Sonja Blum, MD, PhD, of Rusk Rehabilitation, primarily focuses on the clinical diagnosis and management of cognitive and psychiatric aspects of memory disorders. Her current research focus is on understanding the natural course and predictors of recovery of memory function after brain injury. In this interview, Dr. Blum discusses different injuries that can cause memory disorders and the therapies used to address them. 

​Megan Evangelist is a clinical specialist in occupational therapy. Her career in the acute rehabilitation setting began at the University of Rochester Medical Center, followed by two years experience as a burn and trauma therapist in acute care at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Along with her regular duties and responsibilities, she has made numerous poster presentations at the American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference & Expo, the New York State Occupational Therapy Association annual conference, the Johns Hopkins Critical Care Rehabilitation Conference, and most recently at the American Delirium Society annual conference. In this interview, Megan discusses the treatment of patients with delirium, ways to improve patient care, and opportunities to enhance a unit's workplace culture.

Dr. Renat Sukhov serves as Clinical Associate Professor and Associate Medical Director of Pediatric Rehabilitation Service at Rusk Rehabilitation. He specializes in pediatric rehabilitation medicine with medical expertise also in the areas of spasticity therapy, acupuncture, hand rehabilitation, musculoskeletal disorders, swallowing disorders, neuromuscular rehabilitation, and concussion. In this interview, Dr. Sukhov discusses the challenges and opportunities of integrative medicine as well as treating patients who require complex care. 

Steven Flanagan, MD is Professor and Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine and Medical Director of Rusk Rehabilitation. His specialty is brain injury. In his first interview, Dr. Flanagan provided tremendous insights into a number of critical topics in rehabilitation medicine and the broader health domain including healthcare reform, early mobilization in critical care, increasing quality and decreasing costs, access to care, international training/education, and treating medically complex patients. In this episode, Dr. Flanagan once again provides a first-hand look at several key areas including strategies for healthcare leaders to deal with consolidation, big data, electronic health records, postgraduate training, comparative effectiveness research, and best practices from the international domain. 

John R. Corcoran, MS, PhD is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Rusk Rehabilitation where he specializes in rehabilitation and pain management. He serves as the Site Director for Rehabilitation Therapy Services and is a Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities Medical Rehabilitation Surveyor who surveys rehabilitation hospitals both nationally and internationally. He also has a faculty appointment with the American Physical Therapy Association and teaches Health Policy and Administration in the Leadership in Physical Therapy's Program LAMP Leadership division. In this interview, Dr. Corcoran discusses various team approaches for pain management to minimize length of stay and to avoid hospitalization, as well as the importance of early mobilization in intensive care settings. 

​Dr. Jung Ahn serves as Associate Medical Director of Rusk Institute, Clinical Director & Inpatient Director of Rusk Institute, and Rehabilitation Medicine Service Chief at NYU Langone Medical Center. He is a graduate of Catholic University Medical College in Seoul, Korea. His Rehabilitation Medicine Residency training occurred at NYU Langone Medical Center where he also had a Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Fellowship. In this interview, Dr. Ahn reviews treatment for patients who have suffered from a spinal cord injury and the relationship between etiology and functional outcomes in cases of transverse myelitis.

Maneshka Perera is a Senior Occupational Therapist at Rusk Rehabilitation. She has worked with individuals with spinal cord injuries for the past six years and currently serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the New York Chapter of the Spinal Cord Injury Association. She has helped to cultivate a manual intervention that was developed by a physical therapy colleague to address trunk weakness in neurological patients, and is working towards integrating the technique into the occupational therapy scope of practice. She also has  co-authored a publication in OT Advance for occupational therapy practitioners, highlighting and introducing the technique and its ability to have an impact on activities of daily living. In this interview, Maneshka discusses successful efforts in treating patients who experience trunk weakness resulting from their injury. She also describes how teaching patients and their caregivers to incorporate the spinal mobility technique along with other resistive, aerobic and pulmonary exercises based on each individual’s level of injury is critical to success. 

Tara Denham, MS founded the renowned Vestibular Physical Therapy Center at Rusk Rehabilitation. A physical therapist, she is the Outpatient Physical Therapy Program Manager at the Rusk Rehabilitation Ambulatory Care Center and is a faculty member at NYU Langone. Tune in to hear a great discussion on vestibular therapy and the role it plays in concussions, as well as on evidence-based research in this area and the importance of effective training. 

Joseph Rath, PhD is Associate Director for Psychology Research at Rusk Rehabilitation, Training Director of the Rusk Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship in Rehabilitation Research, and clinical assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine at NYU School of Medicine. In this episode, Dr. Rath explains the clinical applications of problem-solving research in neuropsychological rehabilitation and the valuable work he is doing for veterans diagnosed with Gulf War illness.

Bonnie Marks, PhD has 12 years of clinical and rehabilitation experience in helping individuals become more successful in achieving their life goals. She has worked at Rusk Rehabilitation in several positions including Psychology and Brain Injury Day Treatment as a licensed Psychologist and Cognitive therapist. In this interview, Bonnie discusses her work in cognitive remediation and the emotional effects of brain injury among other areas. Her holistic focus on mindfulness in meditation examines the neurophysiologic effects on the brain and mood of the relaxation response.

Jeffrey M. Cohen, MD is a Clinical Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University School of Medicine and an Attending Physician in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at, NYU-Langone Medical Center. He is the Chief of the Medically Complex Specialty Program, Director of the Limb Loss Program, and Rehabilitation Director of the Neuromuscular Disease Center and the Diabetic Foot and Ankle Clinic at NYU. In this interview, Dr. Cohen discusses his work with patients and how a various strategies are critical in helping to reintegrate patients to their communities. 

