Michelle Johnson

Michelle Johnson is an Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in Bioengineering. She directs the Rehabilitation Robotics Lab, where her research focuses on robot-mediated rehabilitation for individuals experiencing motor dysfunction due to aging, neurological disease, or neural injury. Johnson investigates how robot-assisted interventions influence brain plasticity and motor behavior, how motor impairment can be quantified during real-world tasks such as drinking or reaching, and how therapeutic efficacy can be maintained across both in-person and remote robotic rehabilitation platforms. Her group integrates robotics, rehabilitation science, neuroscience, and human-centered design to develop assistive and therapeutic systems that can operate effectively in clinical, community, and telehealth environments. Their goal is to improve functional outcomes and activities of daily living (ADLs) for diverse patient populations through affordable, deployable, and evidence-based robotic technologies. Johnson’s work includes socially assistive telepresence robots, sensorized assessment tools, and low-cost neurorehabilitation devices aimed at translating scientific advances into practical solutions for global rehabilitation challenges.