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RUSK Insights on Rehabilitation Medicine

RUSK Insights on Rehabilitation Medicine is a top podcast featuring interviews with faculty and staff of RUSK Rehabilitation as well as leaders from other rehabilitation programs around the country. These podcasts are being offered by RUSK, one of the top rehabilitation centers in the world. Your host for these interviews is Dr. Tom Elwood. He will take you behind the scenes to look at what is transpiring in the exciting world of rehabilitation research and clinical services through the eyes of those involved in making dynamic breakthroughs in health care.
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Now displaying: 2020
Dec 23, 2020

Dr. Chelsea Schoen provides psychological and neuropsychological assessment and intervention services to a wide range of adults recovering from traumatic brain injury, stroke, other complex neurologic conditions, spinal cord injury, and orthopedic/musculoskeletal conditions. Her clinical and research interests include psychological factors associated with fear of falling. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology with a Health Emphasis and specialization in neuropsychology from the Yeshiva (Yeshiva) University.

Dr. Philip J. Uy is a Senior Psychologist at Rusk Rehabilitation and works at Cardiopulmonary/Medically Complex on the Main Campus and at the Neurorehabilitation (Langone Orthopedic Hospital) acute inpatient rehabilitation. His clinical and research interests are in neurologic disorders, cardiopulmonary conditions, and adjustment to medical disability. He also has expertise in substance use disorders. He obtained his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

In Part 1, they discuss the following: kinds of patients treated involving COVID-19; possible after-effects either caused or associated with the onset of coronavirus symptoms; types of challenges treating coronavirus patients;  mental health conditions that persist long-term; and mental health services provided for clinical colleagues.
 
In Part 2, they discuss the following: work involving telehealth care of patients; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy;  sleep disturbance or disorders experienced by patients; kinds of coronavirus patients at an increased risk for emotional disorders; and topics where more research could prove to be advantageous in improving patient care.

 

 

 

Dec 9, 2020
Rebecca Missimer is a physical therapy clinical specialist in acute care at Tisch/Kimmel at NYU Langone. She has been a practicing clinician for seven years and is a board-certified clinical specialist in neurologic physical therapy. She works with patients with a variety of diagnoses, including individuals with respiratory, pulmonary, and cardiac issues on the acute floors and in the intensive care units.
 
Mary Fischer is a clinical specialist in acute care at NYU Langone Rusk. She also is a faculty member of the Acute Care Physical Therapy Residence Program. With more than 30 years of experience in acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient, and home care physical therapy, she was the lead investigator and author of a fall risk study published in the Journal of Acute Care Physical Therapy in October 2020. She is a graduate of Columbia and Stony Brook Universities and is a board-certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist.
 
In this interview, they discuss the kinds of patients treated who already were obtaining rehabilitation services and then subsequently contracted the coronavirus and another group that initially was not involved in rehabilitation, but later required it as a consequence of becoming infected; after-effects either caused or associated with the onset of coronavirus symptoms; conditions among patients that persist well beyond when they initially began to experience symptoms upon becoming infected; population subgroups that may be more prone to continue to experience long-term symptoms; patients that  experience a loss of physical function in the form of deconditioning; kinds of respiratory support for patients hospitalized with COVID-19; and research topics for improving patient care.
 
 
Nov 25, 2020

Dr. Steven Flanagan is Howard A. Rusk Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and Chairperson of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Langone Health. He joined NYU Langone Medical Center in 2008 as Professor and Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine and Medical Director of Rusk Rehabilitation after serving as Vice Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He serves on numerous medical advisory boards and is a peer reviewer for several scientific journals. He has authored numerous chapters and peer-reviewed publications, and has participated in both federally- and industry-sponsored research. His medical degree is from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey and he completed his residency at Mt. Sinai Medical Center/Cabrini, Rehabilitation Medicine.

