Sandra Billinger, PhD, PT

Dr. Sandra Billinger, PhD, PT, is Professor and Vice Chair of Stroke Translational Research at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Assistant Director of the Neuroimaging Core at the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and co-PI/co-Director of an NIH-funded T32 Brain Health Training Program. Her research examines how exercise and physiological challenges influence brain health, cerebral blood flow regulation, and recovery after stroke, with an emphasis on translating mechanistic discoveries into rehabilitation interventions. Dr. Billinger has led multiple NIH-funded studies investigating exercise testing and training, cerebrovascular physiology, and cardiovascular-brain interactions after stroke. Her work has resulted in stroke-specific maximal and submaximal exercise testing protocols, novel methods to assess cerebral autoregulation during sit-to-stand, and a patented approach for assessing brain blood flow during exercise. Her laboratory also developed the Total Body Recumbent Stepper Submaximal Exercise Test and accompanying mobile application for clinical implementation. Dr. Billinger has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and was lead author of the 2014 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on Physical Activity and Exercise Recommendations for Stroke Survivors. Her current work focuses on leveraging exercise and cerebrovascular physiology to understand and influence neural recovery and rehabilitation outcomes after stroke.