Robert Catena, assistant professor of physical therapy and director of the University of Evansville’s Dunigan Movement Analysis Lab, has recently co-authored two journal publications. “Biomechanics and Injury Risk Assessment of Falls onto Protective Floor Mats,†with collaborations at California State University, Los Angeles and Mercedes-Benz, was published in the November/December 2011 issue of Rehabilitation Nursing.
 Catena also co-authored “Balance Control During Lateral Load Transfers Over a Slippery Surface†with collaborations at Harvard University and Liberty Mutual. This research was published in the November 2011 issue of Ergonomics.
Catena received a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He received a Master of Science and PhD in biomechanics from the University of Oregon. He finished his formal education as a post-doctoral research fellow with the Harvard School of Public Health and Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety studying occupational biomechanics and ergonomics.
At UE, Catena teaches biomechanics, functional anatomy, and gait analysis. His own research focuses on prevention and rehabilitation of physical and neurological impairments. Past and current research interests include dynamic balance control, mild traumatic brain injury, and manual material handling. He has authored numerous journal publications and conference presentations on these topics.
