Chris McGibbon

Dr. McGibbon received his PhD from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in 1994. He was Post-doctoral Fellow at Harvard Medical School Dept. of Orthopedic Surgery in Boston from 1994-1996, then Technical Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Biomotion Laboratory and Faculty member in the Dept. of Physical Therapy at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, from 1996-2004. Dr. McGibbon returned to UNB Fredericton with his family in 2004.

Dr. McGibbon is currently Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, at UNB. His expertise covers the broad spectrum of human movement sciences, primarily focused on mobility and balance impairments in seniors and people with neurological and orthopedic disorders, and the study of assistive and rehabilitation technologies. A recent focus is on prevention of mobility decline in older adults at risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.

Dr. McGibbon has more than 80 publications in peer reviewed journals and has brought more than $8M in funding to UNB since starting his appointment in 2004. Most recently he was Principal Investigator (PI) on a CFI Infrastructure award to establish the new Centre for Adaptive Rehabilitation Engineering at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and PI on a Healthy Seniors’ Pilot Project grant through the government of New Brunswick and Public Health Agency of Canada.

Peer reviewed publications (since 2017)

Steeves A, Faig K, McGibbon C, Sexton A, Jarrett P. Assessing Cognition Remotely: Expanding the Reach of Cognitive Testing for Older Adults at Risk for Dementia in a Randomized Controlled Trial. Can Geriatr J. 2025 Mar 1;28(1):87-90. doi: 10.5770/cgj.28.790. PMID: 40051592; PMCID: PMC11882207.

Cooling K, Bouchard DR, Gallibois M, Hebert J, Sénéchal M, Jarrett P, McGibbon C, Richard E, Handrigan G. Stand if you can- A parallel, superiority cluster randomized controlled trial to improve gait speed for long term care residents. JAR Life. 2025 May 9;14:100015. doi: 10.1016/j.jarlif.2025.100015. PMID: 40469490; PMCID: PMC12136834.

Belleville S, Anderson ND, Bherer L, Camicioli R, Carrier J, Chan S, Cuesta M, Dang-Vu TT, Dwosh E, Fiocco AJ, Ferland G, Gilbert B, Harris E, Itzhak I, Jarrett P, Kadri MA, Laurin D, Liu-Ambrose T, McGibbon CA, Middleton L, Miller L, Nygaard HB, Montero-Odasso M, Murphy K, Phillips N, Pichora-Fuller MK, Robillard JM, Smith EE, Speechley M, Trigui A, Wittich W, Chertkow H, Feldman HH; CTU expert group for the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), CAN-THUMBS UP Study Group. Brain health PRO/Santé cerveau PRO: The development of a web-based program for dementia literacy and risk factor reduction. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Jun;12(6):100134. doi: 10.1016/j.tjpad.2025.100134. Epub 2025 Mar 15. PMID: 40090784; PMCID: PMC12434268.

MacLellan C, Faig K, Cooper L, Benjamin S, Shanks J, Flewelling AJ, Dutton DJ, McGibbon C, Bohnsack A, Wagg J, Jarrett P. Health Outcomes of Older Adults after a Hospitalization for a Hip Fracture. Can Geriatr J. 2024 Sep 5;27(3):290-298. doi: 10.5770/cgj.27.720. PMID: 39234278; PMCID: PMC11346628.

McGibbon CA, Sexton S, Gryfe P. Exercising with a robotic exoskeleton can improve memory and gait in people with Parkinson’s disease by facilitating progressive exercise intensity. Scientific Reports, 2024,14:4417, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54200-y.

Arantes AP, Borges L, Bressan N, McGibbon CA. Evaluation of a novel real-time adaptive assist-as-needed controller for robot-assisted upper extremity rehabilitation following stroke. PLoS One, 2023 Oct 11;18(10):e0292627. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292627

Bohnsack A, Faig K, Cook A, Gionet S, Shanks J, Benjamin S, MacLellan C, Flewelling AJ, McGibbon CA, Jarrett P. Retrospective use of the Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale for determination of frailty level in hospitalized older adults with a hip fracture. Can Geriatr J., 2023 Sep 1;26(3):400-404. doi: 10.5770/cgj.26.689.

McCain A, McGibbon CA, Carroll M, MacKenzie E, Sénéchal M, Bouchard DR. Validity of Common Physical Function Tests Performed Online for Older Adults. Arch Gerontol 2023 Nov;114:105104. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2023.105104.

McCain J, Edwards J, Gallibois M, Handrigan G, Caissie L, Cooling K, Hébert J, Jarrett P, McGibbon C, Read E, Sénéchal M, Bouchard DR. Long-Term Care Residents’ Acceptance of a Standing Intervention: A Qualitative Intrinsic Case Study. Geriatric Nursing, 2023:50;94-101, DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2023.01.024.

