Sylvia Ounpuu, MSc

Sylvia Õunpuu is the current Kinesiologist of the Center for Motion Analysis at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Farmington, Connecticut, USA and is an Associate Professor at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut.  She obtained an BSc in Kinesiology in 1982 and a MSc in Biomechanics in 1986 from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.  She has been with the Center for Motion Analysis since 1987 and is active in both research and clinical services.  Her major focus over her 3 decades with the Center for Motion Analysis has been designing, implementing and promoting comprehensive gait analysis techniques for treatment decision-making and evaluation for a variety of gait pathologies in children including but not limited to cerebral palsy, myelomeningocele, Charcot-Marie-Tooth and club foot.  Sylvia has published extensively in several areas including short and long-term treatment outcomes research for orthopaedic surgical outcomes as well as brace intervention, motion analysis methodology, data interpretation strategies and typically developing and pathological gait patterns for a variety of gait pathologies.  Her current research focus includes understanding treatment outcomes (surgical and bracing) as well as disease progression in children and youth with Charcot-Marie-Tooth in the context of comprehensive gait analysis techniques.  Other areas of interest include surgical outcomes for patients with cerebral palsy and orthopaedic disorders such as clubfoot.  Ms Õunpuu has also taught extensively gait analysis methodology and data interpretation in a variety of forums including the annual comprehensive gait analysis course, which had its beginnings at Newington Children’s Hospital in 1990.