Emma Fortune Ngufor, Ph.D.

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SUMMARY

The research of Emma Fortune Ngufor, Ph.D., is focused on:

• Developing technology and methodologies to promote healthy aging and wellness through remote monitoring for a better quality of life and fewer injuries
• Understanding the function and behavior of patients and providers in their home and work environments

Using advanced techniques in field-based activity monitoring, imaging and data analytics, Dr. Fortune Ngufor investigates the effects of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and musculoskeletal loading on bone and muscle health. She also studies the applications of remote monitoring with a special emphasis on women's health.

Focus areas

• Remote monitoring of physical activity for bone and muscle health management. The goals of these National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded projects are to develop and validate a portable tool to measure multiple characteristics of patients' physical activity profiles to implement a remote monitoring care model for aging women in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and fracture risk to curb the associated $20 billion yearly treatment costs.
• Shoulder function in manual wheelchair users. The goal of these projects is to examine the impact of the extreme increases in upper extremity demand on manual wheelchair users from the necessity to use their arms for all aspects of mobility after paralysis. Dr. Fortune Ngufor develops and validates neural network-based activity algorithms using upper body sensors to measure how much time manual wheelchair users spend performing daily activities in their home and community environments.
• Improving staff wellness using novel technologies. Through the use of a range of novel and advanced wearable sensors, Dr. Fortune Ngufor is studying the emotions and physical and cognitive workloads of clinical, research and allied health staff.

Significance to patient care

Dr. Fortune Ngufor's research is aimed at improving patient care and outcomes through early disease prevention, detection and treatment plans using advanced technologies for identifying and reducing risk factors.

Professional highlights

• Associate editor, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2018-present