Research Perch

Learn more about the mechanisms of pain and the importance of pain validation in client care. Join us for Research Perch, as host MTF Vice President Lindsay Bodkin, BA, LMT, CPT, speaks with educators Whitney Lowe (Academy of Clinical Massage) and Douglas Nelson, LMT, BCTMB (Precision Neuromuscular Therapy Seminars).

Listen in to Research Perch, as MTF President, Adrienne Asta, speaks with Dr. Amanda Baskwill, Executive Editor of International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, about the journal's writing mentorship program.

Learn more about Basics of Research Literacy (BRL), an online continuing education course for massage therapists and educators about incorporating principles of research literacy in your practice and teaching. MTF President Adrienne Asta speaks with author/educator Whitney Lowe (Academy of Clinical Massage) about the new and revised 3-hour NCBTMB-approved interactive skill-building experience, which was created as a fundraiser for the Foundation.

Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) combines manual, mindfulness and psycho-educational approaches to teach interoceptive awareness and related self-care skills. Learn more about MABT and an NIH-funded study looking at how it can be used to combat the opioid epidemic, as MTF President Adrienne Asta interviews researcher Cynthia Price and Megan Sherman, one of the LMT research interventionists on the project.

Join us for Research Perch! Listen in as MTF Research Committee Chair, researcher Dr. Niki Munk, interviews doctoral student Sami Zabel, about her MassageNet study exploring massage therapists’ knowledge and attitudes about mental health and mental illness—and how you can participate!

Join us for Research Perch! In Part 2 of this two-part episode, host Adrienne F. Asta welcomes Michele Kolakowski, LMT, CD & CPD (DONA), CLC, and Carole Osborne, BCTMB, two of the co-authors of the highly successful book, "Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy." The trio discuss recent research into the efficacy of massage and birth narrative storytelling for women immediately following unplanned cesarean birth. Additional links and materials at  https://massagetherapyfoundation.org/perinatal-massage-part-2/

Join us for Research Perch! In this two-part episode, host Adrienne F. Asta welcomes Michele Kolakowski, LMT, CD & CPD (DONA), CLC, and Carole Osborne, BCTMB, two of the co-authors of the highly successful book, “Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy.” The trio discuss recent research into the efficacy of massage and birth narrative storytelling for women immediately following unplanned cesarean birth.

Join us for Research Perch, as MTF Vice President and Community Service Grant Proposal Review Committee Chair, Adrienne Asta, BA, LMT, speaks with Jenny Harrow-Keeler, MA, of the California-based Integrative Healers Action Network (IHAN) about their work providing integrative health services during wildfire events and other crises. IHAN is the recipient of a 2021 MTF Community Service Grant for their project entitled, "Community Clinics for Disaster-Impacted Communities." To learn more about IHAN and how you can be a part, visit www.ihanclinics.org.

Starting in April of 2020, researchers from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Prisma Health, Clemson University, and Indiana University (IUPUI) began conducting a survey to gather information about the experiences of all healthcare providers/professionals during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Join host Robin Anderson as she welcomes back Project COPE investigators Dr. Ann Blair Kennedy (USC Greenville) and Smith Heavner (Prisma Health), for a final update on the results and insights from Project COPE. To learn more about conclusions reached by this study, view Smith Heavner's Dissertation here: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2914/ View our previous Research Perch interviews with Project COPE investigators here: https://massagetherapyfoundation.org/project-cope-share-your-story-research-perch/ https://massagetherapyfoundation.org/update-on-project-cope-share-your-story-research-perch/ 

How does a massage therapist become a massage therapy researcher? Join us as MTF President Robin B. Anderson, MEd, LMT, BCTMB, CEAS, MTF Trustee Niki Munk, PhD, LMT, and Graduate Student Sami Zabel discuss the educational pathways to becoming a massage therapy researcher.

What is a Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN)? Join us as MTF President Robin B. Anderson, MEd, LMT, BCTMB, CEAS, MTF Trustee Niki Munk, PhD, LMT, and Graduate Student Sami Zabel discuss the purpose and benefits of PBRNs for massage therapists, students, researchers, and clients.

