Susan Klepper, Ph.D., PT

	Associate Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy Faculty member since 1997 sek44@columbia.edu
	Education
	Ph.D., Pediatric Physical Therapy, Hahnemann University M.S. , Pediatric Physical Therapy, Hahnemann University B.S., Physical Therapy, St. Louis University
Professional Expertise
Pediatrics with an emphasis in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Member and Consultant: Pediatric Rheumatology Team, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
Honors and Awards
Dissertation Award, American Physical Therapy Association, Section on Pediatrics
Research Interests
Gross motor skills and physical function in children with and without juvenile idiopathic arthritis The impact of physical conditioning on gross motor skills, physical function, and quality of life in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis Six-minute walk test scores in healthy, typically developing children Development and examination of exercise videos for children with arthritis
Teaching Responsibilities
PT Management of Pediatric Conditions I and II (with Dr. Debra Krasinski) Advanced Topics in Pediatrics (with Dr. Debra Krasinski) Capstone Project advisement in pediatrics
Scholarly Productivity
Recent Publications Klepper S. (2008). The role of exercise in pediatric rheumatology conditions. Current opinion in Rheumatology Klepper S. (2007). Making the case for exercise in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: What we know and where we go from here. Arthritis Care Res:57:887-890. Klepper S. (2003). Measures of pediatric function. Arthritis Care and Research. 49:Suppl. 5-14. Klepper S. (2003). Physical Activity and Exercise in Juvenile Arthritis: Evidence for the Benefits. Arthritis Care and Research. 49:1-9. Klepper S. (2000). Physical management of arthritis in children. Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine for Primary Care Atlanta, GA: American College of Rheumatology. 2(2):16-28. Book Chapters Klepper S. (2008). Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. In Tecklin J. “Pediatric Physical Therapy”, Fifth Edition. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins Krasinski D, Klepper S. (2006). Impaired Neuromuscular Development. In Cameron, M, (Ed). “Physical Rehabilitation: Evidence Based Examination, Evaluation, and Intervention” .Philadelphia: Elsevier. Klepper S. (2007). Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. In Campbell, S., VanderLinden, D., Palisano, R. (Eds). “Physical Therapy for Children”, 3rd edition. Philadelphia, PA Grant Activity Effects of a 12-week physical conditioning program on gross motor skills, aerobic endurance, physical function, and quality of life in children with chronic arthritis. Arthritis Foundation, 2002-05. Effects of eight-week exercise program on motor skills, function, and pain in children with rheumatic disease. Section on Pediatrics, American Physical Therapy Association, 2001. Exercise beliefs and habits of adolescents with rheumatic disease. New York Physical Therapy Association 2001.