PART 1

In Part 1 of his presentation, Dr. Flanagan discussed the value that physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) add to health care.His objective in this session is to give an overview of health care reform and its impact on PM&R. Many changes have occurred since he began practicing medicine three decades ago. Health care reform is real. From 1960 to 2010, wages and GDP increased, but nowhere close to the enormous rise in health care expenditures, which are not sustainable. Also, we no longer can claim that we have the best health outcomes compared to other nations. Recognizing that health spending could no longer continue at such a rapid pace, the government came up with something called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) to limit the outlandish expansion of health care costs. The attempt never achieved what was intended and Congress terminated the SGR in 2015. It was replaced by MACRA, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which redefined how physicians would be reimbursed and it is based on quality measures that they would have to meet. The objective is to achieve the triple aim of health care reform: improve health care quality, produce better outcomes, and improve the patient experience. A quadruple aim includes improving the satisfaction of providers. He indicated that management of post-acute care is of importance and that PM&R is uniquely situated to be involved in achieving the triple aim.  It can do so by focusing on patient-centered coordinated care that is comprehensive across the entire continuum.

PART 2 

Listeners to Part 1 of Dr. Flanagan’s presentation may recall that he discussed health reform efforts to control health care costs and how the provision of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) services has a unique role to play in achieving health reform’s triple aim. In Part 2, his comments had a focus on intensive care unit patients, a group associated with large health care costs and one not usually associated with the provision of rehabilitation services. What about safety? It’s feasible, but is it wise? Should we get folks up and walking who are so critically ill? Aren’t we putting them at risk of all sorts of bad things from happening? It is safe and the outcomes are fine and there is research to prove it. We are enhancing mobility, decreasing the number of days patients are on ventilators, and in some cases, not only are we not causing worse mortality, we are decreasing mortality. If you are doing all of this, the last question is what about costs? Despite increasing the use of PT, OT, and Speech staff, by getting patients out of the hospital faster, there is a cost savings. A pilot study was done at NYU to look at what happens to patients after they left the hospital to see if there were any additional savings. The results show that it was possible to reduce hospitalization, reduce the average direct cost per day, and there was a significant increase in the proportion of patients who were discharged to the community with no services at all. The latter outcome represented an overall cost savings for the health system. He also provided information about something that is relatively new and what they are working on at NYU, which is site neutral payments. A question and answer period followed his presentation.

Nov 11, 2020

Dr. Steven Flanagan is Howard A. Rusk Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and Chairperson of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Langone Health. He joined NYU Langone Medical Center in 2008 as Professor and Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine and Medical Director of Rusk Rehabilitation after serving as Vice Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He serves on numerous medical advisory boards and is a peer reviewer for several scientific journals. He has authored numerous chapters and peer-reviewed publications, and has participated in both federally- and industry-sponsored research. His medical degree is from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey and he completed his residency at Mt. Sinai Medical Center/Cabrini, Rehabilitation Medicine.

PART 1

In Part 1 of his presentation, Dr. Flanagan discussed the value that physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) add to health care.His objective in this session is to give an overview of health care reform and its impact on PM&R. Many changes have occurred since he began practicing medicine three decades ago. Health care reform is real. From 1960 to 2010, wages and GDP increased, but nowhere close to the enormous rise in health care expenditures, which are not sustainable. Also, we no longer can claim that we have the best health outcomes compared to other nations. Recognizing that health spending could no longer continue at such a rapid pace, the government came up with something called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) to limit the outlandish expansion of health care costs. The attempt never achieved what was intended and Congress terminated the SGR in 2015. It was replaced by MACRA, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which redefined how physicians would be reimbursed and it is based on quality measures that they would have to meet. The objective is to achieve the triple aim of health care reform: improve health care quality, produce better outcomes, and improve the patient experience. A quadruple aim includes improving the satisfaction of providers. He indicated that management of post-acute care is of importance and that PM&R is uniquely situated to be involved in achieving the triple aim.  It can do so by focusing on patient-centered coordinated care that is comprehensive across the entire continuum.

