Dr. Katherine Hsieh received her PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed her Post-Doctoral training in Gerontology at Wake Forest School of Medicine. She joined the CVNR in 2026 and is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Georgia State University. Her research passion lies in reducing fall risk and preventing falls in aging and neurodegenerative populations, particularly in older Veterans with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Her research over the last several years has focused on leveraging innovative technologies, including wearable sensors and mobile health applications, to improve the measurement and assessment of fall risk in aging and neurodegenerative populations. Specifically, she integrates wearable sensors to capture ecologically valid measures of mobility in real-world settings, enabling more sensitive detection of fall risk and functional decline beyond traditional clinic-based assessments. In parallel, her work examines the intersection of mobility and cognition as critical contributors to fall risk, with a particular emphasis on how neurocognitive impairment influences mobility and fall outcomes in clinical populations. Since joining the CVNR, her work has focused on developing fall prevention interventions for Veterans. Her goal is to design interventions that improve both mobility and cognition, understand underlying mechanisms that drive these changes, and tailor interventions to ultimately prevent falls and improve functional independence. 

Research Interests:

Research interests: biomechanics; motor learning; physical activity; exercise physiology; digital health technology; cognition