About
Andrew Michael Gordon is a researcher whose work focuses on cerebral palsy, neurorehabilitation, and motor control in children. His research includes the development and evaluation of intensive upper and lower extremity training programs, the use of neurophysiological and neuroimaging techniques to understand motor impairments, and the application of innovative therapies such as virtual reality training, brain stimulation, and robotic therapy. His contributions aim to improve hand function, trunk stability, and overall motor abilities in children with unilateral and bilateral cerebral palsy, emphasizing the importance of structured skill practice, environmental factors, and neuroplasticity in rehabilitation. Gordon's work also explores the relationship between neural connectivity and therapy response, as well as the participation and engagement of children with disabilities in therapeutic activities.
Research topics
- Medicine
- Physical therapy
- Psychology
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Surgery
- Computer Science
- Biology
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
Selected publications
Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics · 2026-01-06
articleSenior authorAIMS: Person-level engagement, though well studied in counseling, mental health, and adult rehabilitation, is also critical in pediatric rehabilitation, yet it remains underexplored in motor learning interventions for children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP). This study investigated how individual characteristics, including age and mastery motivation, influenced person-level engagement and examined how engagement affected motor outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted involving 49 children with USCP aged 6-17 years who participated in either constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) or hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy (HABIT). Engagement was assessed through video coding and behavioral questionnaires, while hand function was evaluated using three standardized tests. RESULTS: Findings indicated that age was significantly related to engagement. Engagement measures correlated with improvements in hand capacity as measured by the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, but not with performance on the Assisting Hand Assessment. CONCLUSION: The results highlighted the relationship between age and engagement, emphasizing the importance of age-appropriate intervention strategies. Engagement played a role in improvements observed on capacity-based hand function tests, suggesting that engagement during therapeutic camps may be more critical for capacity-based than for performance-based motor activities. These insights support the design of targeted, age-appropriate interventions that optimize therapeutic outcomes for children with USCP.
Comparative Efficacy RCT of 3 Intensive Infant/Toddler Therapies for Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
Pediatrics Open Science · 2026-02-01
articleOpen accessOBJECTIVES Unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) can result in lifelong upper extremity (UE) neuromotor impairment. While both constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) and bimanual training have demonstrated efficacy for children with UCP, there was limited evidence to inform treatment decision-making in children aged between 6 and 24 months. Thus, we performed a comparative efficacy trial testing 3 high-dose therapist-delivered interventions, 2 CIMT interventions varied by constraint type to bimanual/no-constraint intervention for use in treating this age group of children with UCP. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-eight infants/toddlers with UCP diagnosis, aged 6 to 24 months, were enrolled and randomized. Exclusion criteria were uncontrolled seizures, fragile health, prior CIMT/bimanual therapy, and recent botulinum toxin. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 1 of 3 treatments all delivered 3 hours/d and 5 days/wk for 4 weeks: CIMT/full-time cast, CIMT/part-time splint, or bimanual/no constraint. Anonymized assessments at baseline, end of treatment (EoT), and 6 months posttreatment included the Mini–Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) for bimanual abilities and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) Fine-Motor (FM) subscale on each UE for FM abilities. RESULTS Fifty-three infant/toddlers completed treatment and EoT assessment (mean age, 17.2 months), and 41 completed 6-month assessment. All groups had gains from intervention: Mini-AHA scores (P < .003) and Bayley-III FM/paretic side (P < .002). Bayley-III FM/nonparetic side also improved across groups (P < .001). The CIMT/full-time cast showed larger gains on Bayley-III FM/nonparetic side when compared with bimanual/no constraint (difference, 5.9; 95% CI, 1.2-10.5; P = .015). CONCLUSION The trial confirms comparable benefits from therapist-delivered CIMT and bimanual/no-constraint interventions for infants/toddlers with UCP aged between 6 and 24 months.
