Simona Bar-Haim is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a physical therapist. She received her M.Sc. in Physiology from Tel-Aviv University and her PhD from Ben –Gurion University of the Negev. She is heading the Laboratory for Rehabilitation and Motor Control of Walking at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Years ago, Dr. Bar-Haim was one of the first researchers to investigate the clinical aspects of nonlinear features of the human movement system. She originated the concept, developed Re-Step™ and conducted studies on applying chaotic perturbations to facilitate motor learning and improve walking of persons following brain damage.
In the last 35 years she has been involved in advanced clinical trials and R&D in the field of neuro-rehabilitation. With her students she is currently designing biomarkers and treatment strategies to improve the function of walking of adults with CP and those with acquired brain damage. Her Lab is pioneering the use of fNIRS and fMRI to study the motor control of walking on challengeable complex environments.
Bar-Haim developed novel treatment approaches for persons with Cerebral Palsy while looking into the motor control of walking as a chaotic system. The main strength of her research stems from the multi-disciplinary approach she has taken throughout the years. She has been the principal investigator of numerous multi-center studies including studies conducted in the Middle East and the EU.
Bar-Haim is the co-founder of Step of Mind Ltd.
In the last year Bar-Haim is proud to lead together with Dr. Lior Shmuelof the pioneering BGU Translational Neuroscience initiative in Aleh Negev Nahalat Eiran located in the south of Israel.
Awards
• Award of Merit, Al Hussein Society for the Rehabilitation of the Physically Handicapped, for dedicated and outstanding service to disabled persons in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
• British Council Scholarship. ORLAU, Oswestry, Great Britain.
• Outstanding Research Award, Israeli Association of Child Developmental Centers.
• Merage Institute for US-Israeli Innovation Bridge Business Executive Leadership.
Dr. Simona Bar-Haim – Biographical Sketch
Improving Mobility with High-Tech Shoes
For many years, Dr. Simona Bar-Haim worked as a physiotherapist focused on treating children with cerebral palsy (CP). In her forties, she decided on a life of research and earned her Ph.D. at BGU…