C.J. Stanfill Doctoral Student and Luce Scholar
MS Kinesiology, ’10

For most people, the ability to move their body is a natural, automatic aspect of daily life. But for people with a disability who require a prosthetic device or the use of a wheelchair, the act of moving can be a significant daily challenge. Christopher J. “C.J.” Stanfill, MS ’10, a master’s-turned-doctoral student in kinesiology, hopes to help those people through his research in the University’s Movement Science Program.

Stanfill’s interests have been sparked by real world experiences – a program he encountered at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC) in Dallas while he was studying physical therapy at the University of North Texas (UNT) and a yearlong stint with World Education Laos, a U.S.-based non-profit.  In the TSRHC program, children with disabilities were taught the fundamentals of golf with participants ranging from those with cerebral palsy and autism to others who had partial paralysis and were using prosthetics. For Stanfill, who had been a member of the UNT golf team, a single afternoon with these kids changed his life and perspective.

“During the program at TSRHC, I developed a passion for working with children who use prosthetics, as they demonstrated some of the most outstanding courage I have ever witnessed,” he says. “Each of the children displayed more drive and determination than anyone I had ever been exposed to. My attention was drawn to the children with prostheses, and the way they managed their ability levels and created their own adaptations in order to produce the desired movement.”

After earning a BS in kinesiology at UNT, Stanfill narrowed his focus to movement science when he came to UT in 2008. Part of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, the Movement Science Program encompasses several disciplines in kinesiology—biomechanics, motor control, developmental science, and motor learning. Stanfill’s master’s work focused on the developmental trends of children with disabilities, specifically on how their stability during growth compares to that of typically developing children. The goal of the project was to create adaptations that would improve physical function.

The next life changing experience came in 2011 when Stanfill was named a Luce Scholar. The Henry Luce Foundation launched the prestigious Luce Scholars Program in 1974 to enhance understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. Stanfill was one of only 17 individuals chosen to receive the award that year—and the only recipient in the southwest—after a rigorous interview process that winnowed 151 highly qualified candidates from 67 institutions.

The fellowship sent Stanfill to Laos, where he worked with World Education Laos.  Stanfill was charged with improving the national wheelchair provision system.  As part of that effort, he worked to develop programs that would ensure wheelchair users in rural areas would have better access to community resources.  His team piloted a new program that distributed 20 wheelchairs designed specifically for off-road use in rural area. 

“There was a lot of excitement among recipients and local healthcare staff for the off-road wheelchairs,” says Stanfill.  “My year in Laos really did impact my perspective on almost everything.  In fact, it even changed my outlook on career options and research interests. I’ve decided to create an extended version of the Laos project for my dissertation work.  The aim of my study is to see how these off-road wheelchairs affect the activity levels and quality of life of users in rural areas.”

Stanfill is grateful for the experiences that have been afforded to him during his time in the College of Education.  Among the transformational experiences that students encounter in a graduate education, the increased sense of empowerment may be one of the most rewarding. This ability to utilize one’s strengths for positive change is what helps propel UT’s research from inside its buildings to the rest of the world. “Being able to incorporate a level of creativity while understanding the truthful possibilities of an idea are skills that I definitely did not have before coming to UT,” Stanfill says.