About

Sanaz Pournajaf is a rehabilitation researcher whose work sits at the forefront of robot-assisted therapy for neurological conditions, with particular expertise in stroke and Parkinson's disease rehabilitation. Her research systematically investigates how robotic technologies — including overground exoskeletons, end-effector devices, and treadmill-based systems — can optimize motor recovery in patients with significant functional impairments. Among her most influential contributions is a randomized controlled trial comparing robot-assisted and treadmill gait training in Parkinson's disease (97 citations), alongside a multicenter RCT demonstrating the efficacy of overground powered exoskeletons in subacute stroke survivors (69 citations). Pournajaf has made meaningful advances in upper limb rehabilitation, identifying predictors of activities of daily living outcomes following robotic therapy (52 citations) and validating kinematic parameters as objective progress-tracking tools. Her multicenter study designs reflect a commitment to clinically rigorous, scalable evidence. Collectively, her body of work — spanning gait recovery, upper limb function, EMG analysis, and patient stratification — has accumulated over 450 citations, establishing her as a significant voice in translating robotic rehabilitation technologies into evidence-based clinical practice.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

13
H-Index
14
Papers
503
Total Citations
36
Avg Citations/Paper
🏆 Most Cited Paper
Clinical effects of robot-assisted gait training and treadmill training for Parkinson's disease. A randomized controlled trial
97 citations · 2019
📈 Most Prolific Year: 2019 (5 Papers)
🤝 Key Collaborators: 64
🏛 Institutions: IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico

Top Papers

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Key Collaborators

Contact & Links

Available for collaboration
Content generated · 15 days ago