Physical Therapy Professor Receives Award for Excellence in Research

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 21, 2010) −  Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden, associate professor in the  Division of Physical Therapy at the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences, was named the 2010 recipient of the UK College of Health Sciences Award for Excellence in Research.

The Award for Excellence in Research is given in recognition of research and scholarship endeavors that have made significant and lasting research contributions in the investigator’s discipline.

“Esther’s efforts to advance the culture of research among the faculty and students of the division and department is most impressive,” said Janice Kuperstein, associate professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences in the UK College of Health Sciences. “She is accomplished in her own research, yet approaches each individual at his or her own level of comfort and helps him or her advance at a comfortable pace. I believe this is a remarkable skill and Esther’s dedication to it is most worthy of recognition.”

Dupont-Versteegden joined the Division of Physical Therapy and the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences in the UK College of Health Sciences as a faculty member in 2006. Her research interests are in the loss of muscle mass, in particular with disuse and aging. She is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded researcher, with grant support in excess of $1 million.