Danielle Levac, Ph.D.

Education

• B. Sc. Physiotherapy, University of Ottawa (2001)
• M. Sc. Rehabilitation Sciences, McMaster University (2007)
• Ph. D. Rehabilitation Sciences, McMaster University (2012)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Motor Control Laboratory, University of Ottawa (2012-2014)

Current research projects

• Immersive virtual reality for eye-hand coordination assessment in children with hemiplegia (American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine)
• Enhancing transfer of motor skill learning from virtual to physical environments in children with cerebral palsy (National Institutes of Health).
• Taking virtual reality ‘on the road’: A mobile VR system to explore motor learning in children with cerebral palsy (Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation)
• Novel methods to quantify the affective impact of virtual reality for motor skill learning (Northeastern University)
• Immersive virtual reality as a training modality for the development of a growth mindset in economically disadvantaged children and youth (Northeastern University)
• Assessing the impact of changes in therapy service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic on function, socialization, and participation of children with disabilities (Northeastern University)

Selected publications

• Cheng, M., Anderson, M., & Levac, D. E. (2021). Performance variability during motor learning of a new balance task in a non-immersive virtual environment in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy and typically developing peers. Frontiers in Neurology, 12, 279. doi:10.3389/fneur.2021.623200
• Levac, D. E., Huber, M. E., & Sternad, D. (2019). Learning and transfer of complex motor skills in virtual reality: a perspective review. Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation, 16(1), 121. doi:10.1186/s12984-019-0587-8
• Rohrbach, N., Chicklis, E., & Levac, D. E. (2019). What is the impact of user affect on motor learning in virtual environments after stroke? A scoping review. Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation, 16(1), 79. doi:10.1186/s12984-019-0546-4
• Ryan, J. L., Wright, F. V., & Levac, D. E. (2020). Exploring physiotherapists’ use of motor learning strategies in gait-based interventions for children with cerebral palsy. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 40(1), 79-92. doi:10.1080/01942638.2019.1622623
• Levac, D. E., & Lu, A. S. (2019). Does narrative feedback enhance children’s motor learning in a virtual environment?. Journal of Motor Behavior, 51(2), 199-211. doi:10.1080/00222895.2018.1454398
• Glegg, S. M., & Levac, D. E. (2018). Barriers, facilitators and interventions to support virtual reality implementation in rehabilitation: a scoping review. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 10(11), 1237-1251. doi:10.1016/j.pmrj.2018.07.004
• Levac, D. E., Glegg, S. M., Colquhoun, H., Miller, P., & Noubary, F. (2017). Virtual reality and active videogame-based practice, learning needs, and preferences: A cross-Canada survey of physical therapists and occupational therapists. Games for Health Journal, 6(4), 217-228. doi:10.1089/g4h.2016.0089

To view other publications by Professor Danielle Levac on Google Scholar, click here.

Research interests

Research methodologies

• Motor learning paradigms:  Eye tracking, kinematics and kinetics, electroencephalography, task performance measures
• Affective reactions to immersion in a virtual environment: subjective measures, physiological data (skin conductance), video coding of behavioral and verbal indicators
• Knowledge translation methods and strategies
• Clinical trials
• Scoping reviews

Research themes

• Understanding mechanisms of learning and transfer in virtual environments
• Developing and evaluating innovative applications of immersive virtual reality for assessment and intervention in pediatric rehabilitation
• Working with therapists to create and disseminate knowledge translation resources to promote the evidence-based integration of virtual reality in rehabilitation
• Developing a knowledge translation network to create best practice guidelines for virtual reality use in rehabilitation
• Development of methodological guidelines for scoping review conduct and reporting
• Exploring the use of immersive virtual reality to promote growth mindset development in children and youth