PART 2 

Listeners to Part 1 of Dr. Flanagan’s presentation may recall that he discussed health reform efforts to control health care costs and how the provision of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) services has a unique role to play in achieving health reform’s triple aim. In Part 2, his comments had a focus on intensive care unit patients, a group associated with large health care costs and one not usually associated with the provision of rehabilitation services. What about safety? It’s feasible, but is it wise? Should we get folks up and walking who are so critically ill? Aren’t we putting them at risk of all sorts of bad things from happening? It is safe and the outcomes are fine and there is research to prove it. We are enhancing mobility, decreasing the number of days patients are on ventilators, and in some cases, not only are we not causing worse mortality, we are decreasing mortality. If you are doing all of this, the last question is what about costs? Despite increasing the use of PT, OT, and Speech staff, by getting patients out of the hospital faster, there is a cost savings. A pilot study was done at NYU to look at what happens to patients after they left the hospital to see if there were any additional savings. The results show that it was possible to reduce hospitalization, reduce the average direct cost per day, and there was a significant increase in the proportion of patients who were discharged to the community with no services at all. The latter outcome represented an overall cost savings for the health system. He also provided information about something that is relatively new and what they are working on at NYU, which is site neutral payments. A question and answer period followed his presentation.

Oct 28, 2020

Megan Conklin serves as Program Manager of Rusk Pediatric Therapy Services, which is part of Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone Health. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Scranton and has been practicing physical therapy for 15 years, all of them spent at NYU. In 2012, she was awarded the professional designation of board-certified clinical specialist in pediatric physical therapy by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties of the American Physical Therapy Association. Since 2017, she also has been a part-time faculty member at the University of Scranton teaching pediatric specialty for the doctoral physical therapy program.

In this interview, she discusses the following topics:  the kinds of pediatric patients she and the rest of a health care team treat and the nature of health problems involved; how therapies provided in the hospital differ from therapies furnished in the early intervention or school settings; challenges for patients with long-term health problems who have to make the transition from pediatric to adult care; how telehealth differs from care provided in the clinical setting; how COVID-19 has affected how health care services are delivered; and description of a case study that was challenging, interesting, and rewarding for both patients and their caregivers.

 

 

Oct 14, 2020

Tami Altschuler is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinical Specialist in Patient-Provider Communication at NYU Langone Medical Center and the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute of Medicine in New York, NY. She is spearheading hospital wide initiatives to establish communication access for all patients throughout the continuum of care.  Tami is a board member of the United States Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC) and an active member of the Patient-Provider Communication Forum. She has presented nationally and internationally on the topic of patient-provider communication.

 
 
 

 

Sep 30, 2020
Dr. Ryan Branski is the Howard A. Rusk Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Research and the Vice Chair for Research in Rehabilitation Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He also has appointments in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in the school of medicine and Communicative Sciences and Disorders in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Dr. Branski runs a productive research enterprise encompassing both clinical and laboratory initiatives. His NIH-funded laboratory primarily focuses on wound healing and regenerative approaches to optimized healing in the upper aerodigestive track. Dr. Branski is one of only a few investigators to be named Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Speech Language Hearing Association, and the American Laryngological Association.
 
In Part 1, Dr Branski discusses:  Barriers that had to be overcome to perform rigorous research on COVID-19 after the appearance of this disease among NYU patients; kinds of investigations either presently underway or expect to be undertaken this year at the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute and also within the broader NYU Langone Health system that involve both applied clinical research and disease-related basic research; NYU prioritization of research endeavors; whether any work is being done that entails using monoclonal antibodies in treating patients prior to the availability of vaccines; and time frames involved in anticipating the completion of studies that were described?
 
The discussion in Part 2 included: conducting studies on mental health problems experienced by patients with COVID-19; any studies being done involving patients who experience long-term symptoms after becoming infected with this disease; how studies are being financed; ways in which treatment patterns may have undergone any changes sine coronavirus patients first began to arrive at the hospital; how to deal with the thousands of papers on the topic of coronavirus that have appeared in journals since early in 2020; and research that he currently is involved in conducting.
Sep 16, 2020
Dr. Ryan Branski is the Howard A. Rusk Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Research and the Vice Chair for Research in Rehabilitation Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He also has appointments in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in the school of medicine and Communicative Sciences and Disorders in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Dr. Branski runs a productive research enterprise encompassing both clinical and laboratory initiatives. His NIH-funded laboratory primarily focuses on wound healing and regenerative approaches to optimized healing in the upper aerodigestive track. Dr. Branski is one of only a few investigators to be named Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Speech Language Hearing Association, and the American Laryngological Association.
 
