as predictors of slip severity in young and older adults," Ergonomics, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 329-343, 2006.
Bohnen NI, Cham R: "Postural control, gait and dopamine functions in parkinsonian movement disorders," Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 797-812, 2006.
Chambers AJ, Cham R: "Slip-related muscle activation patterns of the stance leg during gait," Gait and Posture, in press, 2006.
Cham R, Perera S, Studenski SA, Bohnen NI: "Striatal dopamine denervation and sensory integration for balance in middle-aged and older adults," Gait and Posture, in press, 2006.