Kimberly Hreha

Kimberly Hreha serves as Assistant Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine and is a Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. Her research bridges vision rehabilitation, spatial neglect, and stroke recovery with emphasis on sensory impairments' impact on cognitive function and daily living in aging populations.

Education:

• Ed.D., Columbia University (2017)

Dr. Hreha's work centers on spatial neglect assessment and treatment, vision rehabilitation protocols, and the interplay between sensory deficits (vision/hearing) and cognitive decline. She develops clinical tools like the Visual Symptoms and Signs Screen and investigates prism adaptation therapy's efficacy. Her research extends to dementia-stroke relationships and patient education for conditions like Charles Bonnet Syndrome and cataracts, emphasizing practical applications for community-dwelling elderly and stroke survivors.

Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals dominant themes: spatial neglect quantification (35% of articles), vision rehabilitation innovations (30%), and sensory-cognitive interactions in aging (25%). Key methodologies include systematic reviews, Delphi consensus techniques, and longitudinal cohort studies using datasets like the Mexican Health and Aging Study.

Scientific Awards: No awards listed in source materials.

Current research is supported by two major NIH-funded grants:

• Effect of Nutrient Rich Egg Intervention on Vision, Function and Cognition in Older Adults with Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration (2023-2026)
• Influence of Vision Impairments on Dementia in Stroke Survivors: A Longitudinal Analysis (2023-2026)

She teaches OT-D 622: Introduction to Low Vision Rehab and has no listed advisees.

Through the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences network, she collaborates with neuroscientists and clinicians on interdisciplinary projects exploring AI applications in rehabilitation and sensory-cognitive biomarkers, as highlighted in Duke's May 2024 faculty collaborations feature.