Teaching / Research / Service
I am a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy Education. My clinical background is in treatment of neuromuscular disorders and I have been involved in physical therapist education for the last 21 years. I currently teach neuroscience and physical therapy management of neuromuscular disorders in our entry-level DPT program and I try to follow the lead of Socrates who said, "Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”

Although my doctoral research focused on how the brain organizes and controls functional movements, my most recent research has focused on using computers and new electronic technology to enhance student and patient learning. My newest project involves the use of affordable video analysis software to enhance clinical assessment of functional activities.

I’m involved in a number of community activities. The most fun is “balance class” with stroke survivors at the American Stroke Foundation (Mission, KS). Every Friday I travel with a small group of PT students to the American Stroke Foundation building. We engage a group of stroke survivors in an hour of exercises and activities designed to improve stability and reduce falls. We follow two simple rules, 1. Nobody falls; 2. Everybody has fun!

Recent Publications / Presentations
Brain Rules!, Kansas Physical Therapy Association Student Conclave, Kansas City, KS, September 12, 2009. (Invited Presentation)

Cowart IW, Webb M, & McKiernan BJ. The Effects of an Audience Response System on Exam Scores in a Physical and Occupational Therapy Neuroscience Course.  Poster presentation at Missouri Physical Therapy Association spring meeting, Lake Ozark, MO, April 2009. (Poster Presentation)

Using a Wiki to Organize Department Policies, Procedures and Shared Information. Rockhurst University Fall Faculty Assembly, Kansas City, MO, August 17, 2009. (Invited Presentation)

Survey Says…Audience Response Systems in the Classroom. Rockhurst University, Center for Excellence in Teach and Learning, Kansas City, MO, March 26, 2009. (Invited Presentation)

Griffin, D.M., Hudson, H.M., Belhaj-Saif, A., McKiernan, B.J., Cheney, P.D. (2008).  Do Corticomotoneuronal Cells Predict Target Muscle EMG Activity? Journal of Neurophysiology, 99(3):1169-986.

Santos, M., Zahner, L.H., McKiernan, B.J., Mahnken, J.D., Quaney, B. (2006). Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Improves Severe Hand Dysfunction for Individuals With Chronic Stroke: A Pilot Study. J. Neurol. Phys. Ther., 30(4): 175-183.

Pohl, P.S., Froelich-Grobe, K., McKiernan, B.J., Vacek, K.M., Donnelly, M., Gilmore Gaughan, J. (2006). Access to polling places in the 2004 Presidential Election: the experience of one metropolitan midwest city. Am J Occupational Ther., 60(4).

Education
B.S., Journalism, University of Kansas, 1978
B.S., Physical Therapy, University of Kansas, 1985
Ph.D., Physiology, University of Kansas, 1998

Contact Information
Brian McKiernan, PT, PhD
Van Ackeren 123
1100 Rockurst Rd.
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 501-4684 (phone)
(816) 501-4643 (fax)
brian.mckiernan@rockhurst.edu

Courses: Clinical Education courses in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years of the curriculum; Reflective Practice courses which run concurrent with Clinical Education courses II-VI; Physical Therapy for the Older Adult (elective).

Research interests: Activity and movement patterns of older adults; factors related to success in clinical education.

Other interests: Works PRN at area rehab and skilled nursing facilities primarily with older adult clients. Member of the MPTA, APTA and Regional Consortium of ACCE's.

Personal interests: Running, reading, Notre Dame sports and spending time with my 3 children and husband.

Courses: Physical Therapy Management of Musculoskeletal Conditions I and III, Concepts and Practices of Administration and Creating a Practice.

Research interests: Professionalism in Clinical Practice; Clinical Orthopedics (with a focus on the shoulder girdle).

Professional activities: Missouri Physical Therapy Association Liaison to the Advisory Commission of the Missouri Board of Healing Arts; Clinical practice with HCA. 

Personal interests: Tennis, Snow skiing and reading.

