News
Dr. Cara L. Lewis Presents at the 11th Annual Shirley Sahrmann Lecture
Dr. Lewis delivered a presentation titled “Diary of a Joint: Adaptation of hip structure over time” as part of Washington University’s annual Shirley Sahrmann Lecture on October 10, 2025. In this talk, Dr. Lewis discusses her trajectory of her research career, highlighting her motivation for understanding the relationship between movement and loading. Dr. Lewis speaks about the evolution of hip joint structure over time, particularly in regard to various athletes.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Diary of a Joint, the link to this presentation can be found here: Diary of a Joint – Dr. Lewis!
PhD Student Ria Rao Awarded the ASB Graduate Student Research Grant!
A huge congratulations to Ria on this accomplishment! Very well-deserved!
More info on the grant can be found here: ASB Competitive Grant Awards
Congratulations to Cara Lewis on her promotion to Full Professor!
April, 2025
Cara is the Director of the Human Adaptation Lab and professor in the Physical Therapy Department who has just been promoted to Full Professor! Her hard work, passion, and dedication to advocating for female athlete hip research in rehabilitation science are key driving forces in our laboratory. Very well deserved, Cara! Congratulations!
Human Adaptation Lab Celebrates National Biomechanics Day 2025!
April 23, 2025
The Human Adaptation Lab celebrated National Biomechanics Day for the third year in a row! Students from the BU Upward Bound Math-Science program visited the lab to learn about biomechanics and how this applies to daily life. Students observed motion capture processes and practiced using biomechanics terms to describe movement. Another huge shout-out to Avery Kratzer for organizing such a great event!
HAL Research Featured in the Arthritis Foundation Newsletter! 
April, 2025
Check out our Arthritis Foundation feature here!
If you want to be a part of the work we do and are interested in getting involved, fill out our eligibility screening form today!
Congratulations to Avery on her recent publication!
March 17th, 2025
The link to the article can be found here!
Cara Lewis Awarded for the FastOA Initiative
October 4th, 2024
The Arthritis Foundation has awarded Cara Lewis as part of their Osteoarthritis Clinical Trial Network initiative called FastOA. To carry out this initiative, the Human Adaptation Lab (HAL) at Boston University will be evaluating hip morphology and movement in young female athletes (18 to 30 years old).
PhD Candidate Jing-Sheng Li Successfully Defends Doctoral Dissertation
Jing-Sheng Li, our PhD candidate, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation today on March 29, 2018. His dissertation was titled Knee Joint Kinematics Before and After Body Weight Change and examined the effects of obesity on knee joint biomechanics. He is Dr. Cara Lewis's second PhD candidate to complete a dissertation defense this month alone.
Congratulations, Jing-Sheng!
PhD Candidate Kari Loverro Successfully Defends Her Doctoral Dissertation
Kari Loverro, our PhD candidate, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation yesterday on March 21, 2018. Her dissertation, titled Variability and Local Dynamic Stability During Gait - An Investigation of Military Relevant Load Carriage and Hip Pathology, examined the biomechanical effects of military-relevant loads and speeds on male and female soldiers.
Congratulations, Kari!
PhD Candidate Jing-Sheng Li Awarded Force & Motion/ORS Young Scientist Travel Grant
Jing-Sheng Li was recently awarded the Force & Motion/ORS Young Scientist Travel Grant at the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) 2018 Annual Meeting held in New Orleans, LA from March 10-13, 2018. ORS has partnered with the Force & Motion Foundation to promote and support US and international young investigators in the field of orthopaedics. The award, provided by the Force & Motion Foundation, is presented to an ORS member in good standing with the accepted abstract to be presented at the ORS annual meeting related to multi-axis force measurement and testing.
The awarded abstract was titled, "Obesity Altered Condylar Motion during Gait."
Congratulations, Jing-Sheng!
Jing-Sheng Li with his Force & Motion/ORS Young Scientist Travel Grant award
HAL Welcomes Matt and Nicole
We'd like to welcome and introduce two of our newest lab members! Matt Figucia and Nicole McClellan will be joining HAL as undergraduate research assistants this semester. Matt and Nicole are juniors that are majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Human Physiology, respectively.
Welcome, Matt and Nicole!
Cara Lewis Presents at 2018 CSM Conference
Our lab director, Cara Lewis, recently presented at the 2018 Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) hosted by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). This event, held in New Orleans, LA from February 21-24, drew in a record attendance of 17,000 people. Cara had the opportunity to present a poster titled "Gait Alterations in Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome Differ by Sex" at this conference. Congratulations, Cara!