Neurorehabilitation and neural repair · 2026-04-30
articleSenior authorBackground Recent studies indicate that 60 to 90 hours of motor learning-based interventions provided over a 2 to 3 weeks period improve upper and lower extremity function, balance, and trunk control in children with bilateral cerebral palsy (BCP). However, this treatment dose and schedule may not be feasible for many families and treatment centers. The present study aimed to determine whether a distributed dosing schedule spread out over a longer period would yield gains and retention of functional motor skills and activity. Methods Following randomization, 21 children age 5 to 17 years with BCP participated in a 90-hour Hand–Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including the Lower Extremities (HABIT-ILE) program provided in either a massed (6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 3 weeks) or distributed (6 hours/day, 1 day/week for 15 weeks) dosing schedule. Primary outcomes included upper extremity dexterity (Box and Blocks Test), gross motor function (Gross Motor Function Measure-66), and trunk control (Trunk Control Measurement Scale). Results Both dosing schedules led to significant gains in upper and lower extremity function, balance, and trunk control ( P < .05 on all primary measures). Overall, there was not an advantage of 1 dosing schedule over the other. Conclusions A distributed model of HABIT-ILE can produce similar gains and retention in gross motor function, manual dexterity, balance, and trunk control in children with BCP. The findings may allow clinicians more flexibility in decision-making with regard to the delivery method to fit the preferences for family routines, potentially increasing the feasibility of implementing intensive therapies into clinical practice. Trial Registration Number NCT03940989.
medRxiv · 2026-01-13
articleOpen accessSenior authorAbstract Background Children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP) often rely on trunk compensation due to impaired upper limb control, but current clinical tools do not directly capture trunk involvement. Marker-based systems are challenging to use with children, while computer vision methods like OpenPose offer a promising, scalable alternative for kinematic analysis but need to be validated. Purpose We validated OpenPose for quantifying trunk recruitment during bimanual play in children with USCP and examined how the interventions Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) and Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT) influence trunk use. Methods We analyzed videos of children with USCP who underwent CIMT or HABIT. OpenPose was used to extract trunk displacement angle (TDA) and trunk rotation angle (TRA), which were compared to hand function scores. OpenPose was validated against a 3D motion analysis system in typically developing adults. Reach-phase kinematic variables were also assessed. Results OpenPose showed high validity for TDA and lower validity for multi-planar TRA. TDA and TRA did not correlate with baseline hand function. HABIT reduced TDA, while CIMT slightly increased it. No significant changes were found in velocity, movement time, or variability. Conclusions OpenPose is a viable tool for capturing gross trunk motion. Trunk recruitment patterns differed by intervention, supporting the need for personalized approaches.
Neurology · 2025-04-07 · 1 citations
articleTo assess updated effectiveness and safety data for the complement protein C5 inhibitor therapy (C5IT) ravulizumab among patients with gMG in routine clinical practice.
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques · 2025-06-01
articleOpen accessBackground: The complement C5 inhibitor (C5IT), ravulizumab, is approved in Canada for the treatment of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR-Ab+) generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). Updated effectiveness and safety results from the ongoing MG SPOTLIGHT Registry (NCT04202341) are reported. Methods: MGFA classification and MG-ADL total scores were assessed in patients who received ravulizumab only (ravu-only) or transitioned from eculizumab to ravulizumab (ecu-to-ravu), with data available prior to C5IT initiation (“pre-C5IT”) and ≥1 assessment post-initiation (“post-ravu”). Results: Of 52 patients with 2 post-ravu assessments, average treatment duration was 10.4 months at last assessment (LA). Mean±SD MG-ADL scores improved (pre-C5IT: 7.6±3.6; LA: 3.4±3.3), as did the proportions of patients with minimal symptom expression (MSE, MG-ADL≤1) (pre-C5IT: 1/52 [2%]; LA: 17/52 [33%]) and MGFA classification 0-II (pre-C5IT: 18/45 [40%]; LA: 40/45 [89%]). In the ravu-only subgroup, outcomes improved (pre-C5IT vs LA): MG-ADL, 6.3±3.0 vs 4.0±3.4; MGFA 0-II, 9/14 [64%] vs 12/14 [86%]. The ecu-to-ravu subgroup sustained continued gradual improvement from last eculizumab assessment to LA: MG-ADL, 4.4±4.2 vs 3.0±2.8; MGFA 0-II, 19/21 [90%] vs 20/21 [95%]. Ravulizumab was well tolerated; no meningococcal infections were reported. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the long-term effectiveness and safety of ravulizumab in routine clinical practice in patients with gMG.
