761: Changing Behaviors to Improve Long-Term Health Outcomes in Adults With Neurologic Disease - Dr. Kim Waddell

People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers

Dr. Kim Waddell is an Assistant Professor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine as well as a faculty member with the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, a Senior Fellow in the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, and Research and Innovation Manager in the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Kim is a Research Health Scientist at the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion. Kim’s research focuses on behavior change and how to help motivate people to make decisions that are more aligned with their longer term goals. She is particularly interested in physical activity and using approaches from behavioral science to motivate adults who have had a stroke or have Parkinson’s disease to increase their daily activity. Another area that Kim is interested in is designing clinical decision support systems and ways to improve decision making to make sure that people are getting the right amount of the right kind of rehabilitation after stroke. When she’s not working, Kim tries to go running as often as possible to clear her head and disconnect from technology. She also enjoys cooking, particularly trying new recipes, as well as watching local sports teams and traveling. Kim received her BS in Health Science from Truman State University and her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She then attended Washington University in St. Louis where she earned her PhD in Movement Science and her Master’s degree in Clinical Investigation. Kim conducted postdoctoral research at the VA and Penn before joining the faculty there. Recently, she was awarded the 2024 Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research’s Early-Stage Investigator Award, and in our interview, she shares more about her life and science.