BME Postdoc Becky Krupenevich awarded a NRSA from the National Institute on Aging

Postdoctoral research associate Becky Krupenevich has been awarded a three-year National Research Service Award (NRSA F32) from the National Institute on Aging for her proposal titled “The Role of Foot Structure and Function on Walking Mechanics and Energetics in Aging.” Becky will be sponsored on the project by Dr. Jason Franz, an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and co-sponsored by Dr. Helen Huang, Jackson Family Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at North Carolina State University. She also has a mentoring committee that spans Engineering, Orthopaedics, Physical Therapy, and Exercise Science. The premise of Becky’s project is that the interaction between foot-ankle structure and function is a poorly understood, yet vastly important, biomechanical mechanism that influences walking ability and may be uniquely compromised with aging. Anticipated outcomes from her research in the Applied Biomechanics Laboratory will increase our understanding of musculoskeletal mechanisms underlying age-related mobility impairment and support improving the health and welfare of our aging population.