In Part 1, Dr Branski discusses:  Barriers that had to be overcome to perform rigorous research on COVID-19 after the appearance of this disease among NYU patients; kinds of investigations either presently underway or expect to be undertaken this year at the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute and also within the broader NYU Langone Health system that involve both applied clinical research and disease-related basic research; NYU prioritization of research endeavors; whether any work is being done that entails using monoclonal antibodies in treating patients prior to the availability of vaccines; and time frames involved in anticipating the completion of studies that were described?
 
The discussion in Part 2 included: conducting studies on mental health problems experienced by patients with COVID-19; any studies being done involving patients who experience long-term symptoms after becoming infected with this disease; how studies are being financed; ways in which treatment patterns may have undergone any changes sine coronavirus patients first began to arrive at the hospital; how to deal with the thousands of papers on the topic of coronavirus that have appeared in journals since early in 2020; and research that he currently is involved in conducting.
 

 

Sep 2, 2020

Dr. Pham is the Section Chief of Infectious Disease at NYU Langone Medical Center. In this interview, he discusses COVID-19 updates, testing, and precautions.

The interview is done by Dr. Lyn Weiss, Chair NYU Winthrop, Nocturnist on COVID + Medicine Unit. 

Aug 26, 2020

Dr. Marcalee Alexander specializes in the treatment of patients with spinal cord injury. In 2019 she and her husband Craig took a break from full-time practice to educate people about climate change and disability by starting a walk from Canada to Key West to bring attention to issues of persons of disabilities in climate change by educating both professionals and communities. Along with being the first female president of the American Spinal Injury Association, Dr. Alexander has published more than 125 articles and chapters in professional journals and is currently the editor of the journal Spinal Cord Series and Cases. Throughout most of her career, her research has focused on sexuality and spinal cord injury and she is known for performing significant laboratory-based research outlining the impact of specific neurologic injuries on sexual responses. Over the past 15 years she also has had an interest in telemedicine, and she currently has a sexuality telehealth clinic at Spaulding rehabilitation hospital. At present, she also is working on a summit in 2021 to bring together leaders from the climate change and disabilities fields. In conjunction with this work, she started a nonprofit called Telerehabilitation International with a mission to bring attention to climate change and disability and to use telemedicine to start a volunteer network of physiatrists to provide consults for persons with disabilities in areas of disaster relief. A graduate of Jefferson Medical College, she completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation there. 

This is part 2 of a 2-part series, in which she discusses examples of the kinds of consequences from a health perspective that stem from weather-related events of varying lengths of time;  ways in which climate change has the potential to result in the increased incidence of infectious diseases; whether climate change warrants any alterations in how rehabilitation health professionals are educated; kinds of core competencies that would serve as a suitable basis for such education; current status of efforts to educate rehabilitation professionals about the impact of climate change on health; kinds of mechanisms it would be advantageous to establish to advance educational efforts; and types of studies that would benefit the field of rehabilitation benefit on the topic of climate change. 

Aug 19, 2020

Dr. Marcalee Alexander specializes in the treatment of patients with spinal cord injury. In 2019 she and her husband Craig took a break from full-time practice to educate people about climate change and disability by starting a walk from Canada to Key West to bring attention to issues of persons of disabilities in climate change by educating both professionals and communities. Along with being the first female president of the American Spinal Injury Association, Dr. Alexander has published more than 125 articles and chapters in professional journals and is currently the editor of the journal Spinal Cord Series and Cases. Throughout most of her career, her research has focused on sexuality and spinal cord injury and she is known for performing significant laboratory-based research outlining the impact of specific neurologic injuries on sexual responses. Over the past 15 years she also has had an interest in telemedicine, and she currently has a sexuality telehealth clinic at Spaulding rehabilitation hospital. At present, she also is working on a summit in 2021 to bring together leaders from the climate change and disabilities fields. In conjunction with this work, she started a nonprofit called Telerehabilitation International with a mission to bring attention to climate change and disability and to use telemedicine to start a volunteer network of physiatrists to provide consults for persons with disabilities in areas of disaster relief. A graduate of Jefferson Medical College, she completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation there. 

