Rate My Professor Brooke Dexheimer

Brooke Dexheimer, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions, where she directs the Novel Environments for Reducing Disability & Dysfunction (NERDD) Lab. She holds a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Pennsylvania State University (2022), a Graduate Certificate in Translational Science from Pennsylvania State University (2021), an O.T.D. in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis (2018), and a B.A. in Movement & Exercise Science from the University of Northern Iowa (2014). Dexheimer is certified by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy and licensed in Virginia. Her research investigates the underlying mechanisms of motor control and motor learning, the development of evidence-based interventions for neurological injuries, and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques including TMS, tDCS, and tACS. The NERDD Lab explores how sensory information shapes movement and perception from basic neuroscience and translational clinical viewpoints, utilizing custom immersive 3D VR environments, high-definition transcranial electrical stimulation, and tabletop VR systems to study motor adaptation in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor.

Dexheimer has obtained significant funding as principal investigator or co-investigator on multiple grants, including the Virginia Commonwealth University C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center K12 Mentored Career Development Award (NIH NCATS K12 TR004364, 2025–2026) for examining handedness effects on early fine motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease; co-investigator on NIH NINDS R01 NS139424 (2024–2029) investigating posterior-parietal cortex in motor learning; co-PI on VCU Quest Grant (2024–2025) for altering sensory perception in VR; and PI on Shirley Ryan AbilityLab C-STAR grant (2023–2025) developing methods to quantify lateralized fine motor impairments in Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, she received a pilot grant from the VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center. Her publications include "Roles of Handedness and Hemispheric Lateralization: Implications for Rehabilitation of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems" (American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2024), "The complementary dominance hypothesis: a model for remediating the ‘good’ hand in stroke survivors" (Journal of Physiology, 2024), "Reaction time asymmetries provide insight into mechanisms underlying dominant and non-dominant hand selection" (Experimental Brain Research, 2022), "When the non-dominant arm dominates: the effects of visual information and task experience on speed-accuracy advantages" (Experimental Brain Research, 2021), and "Ipsilesional arm training in severe stroke to improve functional independence (IPSI): phase II protocol" (BMC Neurology, 2022). With over 100 citations, her scholarship influences neurorehabilitation practices.