Barefoot Running Professor Heading To Harvard

The Delaware professor thinks people were born to run.

After 21 years at the University of Delaware, biomechanics professor Irene Davis is moving north–to Harvard. There, at the Harvard Medical School, she will be helping launch the Spaulding National Running Center.

“It’s always been a vision of mine to have a center focused on running and running injuries,” Davis said. “Boston is a mecca for runners, and I’ll be immersed in one of the nation’s hubs of science and medicine — it doesn’t get any better than that. The resources for collaboration are amazing, and I’ll have access to a large population of potential subjects.”

As a professor, Davis has become nationally recognized for her research in biomechanics and espouses a theory that it’s beneficial to run barefoot or with minimal footwear.

“My goal is to help to develop interventions for overuse injuries of the lower extremities, such as tibial stress fractures and plantar fasciitis, so that people can remain active and healthy throughout their lives,” she said.

While at Harvard, Professor Davis also plans to help veterans who have lost limbs in combat return to running.

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