Jo Armour Smith conducted her doctoral research at the University of Southern California, in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. Her work with Kornelia Kulig in the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Lab focused on adaptations in postural control of the trunk during walking and turning in asymptomatic young adults with a history of recurrent low back pain. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship with Beth Fisher in the Neuroplasticity and Imaging Lab at USC. She examined the neural correlates of impaired anticipatory postural adjustments in the trunk in older adults, determining the relationship between functional organization of motor cortex and anticipatory postural control. In 2015, she joined Chapman University in the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. Her current, clinically-motivated research program uses a neuromechanical approach, combining biomechanics and neuroscience, to establish mechanisms underlying adaptations in postural control of the trunk during static and dynamic multi-planar activities in specific patient populations. Prior to beginning her academic and research career, Dr Armour Smith worked for several years as a physical therapist in the United Kingdom and the United States, specializing in orthopedics and dance medicine.

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