Wayne Stokes, MD is a Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and also director of musculoskeletal education for NYU Langone’s residency program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.  Dr. Stokes specializes in the comprehensive diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of musculoskeletal problems. In this interview, Dr. Stokes discusses the exciting new musculoskeletal fellowship, the tremendous benefits of a leading academic medical center, and his work in sports medicine from supporting the New York City marathon to area sports teams. He also reviews the importance of exercise as medicine and the future of health in this regard. 

Preeti Raghavan, MD directs the Motor Recovery Research Laboratory, whose mission is to develop innovative strategies to restore hand function after stroke and other neuromuscular disorders. She and her multidisciplinary team investigate how brain injury affects motor skills and how sensorimotor integration can be used to enhance motor learning and control. In this interview, Dr. Raghavan provides an in-depth look at her leading research in stroke rehabilitation, employing strategies to engage patients in their care and in utilizing the unaffected arm to promote plasticity and affected arm recovery. 

John-Ross (JR) Rizzo, MD is a physician scientist at Rusk Rehabilitation where he is an Assistant Professor. He leads the newly formed Visuomotor Integration Laboratory where his team focuses on eye-hand coordination as it relates to acquired brain injury. Dr. Rizzo has been recognized as a Top 40 under 40 by Crain’s for his industry-leading innovation and dedication to transforming the lives of those with vision impairment worldwide. In this interview, Dr. Rizzo discusses his cutting-edge brain injury research and how alterations can uncouple eye-hand coordination. His work is a major step in designing better outcomes for those with brain injury and understanding and combatting visual impairment.  

Mara Sproul, MS, is a registered nurse with experience in rehabilitation, pediatrics, geriatrics, cardiology, and nursing administration. As the Concussion Center Program Manager at NYU Langone, she manages, coordinates and implements all aspects of patient care through the multidisciplinary center. Mara discusses how her nurse training has assisted her in caring for patients in an individualized manner and promoting better outcomes.

Prin Amorapanth, MD, is a clinical fellow in brain injury medicine at Rusk Rehabilitation. His fellowship provides him with training in the rehabilitation and management of patients with a wide range of acquired brain injuries in multiple settings. In this interview, Dr. Amorapanth discusses various topics related to the care of brain injury patients, including using transcranial electrical stimulation to improve emotional regulation and attention.

Heidi Fusco, MD, is a Brain Injury Physiatrist at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Medical Center. She treats patients with brain injury in the acute, post-acute, subacute, and outpatient setting. Dr. Fusco provides her insights into treating brain injury patients from a variety of angles and how translational medicine is a critical function to provide success.

Brian Im, MD, is an Associate Director of Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Rusk Rehabilitation, treating both inpatients and outpatients with acquired brain injury. He also serves as program director for Rusk’s brain injury medicine fellowship. Dr. Im takes us inside the walls of the oldest public hospital in the country to describe his work in treating patients with brain injury and how knowledge of cultural disparities is a key component to Rusk’s TBI Model Systems approach.

Hilary Bertisch, PhD, is on the clinical staff of Rusk Rehabilitation where she is a Senior Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine. Her research focuses on cognitive, psychological, and functional aspects of individuals with a variety of neurological and neuropsychiatric diagnoses, including traumatic brain injury.  She also sees clinical cases for neuropsychological evaluation and treatment. In this interview, Dr. Bertisch discusses her work with the CDC and TBI Model System work at Rusk, among other key topics.

Dina Pagnotta, MS, is a physical therapist with experience in areas including cardiac, vestibular, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, women's health, and administration. She is the Director of the NYU Langone Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Network and Programming and oversees operations and Development for NYU Langone’s Concussion Center.  Dina provides important details regarding one of the most discussed diagnoses in medicine today.

Angela Stolfi, DPT, is the Director of Physical Therapy, Center Coordination of PT Clinical Education, and Director of PT Residency Programs at Rusk Rehabilitation. A practitioner for over 18 years, she has assumed progressive leadership positions throughout the continuum of care in the physical therapy department. In this interview, Dr. Stolfi discusses some of the most pressing issues in the field today and her work in ensuring a safe workplace.

Kate Parkin, DPT, is the Senior Director of Rehabilitation Therapy Services at Rusk Rehabilitation. She is responsible for directing the clinical and educational programs at Rusk, where she provides leadership, guidance, and administrative support to site directors, clinical directors, and their leadership. In this interview, she describes how therapy services (PT, OT, speech, vocational, psychology, cardiopulmonary) are expanding and evolving care from inpatient to community offerings.

Tamara Bushnik, PhD, oversees the activities, research, and administration of the Research Department at Rusk Rehabilitation. Her research interests lie in the areas of community integration and independent living, approaching this research from a multidisciplinary perspective. In this interview, Dr. Bushnik discusses specific studies relating to cultural disparities, access to care, quality of life, and traumatic brain injury. 

Steven Flanagan, MD, is Professor and Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine and Medical Director of Rusk Rehabilitation. Listen in to this inaugural episode as Dr. Flanagan provides front-line insights on research and translational medicine and discusses Rusk, one of the oldest and most well-known rehabilitation facilities in the world. Among the many topics Dr. Flanagan reviews, his commentary on healthcare reform, mobilization in critical care, improving outcomes while reducing costs, and international leadership are some that can't be missed.