This is part 1 of a 2-part series in which she discusses what inspired her interest in how climate change influences individual and community health status; how individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) might be at a heightened risk to experience adverse health impacts from climate change; the degree to which mental health impacts should be taken into account when discussing climate change; and how various sub-groups, such as individuals who are characterized by having low-income, being geographically isolated, living in poor housing conditions, and who differ on the basis of age, gender, level of frailty, and presence of chronic disease might be affected differently by climate change.

Aug 5, 2020
Dr. Natalia Ruiz is a senior physical therapist at the NYU Langone Orthopedic Center. She has been a physical therapist for 16 years and has worked at the hospital for 14 years in the areas of orthopedic rehabilitation, occupational health, and chronic pain. She currently works in the hand therapy department. She became an American Physical Therapy Association board-certified specialist in orthopedics in 2016 and a board certified hand therapist in 2018. In addition to physical therapy, she also collaborates with the NYU HR department addressing ergonomics for employees, as well as NYU Langone Hospitals Corporative Services with ergonomic consultations for other companies. She received her doctorate in physical therapy at Long Island University and has advanced degrees in Ergonomics from NYU and in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation from Drexel University. 
 
In this interview, she discusses how to go about making a workspace in the home more comfortable and some ways in which basic ergonomic principles can be applied;  basic instruments and specific analytical tools used to diagnose conditions that require some form of remediation; the role of telehealth in being able to view an individual’s home workspace and also being able to demonstrate techniques involving physical exercise; addressing how to recognize bodily strain from prolonged sitting; health problems that can arise from sitting in an awkward position at a computer and having to incorporate speed and repetitive motions involved in frequent swipes of tabloid screens using one’s handshow factors, such as age, gender, and body weight must be taken into account from an ergonomics perspective; importance of breathing exercises not only for stress control, but to improve oxygenation; taking active breaks;  staying active when not employed; and ergonomic studies it may be worth launching as a means of improving the health status of individuals whose employment involves staying at home.
Jul 22, 2020

Join us for this special edition of a Grand Rounds given by multiple presenters entitled: Wounds after COVID-19: Understanding Pathophysiology, Assessment, Treatment and Nomenclature. 

Jul 8, 2020

Join us for this special edition of a Grand Rounds given by multiple presenters entitled: Wounds after COVID-19: Understanding Pathophysiology, Assessment, Treatment and Nomenclature. 

Jun 24, 2020
Dr. Julie Fernandes works as a clinical specialist coordinating the Hand Therapy Fellowship Program at NYU Langone Orthopedic Center program. Originally from South Africa, she received her occupational therapy degree from the University of Cape Town. She went on to specialize in hand therapy, honing her ability to fabricate splints and treat surgical patients. In 2009, Julie relocated to Chicago and then New York City where she has worked as a certified hand therapist for the past eight years. She has a post-professional clinical doctorate in Occupational Therapy and has published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Occupational Therapy on “The Occupational Therapist’s Role in Perinatal Care: A Health Promotion Approach.”
 
In this interview, she discusses the Hand Therapy Fellowship Program at NYU Langone Orthopedic Center program; range of services provided by occupational therapists, an article she recently had published; how the coronavirus has redefined how occupational therapists provide services to patients; stage when hand splinting occurs for post-operative patients; different stages when occupational therapy is most effective for hospitalized coronavirus patients; interactions with patients via telehealth; differences between providing hands-on care in a clinical setting and using a telehealth approach; challenges that must be addressed in dealing with patients who have different personal characteristics, such as age; occupational therapy studies it may be worth launching in order to enhance the care of patients who will be treated in the future; and possible additions to occupational therapy education programs.

