Amy Bastian

Amy Bastian serves as Chief Science Officer at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Director of the Center for Movement Studies, while holding a professorship in neurology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Her leadership spans institutional research strategy and specialized movement science initiatives.

Her academic foundation includes a bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis, establishing her expertise in neurological movement disorders.

Dr. Bastian's research program investigates fundamental mechanisms of motor control with clinical translation, focusing on how cerebellar dysfunction disrupts movement and how rehabilitation can restore function. Her team examines balance, gait, arm/hand coordination, and effort valuation across multiple neurological conditions:

• Cerebellar Function and Dysfunction
• Locomotor Plasticity in Health and Disease
• Subjective Effort Cost Representation
• Stroke Rehabilitation Energetics
• Autism Spectrum Movement Characteristics
• Cerebellar Ataxia Mechanisms

The Center for Movement Studies drives innovation through projects including Behavioral and Neural Representations of Subjective Effort Cost, Leveraging Energetics to Improve Gait Rehabilitation After Stroke, and Mechanisms and Rehabilitation of Cerebellar Ataxia, employing interdisciplinary approaches to transform neurorehabilitation practice.