Catherine L. Furbish
Papers
6
Total Citations
189
H-Index
6
About
Catherine L. Furbish is a rehabilitation researcher whose work sits at the intersection of assistive technology, spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation, and health economics. She has made significant contributions to understanding the real-world application of robotic locomotor exoskeletons—wearable powered devices that enable individuals with SCI to walk overground—examining them from clinical, economic, and patient-centered perspectives. Furbish's most cited work (70 citations) documented clinicians' firsthand experiences implementing exoskeleton technology across multiple SCI Model Systems Centers, providing a rare, practice-grounded perspective on training strategies and institutional adoption. Complementing this, she captured the voices of people living with SCI themselves, exploring their perceived physical and psychological benefits and offering recommendations to manufacturers and therapists—research that has collectively garnered over 90 citations. Her methodological range is notable: she has conducted qualitative focus groups, budget impact analyses, and formal cost-effectiveness evaluations, giving policymakers and clinicians a comprehensive evidence base for decision-making. Her 2023 cost-effectiveness analysis addresses a critical gap in SCI rehabilitation literature. Across her body of work, Furbish consistently centers both clinical feasibility and patient experience, making her research uniquely valuable to the rehabilitation community navigating emerging assistive technologies.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6