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Dr. Sniffen received her Baccalaureate degree in Physical Therapy from New York University and began clinical practice in Queens General Hospital in Jamaica, New York. She quickly found her passion in the pediatric outpatient department, serving children with cerebral palsy and a variety of special needs. After moving to Columbus, Ohio, she enrolled in Ohio State University, earning a Master of Science degree in Allied Health with emphasis on pediatrics and higher education. Returning to formal studies at Stony Brook University in 1995, she received a Master of Arts in Psychology in 2000 and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Biopsychology in 2002. Her doctoral work allowed her to focus on her interests in neuroscience, investigating the effect of external feedback on force learning, and the relation between neural activation and muscle force during voluntary grasp utilizing fMRI and EEG technologies.
Dr. Sniffen has over 30 years of academic experience in the Stony Brook University Physical Therapy Program where she has served in teaching and administrative capacities. She is a Clinical Associate Professor responsible for the pediatric content of the physical therapy curriculum. She served as Vice Chairperson for the Physical Therapy Program from 1994-2006 and Director of Academic Administration from 2006 to the present.
Her research interests have included study of the functional abilities in children, with a specific interest in the impact of late effects of treatment and disease on wellness and fitness in childhood survivors of cancer. She served as co-investigator and evaluation team leader of Play Fit-Stay Fit, a comprehensive wellness program for childhood survivors of cancer and their families, made possible by a three-year Lance Armstrong Foundation Evolution Grant. She is currently working as a visiting scientist at the Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw NY, collaborating on studies investigating operant conditioning of spinal cord reflexes and training of motor evoked potentials using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in individuals with SCI, stroke, and MS.