Cools, Ann

Ann Cools, PT, PhD, is a clinical and research specialist in shoulder rehabilitation. She finished her PhD in 2003 at the Ghent University, debating scapular involvement in sports related shoulder pain in the overhead athlete, and she has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed international journals, wrote contributions and chapters in several international recognized books, and gives courses on an international level. She is head of the Physical Therapy Education at the Ghent University, and was founding member and president of European Society of Shoulder and Elbow Rehabilitation (EUSSER). The main expertise of her research group is scapular involvement in shoulder pain, sports specific shoulder injuries, shoulder assessment and injury prevention, and exercise prescription. The research team uses surface and finewire EMG, ultrasound, functional MRI, 3D motion analysis, strength measurements and functional screening tools to investigate the mechanism of chronic shoulder pain and the effect of rehabilitation programs. The UGent upper limb research team has a highly respected reputation for their clinical expertise and experience in shoulder rehabilitation. Ann Cools has more than 90 peer-reviewed papers and contributed to chapters in 10 international books. She has more than 150 presentations on international congresses, of which more than 100 as invited or keynote speaker.