Simone V. Gill, PhD, OTR/L

Associate Professor, Boston University School of Public Health

Biography

Dr. Gill investigates how individuals’ bodies and environmental demands influence walking and motor functioning across the lifespan. She uses a variety of methods to examine how children and adults modify their walking patterns to navigate through the environment. She is particularly interested in understanding how childhood and adult obesity affect the ability to adapt to change. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association, the Obesity Society, the Society for Research in Child Development, the International Society of Developmental Psychobiology, and the American Diabetes Association.

Dr. Gill directs the Motor Development Laboratory where she investigates how people’s bodies and environmental demands influence walking and motor functioning across the lifespan. She uses a variety of methods to examine how children and adults modify their walking patterns to navigate through the environment: three-dimensional motion capture, computerized video coding, wearable motion sensor technology, portable spatio-temporal gait systems, and digital pressure mats. Her long-term goals are to: develop novel systems approaches to optimize health outcomes in early childhood, design innovative interventions that minimize fall risks associated with childhood and adult obesity, create new methods to detect fall risks linked with childhood and adult obesity

Publications

  • Published 11/5/2024

    Dahlerbruch K, Helfrich C, Gill SV. Participation as Co-Occupation Between Parents and Adult Children With Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities. OTJR (Thorofare N J). 2024 Nov 05; 15394492241292267. PMID: 39498857.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/30/2024

    Gill SV, Shin D, Kim TW, Magane KM, Hereen T, Winter M, Helfrich C, Saitz R. A Fall Prevention Feasibility Trial for People With HIV and Alcohol Use. OTJR (Thorofare N J). 2025 Jan; 45(1):85-94. PMID: 38554013.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/29/2024

    Flores MB, Tovin MM, Gill SV, Iverson JM. Movement as a Gateway to Participation for Individuals With Neuromotor Conditions: A Scoping Review. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2024 Apr 01; 36(2):225-254. PMID: 38568271.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/24/2023

    Choi CW, Cunha D, Helfrich C, Gill SV. Factors contributing to whether or not people with obesity undergo bariatric surgery. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2023; 17(6):511-518. PMID: 38000977.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/25/2023

    Shin D, Choi CW, Desrochers PC, Gill SV. Factors Mediating or Moderating the Effects of Obesity on Walking: Targeting Areas for Rehabilitation. J Mot Behav. 2024; 56(1):62-68. PMID: 37491006.

    Read at: PubMed

Other Positions

  • Assistant Professor, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Education

  • New York University, PhD
  • New York University, PhD
  • New York University, MA
  • Tufts University, MS
  • Carnegie Mellon University, BS