Matthew Hanks.

Matthew Hanks, a professor of kinesiology and community health and the Director of the Disability and Movement Biomechanics Laboratory in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has joined the Beckman Institute.

Hanks’s research in the Disability and Movement Biomechanics Laboratory investigates shoulder health and function in manual wheelchair users across the lifespan. A primary focus of his research explores the influence of physical activity on musculoskeletal development during childhood and young adulthood to better understand healthy aging with manual wheelchair use. Hanks’ research also utilizes a multifaceted approach to monitor shoulder health and function in youth, collegiate and Paralympic adapted sport athletes.

At the Beckman Institute, Hanks will collaborate with professors Deana McDonagh and Adam Bleakney in the (dis)Ability Design Studio to examine the changes in health and function of individuals living with physical disabilities as they age.

Hanks was the 2022 Recipient of the American Spinal Injury Association’s Vogel Award for best paper by a clinician or researcher involved in pediatric spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

"It is a great honor to be an affiliate faculty member at the Beckman Institute. I am excited to conduct impactful research with a multidisciplinary team of global leaders in disability-related research at the University of Illinois," he said.