"I strongly feel that teaching makes me a better clinician; continuing to be a clinician makes me a better teacher."

Courses: Physical Therapy Management of the Medical Patient, Complex Clinical Decision-Making, and Medical Diagnostics.

Research interests: Influence of hormones on the ACL in females and listening styles and student learning.

Other interests: Sports, especially volleyball, cultural and performing arts.

"I like the pursuit of excellence that I find in physical therapy, both in teaching and in clinical work - and I like the blend of the two in a teaching and learning facility like Rockhurst."

Courses: Clinical Physiology, Kinesiology, Cardiopulmonary Theory & Practice, Cardiopulmonary Therapeutic Exercise, Musculoskeletal Therapeutic Exercise Lab, Capstone.

Research Interests: biomechanical differences in performance by male and female athletes, chest wall movement and body position.

Other Interests: Love those Kansas City Chiefs. Like to exercise, play golf, read mysteries, and watch "ER".

Courses:Clinical Procedures II, Clinical Decision Making, Research Capstone, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology

Research Interests: Generally any topic that connects ideas from Physical Therapy and Exercise Science.  Research projects in recent years have focused on low back pain and core stabilization, sports medicine, and the interaction between exercise physiology, motor performance, and biomechanics.

Professional Interests: Pro bono Physical Therapy, American Physical Therapy Association, American College of Sports Medicine, North American Society for Sport History, International Society for Biomechanics in Sports, National Strength and Conditioning Association

Other Interests: My Family, Running, Cycling, Mountain Climbing, Architecture and Urban Planning, American History

Courses: Kinesiology & Biomechanics, Functional Anatomy, Research II and III.

Research interests: Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, rehabilitation of patients with total knee and total hip replacements using unloading system.

Other interests: Playing soccer, reading, and volunteering for non profit organizations.

Courses: Professional Development, Research, Clinical Decision-Making.

Research Interests: Clinical Decision Making in Expert Physical Therapists, Scholarship of Teaching, The Development of Leadership in Physical Therapy.

Professional Interests: American Physical Therapy Association (past President Pediatric Section, past Secretary for the Academic Administrators Special Interest Group, past Chair APTA Nominating Committee; current Chief Delegate from Missouri to the APTA House of Delegates, current member Missouri Physical Therapy Board of Directors); American Association of University Professors; Current Chair of the Rockhurst Faculty Senate.

Other Interests: Gardening, Reading, Exercising, Volunteerism

"Through a partnership between faculty and students in an educational process based on Jesuit principles, we have a chance to influence the future in a meaningful way.  Our students are the future."

Courses: Health Promotion, Motor Control/Motor Learning, Physical Therapy Management of Neurological Conditions I Lab (CNS disorders), Physical Therapy Management of Pediatric Conditions (lecture & labs), Pediatric Physical Therapy (advanced elective), and Research III-V.

Research interests: Health promotion and prevention practice (focusing on families care and community-based strategies); motor imagery and its effects on motor performance and motor learning.

Professional interests: APTA (Sections for Education, Neurology, and Pediatrics), MPTA (grant reviewer), Kansas City Pediatric Alliance (Board member, Research Consultant and speaker), KC Healthy Start (grant collaborator), author of Prevention Practice: A Physical Therapist’s Guide to Health, Fitness, and Wellness, and service learning (health education and screening services to at-risk populations in the KC area).

Other interests: Historic preservation, multiculturalism, travel, and quality time with family and friends.

"Rockhurst offers a dynamic learning environment that prepares students to think critically in an ever-changing and diversified health care environment."

Courses: Physical Therapy Management of Musculoskeletal Conditions II & III, Clinical Decision Making, Research.

Research interests: Physical therapy informatics, the use of computers and technology in learning, electronic health records, clinical orthopedics, and physical therapy ontologies.

Other Interests: Spending time with my family, trying to learn to paint and draw, writing children’s books: Raymond and Graham Rule the School (Viking Books)