Deanna Gates, Ph.D.

Research Interests/Focus: biomechanics, prostheses, neural control of movement

Research Areas:

Biomechanics, Ergonomics and Rehabilitation, Organ and Whole Body Biomechanics

• Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
• Associate Professor, Robotics

• Gonzalez, M.A., Nwokeabia, C., Vu, P.P. , Vaskov, A.K., Liu, C., Patil, P.G., Cederna, P.S., Chestek, C.A., and Gates, D.H. (2023) Electrical stimulation of regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces (RPNIs) induces referred sensations in people with upper limb loss, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, In Press
• Lee, C., Vaskov, A.K , Gonzalez, M., Vu, P.P., Davis, A.J., Cederna, P.S., Chestek, C.A., Gates, D.H. (2022) Use of regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces and intramuscular electrodes to improve prosthetic grasp selection: A case study,” Journal of Neural Engineering, 19: 066010.
• Gates, D.H., Gonzalez, M.A., Kung, T.A., and Chestek, C.A. (2023) Toward the use of muscle reinnervation for chronic bidirectional control of prostheses to improve functional outcomes of end users, Current Opinions in Biomedical Engineering, 28: 100497.
• Nolasco, L., Silverman, A.K., and Gates, D.H. (2023) Transtibial prosthetic alignment has small effects on whole-body angular momentum during functional tasks, Journal of Biomechanics, 149: 111485. 
• Engdahl, S.M., Lee, C., and Gates, D.H. (2022) A comparison of compensatory movements between body-powered and myoelectric prosthesis users during activities of daily living, Clinical Biomechanics, 97: 105713
• Kim, J., Wensman, J., Colabianchi, N., and Gates, D.H. (2021) The Influence of powered prostheses on user perspectives, metabolics, and activity: a randomized crossover trial, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 18, 49. 
• Gates, D.H., Smurr Walters, L., Cowley, J.C., Wilken, J.M., and Resnik, L. (2016) Range of motion requirements for upper limb activities of daily living, American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(1): 1-10. 
• Engdahl, S., Christie, B., Kelly, B., Davis, A., Chestek, C. and Gates, D.H. (2015) Surveying the interest of individuals with upper limb loss in novel prosthetic control techniques, Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation, 12:53.

Deanna Gates, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Movement Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Robotics at the University of Michigan. She earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia, M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin (2009). Dr. Gates worked in engineering consulting and civilian and military clinical gait laboratories, before arriving at the University of Michigan in 2012. She is a consulting editor with the Journal of Biomechanics and Chair of the Graduate Program in Movement Science. The goal of Dr. Gates’s research program is to improve function and quality of life in individuals with musculoskeletal impairments. Her lab focuses on understanding how individuals adapt their neuromechanics in response to assistive technology. Specifically, her lab explores the factors that relate to a person’s ability to successfully use prosthetic devices, how to train individuals for optimal use and the development of appropriate outcome measures to assess the success of new technology.