December 14, 2022
The Antiphospholipid Syndrome Research Labs are excited to announce a new collaboration with two rehabilitation researchers, Susan Murphy, ScD, OTR, FAOTA and Alexandra Harper, PhD, OTR/L, who want to help advance the field of APS research. Dr. Murphy and Dr. Harper conduct community-engaged research, an approach that includes patients as partners in the research process from start (identifying what to study) to finish (sharing study results). This work will be used to understand and develop solutions to meet APS patients’ needs beyond medications. For example, we will be conducting a study that involves surveys and interviews to describe the experiences of patients with APS.
If you are interested in participating in community-engaged research on APS, please email us at [email protected]. You can include your name in the email; however, please do not include other private information, such as diagnosis, age, or location. We will then contact you at a later time to join a patient registry approved by the University of Michigan Human Subjects Review Board.
Learn more about Dr. Murphy and Dr. Harper and their research
Susan Murphy, ScD, OTR, FAOTA
Dr. Susan Murphy is an occupational therapist by training and Professor in the Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Internal Medicine Division of Rheumatology at Michigan Medicine. Dr. Murphy is also a faculty lead in the Education and Mentoring Group at the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR). She earned her ScD in 2000 from Boston University and completed post-doctoral training at Yale University School of Medicine.
Dr. Murphy, who leads the behavioral studies branch of the Michigan Medicine Scleroderma Program, focuses her research on developing and translating relevant and effective interventions into practice to optimize management of chronic conditions. Dr. Murphy has expertise in patient-oriented and community-engaged research methods, social and behavioral clinical trial methodology, as well as real-time assessment techniques, such as ecological momentary assessment and accelerometry.
Alexandra Harper, PhD, OTR/L
Dr. Alexandra Harper is an occupational therapist with nearly 10 years of clinical experience and is a current Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Michigan Medicine. Dr. Harper completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Pittsburgh in 2022.
Dr. Harper's research interests involve using stakeholder engagement and implementation science methods to enhance the relevance and pragmatism of research studies. Her research seeks to facilitate the development and delivery of evidence-based interventions that improve the safety and quality of health care.
