Lucy Der-Yeghiaian

University of California, Irvine, Queen Mary University of London, University of California, Irvine Medical Center

Papers

Total Citations

1,015

H-Index

About

Lucy Der-Yeghiaian is a leading researcher in neurorehabilitation, with a primary focus on stroke recovery and robotic therapy. Her work bridges engineering and clinical neuroscience to develop innovative interventions for hand motor impairment after stroke. Der-Yeghiaian’s major contribution is the design and validation of the hand-wrist assisting robotic device (HWARD), a pneumatically-actuated, backdriveable robot that assists functional grasping and releasing movements. Her landmark 2007 study on robot-based hand motor therapy, cited over 629 times, demonstrated that robotic training can significantly improve motor function in chronic stroke survivors, with gains linked to the integrity of specific brain structures. Her 2010 paper on stroke injury anatomy, with 238 citations, further showed that the location and extent of corticospinal tract damage predict therapy outcomes, advancing personalized rehabilitation. Der-Yeghiaian’s work has been instrumental in establishing robotics as a viable tool for targeted hand therapy, influencing both clinical practice and device design. Her research underscores the importance of baseline motor status and neural substrates in optimizing recovery, making her a key figure in the field of neurorehabilitation engineering.