Faculty

I was born and grew up in Daegu, a southeastern city in South Korea. I majored in physical therapy at Daegu Catholic University in South Korea. After two years of military service at the military hospital, I came to the United States in 2010. I studied biology at Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN, and graduated in 2013. After that, I pursued a Ph.D. in rehabilitation science at the University of Kansas Medical Center. During my Ph.D. training, I investigated the effects of a mind-body exercise on non-motor symptoms and inflammatory status in people with Parkinson's disease at Neuromuscular Laboratory in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. At the same time, I also worked at Laboratory for Advanced Rehabilitation Research in Simulation (LARRS) in the same department. My research work at LARRS included pupillometry and cognition in people with Parkinson's disease, wearable sensor analysis via machine learning techniques, and virtual reality-based balance assessment system development. I also worked at LARRS for a year as a postdoctoral researcher before I came to Ithaca College.

Currently, I am an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Ithaca College. I teach neuroscience, pathology, evidence-based practice I, human anatomy, and case report I & II. My educational background and experience include multiple disciplines such as physical therapy, neuroscience, biology, and computer science. Therefore, my interdisciplinary research interest deeply involves virtual reality, machine learning, inflammation biomarkers, Parkinson's disease, and other neurological disorders.

I lived in Kansas for 7 years. I naturally became a huge fan of Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, and Kansas Jayhawks. While I was living in Lawrence, KS, and Kansas City, I was very fortunate to see the Royals won the 2015 World Series and the Chiefs won the Super Bowl LIV. My wife, Marie (Hyunjung), and I love hiking and wandering in nature. I also love road trips and have visited all lower 48 states so far "by car".

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS

Ph.D., Rehabilitation Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS

B.S., Biology, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN

B.S., Physical Therapy, Daegu Catholic University, South Korea

PTBS 31300 - Clinical Physiology (Lab)

PTBS 31400 - Pathology

PTBS 50100 - Human Anatomy (Lab)

PTBS 50800 - Evidence Based Practice I

PDPT 60200 - Neuroscience

PDPT 61600 - Case Report I

PDPT 62200 - Case Report II

Sarmento CVM, Moon S, Pfeifer T, Steinbacher M, Smirnova IV, Colgrove Y, Lai SM, Maz M, Liu W. Inflammatory response to a bout of high-intensity exercise in females with fibromyalgia. Sport Sci Health. 2022;online. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-021-00890-0

Moon S, Huang C-K, Sadeghi M, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H. Proof-of-concept of the virtual reality comprehensive balance assessment and training for sensory organization of dynamic postural control. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021;9:572. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2021.678006

Alajam RA, Alqahtani AS, Moon S, Sarmento CVM, Frederick J, Smirnova IV, W Liu. Effects of walking training on risk markers of cardiovascular disease in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury. J Spinal Cord Med. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790268.2020.1853332

Moon S, Song H-J, Sharma VD, Lyons KE, Pahwa R, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H. Classification of Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor based on balance and gait characteristics from wearable motion sensors via machine learning techniques: a data-driven approach. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2020;17:125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-020-00756-5

Sarmento CVM, Moon S, Pfeifer T, Smirnova IV, Colgrove C, Lai SM, Liu W. The therapeutic efficacy of Qigong exercise on the main symptoms of fibromyalgia: a pilot randomized clinical trial. Integr Med. 2020;9:100416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imr.2020.100416

Moon S, Sarmento CVM, Colgrove Y, Liu W. Complementary health approaches for people with Parkinson’s disease. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2020;101:1475-1477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2020.03.024

Moon S, Ahmadnezhad P, Song H-J, Thompson J, Kipp K, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H. Artificial neural networks in neurorehabilitation: a scoping review. NeuroRehabilitation. 2020;46:259-269. https://doi.org/10.3233/NRE-192996

Moon S, Kahya M, Lyons KE, Pahwa R, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H. Cognitive workload during verbal abstract reasoning in Parkinson’s disease: a pilot study. Int J Neurosci. 2021;131:504-510. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207454.2020.1746309

Moon S, Sarmento CVM, Steinbacher M, Smirnova IV, Lyons KE, Colgrove Y, Lai SM, Liu W. Can Qigong improve non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease – a pilot randomized controlled trial?. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020;101169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101169

Myers JS, Alissa N, Mitchell M, Dai J, He J, Moon S, O’Dea A, Klemp J, Kurylo M, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H. Pupillary response, driving simulation, and increased cognitive load: assessment of cognitive effort for breast cancer survivors. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2020;47:203-212. https://doi.org/10.1188/20.ONF.203-212

Kahya M, Moon S, Ranchet M, Vukas R, Lyons KE, Pahwa R, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H. Brain activity during dual task gait and balance in aging and age-related neurodegenerative conditions: a systematic review. Exp Gerontol. 2020;128:110756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2019.110756

Alqahtani AS, Alajam R, Moon S, Sarmento CVM, Eickmeyer SM, Jernigan S, Smirnova IV, Liu W. Reduction of risk for cardiovascular disease in non-ambulatory stroke survivors using an assisted-walking aerobic exercise: a pilot study. Int J Cerebrovasc Dis Stroke. http://doi.org/10.29011/IJCDS-118.100018

Moon S, Sarmento CVM, Smirnova IV, Colgrove Y, Lyons KE, Lai SM, Liu W. Effects of Qigong exercise on non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Medicines (Basel). 2019;6:13. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines6010013

Myers JS, Kahya M, Mitchell M, He J, Dai J, Moon S, Hamilton K, Valla M, O’Dea A, Klemp J, Kurylo M, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H. Pupillary response: cognitive effort for breast cancer survivors. Support Care Cancer. 2018;27:1121-1128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4401-0

Kahya M, Moon S, Lyons KE, Pahwa R, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H. Pupillary response to cognitive demand in Parkinson’s disease: a pilot study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2018;10:90. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2018.00090

Moon S, Ranchet M, Akinwuntan AE, Tant M, Carr DB, Raji MA, Devos H. The impact of advanced age on driving safety in adults with medical conditions. Gerontology. 2018;64:291-299. https://doi.org/10.1159/000486511

Moon S, Ranchet M, Tant M, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H. Comparison of unsafe driving across medical conditions. Mayo Clin Proceed. 2017;92:1341-1350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.06.003

Moon S, Schmidt M, Smirnova IV, Colgrove Y, Liu W. Qigong may alter TNF-a in serum and improve sleep in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Medicines (Basel). 2017;4:23. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines4020023

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