Nora Fritz, PhD, PT, DPT, NCS
Narrative Bio
Dr. Nora Fritz is an Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy Program, Department of Health Care Sciences and Department of Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine. She also serves as the Director of Research for the Department of Health Care Sciences. Dr. Fritz is the Director of the Neuroimaging and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory . Dr. Fritz’s research interests include examining the influence of cognition on mobility and exploring exercise interventions to improve function in individuals with neurologic conditions. She is particularly interested in linking clinically observable function to structural imaging and predicting the outcomes of exercise interventions using neuroimaging. Her laboratory is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, TEVA, and the American Physical Therapy Association, Michigan.
Dr. Fritz’s research has been recognized by the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, where she has twice won the Whitaker Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research, and the Huntington Study Group, where she was recognized as a Shoulson Scholar. Dr. Fritz serves on the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Research Committee and is an invited member of the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy's Balance and Falls Clinical Practice Guideline Development Group.
Research Summary:
As the director of the Neuroimaging and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory, Dr. Fritz’s general research interests focus on understanding the interaction of cognition and mobility in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases. An overarching goal of this work is to pair clinical and neuroimaging measures to better understand these relationships and their potential role in prediction for rehabilitation success. The long-term goal of the laboratory aims to augment recovery of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases by developing neurorehabilitation techniques that enhance motor-cognitive interactions. Her current lines of research include:
Novel physical therapy interventions for individuals with neurodegenerative disease: This line of research targets the development, feasibility and efficacy of interventions for individuals with neurodegenerative disease. These studies have been focused on individuals with Multiple Sclerosis and Huntington’s Disease.
- News Coverage:
Relationships among mobility and cognition: This line of research establishes cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships among mobility and cognition in persons with neurodegenerative disease as well as healthy and aging adults.
Imaging markers of function in neurodegenerative disease: This line of research examines structural and tract-specific imaging measures and their relationship to and predictive value for functional performance in individuals with neurodegenerative disease. These studies confirm that clinical scales can provide insight into brain pathology.
If you are interested in our studies, please contact our laboratory at nnlwsu@gmail.com or call 313-577-3495.
Academic Rank
Associate Professor
Undergraduate
Bachelor of Science in Zoology, Miami University
Graduate
Doctor of Philosophy in Health in Rehabilitation Sciences with a specialization in Neuroscience and Translational Science, The Ohio State University
Doctor of Physical Therapy, The Ohio State University
Position Title
Nora Fritz, PhD, PT, DPT, NCS
Associate Professor
Departments of Health Care Sciences and Neurology
Wayne State University
Fellowships
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Johns Hopkins University and Kennedy Krieger Institute
Publications
Review recent publications by clicking on the links below.
• PubMed