Becoming a physical therapist was my passion. Through my clinical work, I discovered research questions that I wanted to answer for individuals with complex neurological disabilities. I am excited to pursue a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science to create efficacious healthy lifestyle behavior interventions for people with physical, cognitive, and sensory disabilities.
Departments
Programs
Representative Publications
- Crytzer TM, Cheng YT, Bryner MJ, Wilson III R, Sciurba FC, Dicianno BE. Impact of neurological level and spinal curvature on pulmonary function in adults with spina bifida. J Pediatr Rehabil Med. 2018;11(4):243-254. doi: 10.3233/PRM-179451. PMID: 30741703
- Crytzer, T.M., Keramati, M., Anthony, S.J., Cheng, Y.-T., Robertson, R.J. and Dicianno, B.E. (2018), Exercise Prescription Using a Group-Normalized Rating of Perceived Exertion in Adolescents and Adults With Spina Bifida. PM&R, 10: 738-747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmrj.2018.01.004
- Crytzer TM, Dicianno BE, Robertson RJ, Cheng YT. Validity of a wheelchair perceived exertion scale (wheel scale) for arm ergometry exercise in people with spina bifida. Percept Mot Skills. 2015. Feb;120(1):304-22. doi: 10.2466/15.08.PMS.120v12x8. Epub 2015 Feb 4. PMID: 25650508.
Research Interests
- Usability and feasibility testing of novel theory-based technology-supported healthy lifestyle behavior interventions
- Impact of assistive technology on the pulmonary function of people with neurological disabilities
Research Grants
Current Research Support
WHEEL-LEARN: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERNET BASED HEALTHY LIFESTYLE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION IN PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND SENSORY DISABILITIES HEALTHY LIFESTYLE INSTITUTE (CRYTZER) 2/15/2020-2/14/2021
University of Pittsburgh $20,000
Role: PI. Responsible for full conduct of study. Physical and psychosocial barriers place people with disabilities at greater risk for chronic disease risk than those without disabilities. Lifestyle management is a key factor in behavior change for preventing chronic disease risk. Standard Behavioral Therapy is a proven method for tackling barriers to a healthy lifestyle. There are limited options for usable, accessible, and low-cost, evidence-based behavioral lifestyle programs for disability populations. A user centered design approach is proposed to (1) develop WHEEL-LEARN, a web-based behavioral lifestyle program and (2) test the usability and accessibility the product. It will be piloted in a diverse cohort of people with sensory, cognitive, and physical disabilities.