About Dr. Jacquelin Perry

Dr. Jacquelin Perry (1918-2013) was a leading authority on rehabilitation sciences and gait analysis. Her illustrious career spanned six decades and included trailblazing stints as a physical therapist in the US Army, as a scientist pioneering the study of post-polio syndrome and as a prolific academic scholar who authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, 40 book chapters and published what is considered the definitive textbook on Gait Analysis.

She was the first woman orthopaedic surgeon to graduate from the University of California, San Francisco and was nominated as the 1959 LA Times Woman of the Year in science. In 2009, in recognition of her contributions, the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy renamed its state-of-the-art biomechanics laboratory as the Jacquelin Perry Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Laboratory.

It is precisely on account of her groundbreaking efforts that we are here working towards ushering in a new era of analyzing human bipedal gait for healthcare applications.

Resources to learn more about her life and career:

1. Rancho Research Institute tribute

2. LA Times tribute

3. NY Times tribute

4. The Lancet tribute

5. Video tribute by USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy

6. Jacquelin Perry, 9 Feet Tall by Rebecca L. Craik, PT, PhD, in Physical Therapy journal