The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) honored Brooks Wingo, PhD, FACRM, associate professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Occupational Therapy, with its Women in Neurodegenerative Disease Rehabilitation Science Award.
Presented at ACRM’s annual conference in October, the award recognizes exceptional rehabilitation research led by a female scientist in multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, or related neurodegenerative disorders.
Dr. Wingo’s research focuses on how dietary patterns influence symptoms, disease progression, and comorbidities in MS, with the goal of developing evidence-based behavioral interventions to improve health outcomes for adults living with the disease. Her work is supported by a $3.9 million Department of Defense grant, and she has also received funding from the National Institutes of Health and nonprofits such as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Paralyzed Veterans of America.
In addition to receiving recognition for her significant contributions to science at the ACRM meeting, Dr. Wingo co-led sessions on building strong clinician–researcher partnerships and addressing real-world challenges in rehabilitation research.
She also served as co-chair of the ACRM committee that oversees planning for the annual conference, which is the world's largest interdisciplinary rehabilitation research meeting, drawing thousands of attendees from more than 60 nations. Dr. Wingo will take on the role of chair of the ACRM Program Committee for the 2026 conference.