<b>Prevalence and Prevention of Large Language Model Use in Crowd</b> Work
Communications of the ACM · 2025-02-18 · 17 citations
articleCrowd workers often use LLMs, but this can have a homogenizing effect on their output. How can we—and should we—prevent LLM use in crowd work?
Transfer of learned object manipulations between two- and five-digit grasps
Experimental Brain Research · 2025-02-26
articleSenior authorClinical features and outcomes of patients with synchronous cancers in West Virginia.
Journal of Clinical Oncology · 2025-05-28
articlee23287 Background: Synchronous cancers, defined as ≥2 separate malignancies diagnosed in the same individual within 6 months, pose unique clinical challenges including almost universal exclusion from clinical trials. The prevalence of synchronous cancers has increased, ranging from 2% to 17%. The biology and risk factors for these cancers is not well understood and there is a paucity of data on clinical features and outcomes for these patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed charts of patients diagnosed with synchronous cancers at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute between 2020 and 2023. Demographic, geographic, and clinical data were collected. Patient geographic data was geocoded and mapped to federally designated Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes, which range from 1 (urban) to 10 (rural). Kaplan-Meier (log-rank) analysis was performed to investigate differences in 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: There were 285 patients in our analysis with a median age of 66 years (range, 24-98). Most patients had same-system diagnoses with the most common being breast (20.7%), skin (9.1%), lung (8.8%), thyroid (7.4%), and gastrointestinal (GI) (5.6%). The median OS and median PFS were not reached in the current follow-up period. There were significant differences in 1-year PFS (0.42 vs 0.58, P = 0.001) and 1-year OS (0.63 vs 0.79, P < 0.005) between males and females, respectively, and between diagnosis groups (1-year PFS, P < 0.001 and 1-year OS, P = 0.004), with improved survival in breast, thyroid, and skin synchronous cancer patients. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first and largest analysis of rural synchronous cancer patients. Notable survival disparities were observed between males and females and different diagnosis groups. These data are particularly valuable for risk factor assessment in a patient population that is underrepresented in the literature and highlights the need for continuing research.
Neurology · 2025-04-07
articleDescribe changes in the use of concomitant immunosuppressive therapies (IST) after initiation of eculizumab and/or ravulizumab treatment.
Recent grants
Collaborative Research: Dextrous Control of Multi-Digit Grasping
NSF · $192k · 2008–2012
NIH · $158k · 1999
NIH · $709k · 2014–2025
NIH · $2.5M · 2020–2026
NIH · $621k · 2004
Frequent coauthors
- 100 shared
Kathleen M. Friel
- 46 shared
Claudio L. Ferre
Boston University
- 34 shared
Eugène Rameckers
Hasselt University
- 31 shared
Jason B. Carmel
- 28 shared
Marina B. Brandão
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
- 27 shared
Jeanne Charles
- 26 shared
Hsing‐Ching Kuo
Alberta Children's Hospital
- 26 shared
Hans Forssberg
Karolinska Institutet
Education
B.A.
Hampshire College
M.S.
Pennsylvania State University
Ph.D.
Karolinska Institute
Other
University of Minnesota
Awards & honors
- NIH National Research Service Award Dissertation Fellowship,…
- Fulbright Award
- AACPDM Richmond Cerebral Palsy Research Award Nomination
- APTA Hughs Award for best pediatric research paper with a ph…
- Best Paper Award, Foundation for Physical Medicine & Rehabil…
- Resume-aware match score
- Save to shortlist
- AI-drafted outreach
See your match with Andrew Michael Gordon
PhdFit ranks faculty by your research interests, methods, and publications — grounded in their actual work, not templates.
- Free to start
- No credit card
- 30-second signup