Bishop EL, McGibbon CA, Kuntze G, Clark ML, Cowper-Smith C, Ronsky JL. Tricompartment offloader knee brace reduces tibiofemoral and patellofemoral contact forces during chair rise-and-lower in adults with multicompartment knee osteoarthritis. J Orthop Res, 2023:1-9; DOI: DOI: 10.1002/jor.25556. Best Paper Award, ORS 2024.

Gryfe P, Sexton A, McGibbon CA. Using gait robotics to improve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: an open-label, pilot randomized controlled trial. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med, 2022 october;58(5):723-37 DOI: 10.23736/S1973-9087.22.07549-9.

McGibbon CA, Jarrett P, Handrigan G, Bouchard DR, Tranchant CC, Sexton A, Yetman L, Robinson B, Crapoulet S, Chamard-Witkowski L, Liu-Ambrose T, Middleton L, Almeida QJ, Bherer L, Lim A, Speechley M, Kamkar N, Montero-Odasso M, and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), CAN-THUMBS UP Group. Protocol for SYNchronizing Exercises, Remedies in GaIt and Cognition at Home (SYNERGIC@Home): Feasibility of a home-based double-blind randomized controlled trial to improve gait and cognition in individuals at risk for dementia. BMJ Open Mar 2022, 12 (3) e059988; DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059988.

McGibbon CA, Brandon S, Bishop E, Cowper-Smith C, Biden EN. Biomechanical study of a tri-compartmental unloader brace for patellofemoral or multi-compartment knee osteoarthritis. Front Bioeng Biotech, 2021 Jan 28;8;604860.

McGibbon CA, Sexton A, Jayaraman A, Deems-Dluhy S, Fabara E, Adans-Dester C, Bonato P, Marquis F, Turmel S, Belzile EL. Evaluation of a lower-extremity robotic exoskeleton for people with knee osteoarthritis. Assist Technol, 2021 Apr 20:1-14.

McGibbon CA, Sexton A, Gryfe P, Dutta T, Jayaraman A, Deems-Dluhy S, Novak A, Fabara E, Adans-Dester C, Bonato P. Effect of the Keeogo exoskeleton on disability of people with multiple sclerosis. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol, 2021 Jan 27:1-8.

Brookshaw M, Sexton A, McGibbon CA. Reliability and validity of a novel wearable device for measuring elbow strength. Sensors (Basel), Jun 17;2020(12):3412.

Read E, Woolsey C, McGibbon CA, O’Connell C. Physiotherapists’ experiences using the Ekso bionic exoskeleton with patients in a neurological rehabilitation hospital: A qualitative study. Rehab Res Pract, Jan 8;2020:2939573.

Mohamed A, Sexton A, Simonsen K, McGibbon CA. Development of a mechanistic hypothesis linking compensatory biomechanics and stepping asymmetry during gait of transfemoral amputees. Appl Bion Biomech, 2019 Feb 3;2019:4769242.

McGibbon CA, Slayter JT, Yetman L, McCollum A, McCloskey R, Gionet SG, Oakley H, Jarrett P. An analysis of falls and those who fall in a chronic care facility. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2019 Feb;20(2):171-176.

McGibbon CA, Sexton A, Jayaraman A, Deems-Dluhy S, Gryfe P, Novak A, Dutta T, Fabara E, Adans-Dester C, Bonato P. Evaluation of the Keeogo exoskeleton for assisting ambulatory activities in people with multiple sclerosis: An open-label, randomized, cross-over trial. J Neuroeng Rehabil, 2018 Dec 12;15(1):117.

Whelan A, Sexton A, Jones M, O'Connell C, McGibbon CA. Predictive value of the pendulum test for assessing knee extensor spasticity. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2018 Jul 18;15(1):68.

McGibbon CA, Sexton A, Hughes G, Wilson A, Jones M, O'Connell C, Parker K, Adans-Dester C, O'Brien A, Bonato P. Evaluation of a toolkit for standardizing clinical measures of muscle tone. Physiol Meas. 2018 Aug 8;39(8):085001.

Cullen S, Montero-Odasso M, Bherer L, Almeida Q, Fraser S, Muir-Hunter S, Li K, Liu-Ambrose T, McGibbon CA, McIlroy W, Middleton LE, Sarquis-Adamson Y, Beauchet O, McFadyen BJ, Morais JA, Camicioli R; Canadian Gait and Cognition Network. Guidelines for Gait Assessments in the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA). Can Geriatr J. 2018 Jun 30;21(2):157-165.

Beyea J, McGibbon CA, Sexton A, Noble J, O’Connell C. Convergent validity of a wearable sensor system for measuring sub-task performance during the timed up-and-go test. Sensors (Basel), 2017;17:934.

McGibbon CA, Brandon SC, Brookshaw M, Sexton A. Effects of an over-ground exoskeleton on external knee moments during stance phase of gait in healthy adults. The Knee, 2017;24:977-93.