Learn more about how data was collected during Phase One of the MTF Ergonomics Project. Join us as host Robin Anderson speaks with Stefan Schulz and Paula Kalmeta from Briotix about this fascinating process.

Get excited to share your practical and creative knowledge by submitting an abstract to the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB)! Join host Doug Nelson, LMT, BCTMB, as he speaks with IJTMB Executive Editor Dr. Ann Blair Kennedy, LMT, BCTMB, DrPH, and IJTMB Practice & Education Section Editor Amanda Baskwill, PhD(c), MSc, BEd, RMT about the recent IJTMB article, “Trends of Publication in the Education and Practice Sections of the IJTMB: A Call to Action.” Learn about the types of information sought for publication and how you can contribute.

Listen in as MTF Community Service Grant Committee Chair Adrienne Asta interviews Chanda Santana from the DIVAS Who Win Freedom Center, Inc., Athens, Georgia. DIVAS is a 2020 MTF Community Grant recipient for their program, SHE Retreats: Trauma Informed Massage and Self-Care. Learn more about this innovative program to support women who are survivors of sex trafficking and/or overcoming addiction and trauma to aid them in successfully reentering society.

Join MTF President Robin Anderson and Stefan Shulz from Briotix as they discuss the fundamentals of ergonomics, and how ergonomic principles were studied in MTs over the course of Phase One of the MTF Ergonomics Project.

Listen in as host Robin Anderson and 2019 MTF Student Case Report Silver Award Winner Amy Frost-Hunt from MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, discuss her report, Effects of Massage Therapy on Multiple Sclerosis: a Case Report. This student case report was later published in MTF's journal, the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, and made into poster format.

In this follow-up episode of Research Perch, host Doug Nelson welcomes Dr. Niki Munk, Associate Professor at Indiana University (IU) School of Health and Human Sciences, and IU student, Board-Certified massage therapist Mica Rosenow, to discuss the currently ongoing research project, "Assessing Affective Measures in the 2020 Pandemic," and how you can be a part of the study. Participate here through March 31, 2021: https://massagetherapyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/IU-Study-Flier-for-Client-2020-Pandemic-Survey.pdf

Learn more about hospital-based massage therapy by tuning in to MTF’s two-part Research Perch podcast interview with guests Laura Bliven-Leapley, RN, MSN, NE-BC, RN-BC, BS, and Karen Kerns, M.S., CCC-SLP, MBA, and Cynthia Spake, B.S.Ed., LMT, from the Massage Therapy Program at Blessing Hospital, Quincy, Illinois. Part Two is a continuation of the details of how Blessing's MT Program works, how it has affected patients patient care, and what it is like to be a massage therapist in this setting. Listen to Part One first to learn about the reasons for and inspiration behind the massage therapy program at Blessing Hospital and how it works.

Learn more about hospital-based massage therapy by tuning in to MTF’s two-part Research Perch podcast interview with guests Laura Bliven-Leapley, RN, MSN, NE-BC, RN-BC, BS, and Karen Kerns, M.S., CCC-SLP, MBA, and Cynthia Spake, B.S.Ed., LMT, from the Massage Therapy Program at Blessing Hospital, Quincy, Illinois. In Part One, learn about the reasons for and inspiration behind the massage therapy program at Blessing Hospital and how it works. Part Two(coming soon) will detail how Blessing's MT Program works, how it has affected patients patient care, and what it is like to be a massage therapist in this setting.

Massage has promising potential to help rebuild muscle in those who cannot handle weight-bearing or resistance exercise. In this episode of Research Perch, learn more about MTF’s 2018 Research Grant award to the University of Kentucky Research Foundation for their study, Massage as an Intervention for Muscle Atrophy, as host Doug Nelson speaks with study investigators Esther Dupont-Versteegden, PhD, and Tim Butterfield, PhD, ATC, FACSM, FNATA.