Jaclyn ‘Meg’ Sions
Background
Dr. Sions is an Associate Professor at the University of Delaware in the Department of Physical Therapy. She obtained her Master of Physical Therapy from West Virginia University, her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Temple University, and her PhD in Biomechanics and Movement Science from the University of Delaware. Dr. Sions has been a licensed and practicing physical therapist for 20 years, and a Board- Certified Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy for 16 years.
She is a founder and Director of the University of Delaware’s Interdisciplinary Outpatient Limb Loss Clinic. The clinic has enabled hands-on training of 14 residents and more than 150 physical therapy students, helping to combat the national shortage of providers with post-amputation care experience, while modeling the benefits of collaboration between prosthetists and physical therapists in patient care and research.
Dr. Sions is the Principal Investigator of the Delaware Limb Loss Studies research laboratory, which is focused on improving health following amputation through advancement of research in the areas of outcomes assessment, comorbidity screening, and post-amputation pain. She has published >60 scientific papers and been involved in >150 scientific presentations. Dr. Sions is also faculty in the interdisciplinary Biomechanics and Movement Science PhD Program. In response to the profession’s need for CPO-PhDs to inform evidence-based clinical care, she spearheaded the development of the Prosthetics-Orthotics Clinical Practice and Biomechanics and Movement Science PhD Dual Training Track.
She is currently mentoring CPO-PhD students within this track and serves as a prosthetics-orthotics residency research mentor. She provides input on national and international initiatives to enhance post amputation care and research, and she serves on the National Commission of Orthotic and Prosthetic Education’s Board of Directors as their public member.
Why did you apply?
The first OPERF award I applied for was to collect pilot data on sensors for activity monitoring among individuals with lower-limb loss. Up until this point, my funded research had been in low back pain and this grant provided funding to start a new research program in lower-limb loss.
The 2nd OPERF award funded my first clinical trial, which was conducted in prosthetic clinics. While I had been involved in low back pain rehabilitation clinical trials up until this point, this was my first funded clinical trial as a principal investigator. The focus was on screening and referral feasibility. We are currently finishing up the manuscript for this trial to be submitted to a scientific journal.
How did the funding help you meet your goals?
The 1st award allowed us to establish validity of activity monitoring for assessment of physical activity among adults with lower-limb loss, which was critical for subsequent work in submitted and funded grants.
The 2nd study will provide pilot data to support a larger clinical trial seeking to demonstrate the value that prosthetists may offer in terms of screening and referral as part of the interdisciplinary care team.
How did the funding impact your career?
Honestly, I don’t think I would have a funded lower-limb loss line-of-research if it weren’t for my first OPERF award. This award was critical for pilot data supporting projects that have followed. And, through presentation of this OPERF work and the research that has followed, I have found a second home in the prosthetics-orthotics community for research collaboration and continued career growth.
What did the funding mean to you personally?
The funding from these awards has helped to create the research infrastructure necessary for larger-scale clinical research, e.g., longitudinal studies and clinical trials, given that individuals with lower-limb loss are challenging to recruit and require a team-based approach for participant retention and successful project completion