 

Jun 10, 2020
Dr. Felicia Connor’s techniques integrate mindfulness-based interventions, cognitive-behavioral therapy and solution-focused therapy into her individual and group work. Her clinical interests include therapy with a spirituality focus, culturally informed therapy and assessment and concussion across the lifespan. In her daily practice, she provides individual and group cognitive rehabilitation, psychotherapy and neuropsychological assessment to those with neurological conditions. She has been trained in traditional therapy for depression, anxiety, adjustment to disability, grief/loss; pediatric neurological issues (e.g. concussion management) and couples and family therapy. Her research interests include: multiple sclerosis, cultural considerations for treatment, and cognitive remediation. She is Board Certified in Rehabilitation Psychology and licensed in New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Her doctorate in clinical psychology is from Argosy University.
 
Dr. Caitlyn Arutiunov’s research focuses on identifying barriers to the neurorehabilitation process within an outpatient neurorehabilitation population, including factors such as psychosocial, environmental, institutional, and attitudinal barriers to treatment. The goal of this research is to document these barriers to treatment to aid in improving overall quality of care for neurorehabilitation patients. In addition to conducting research, she provides psychotherapy, cognitive remediation, and group therapy on an outpatient basis to neurorehabilitation patients at Rusk. She completed her doctoral internship at Rusk. She received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University, where she completed her dissertation on "The Ethics of Publicly Diagnosing Public Figures with Mental Disorders."   
 
In the interview, they discuss kinds of treatment for patients with a coronavirus infection; how such treatment might differ from typical treatment protocols; what a workday is like treating patients by telehealth; if interaction with patients differs compared to treating them directly in a clinical setting, and if so, in what ways; how telehealth group work and cognitive remediation present more challenges and require some creative solutions on the part of clinicians; whether the type of mental health condition aids in the determination of whether treatment on a one-to-one or group therapy basis is more appropriate; whether psychological services are being provided for other health personnel treating coronavirus patients in the clinical setting and for what kinds of mental health challenges; psychological studies it may be worth launching in order to enhance the mental health care of patients who will be treated in the future; and based on personal experiences working with coronavirus patients, what could be worth incorporating in psychology education programs?
Jun 3, 2020

This discussion is a special presentation from Rusk Rehabilitation that features a group of faculty and staff battling the pandemic on the front lines at the middle of the epicenter in New York City. 

Questions from around the country are answered in this exciting and extremely important episode!

Please excuse any issues with sound. 

May 27, 2020

This discussion is a special presentation from Rusk Rehabilitation that features a group of faculty and staff battling the pandemic on the front lines at the middle of the epicenter in New York City. 

Questions from around the country are answered in this exciting and extremely important episode!

Please excuse any issues with sound. 

May 20, 2020

This interview is a special front-line discussion with Dr. John Corcoran, William Finley, and Vincent Cavallaro. 

Dr. John Corcoran is the Site Director for Rehabilitation Therapy Services and Director of Inpatient Therapy Services at NYU Langone Health - Rusk Rehabilitation. He is a CARF Medical Rehabilitation Surveyor and surveys rehabilitation hospitals both nationally and internationally. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine - specializing in rehabilitation, critical care rehabilitation and pain rehabilitation. His Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree is from Long Island University Health Sciences Center and he won the Division of Physical Therapy Academic Excellence Award. He has won two awards at the NYU Langone Health Annual Quality and Safety Day (2015) for his work on Early Mobilization (lead author of the team award) and the Children’s Hospital Safety Network Fall Prevention Program (team award).

William Finley is the Program Manager of the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Department at NYU Langone Health and is on the faculty at NYU Medical Center. He received his Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy and Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science from Quinnipiac University. He obtained his Master’s of Business Administration degree with a dual specialty in Accounting and Health Care Administration from the University of Scranton. He has over a decade of experience as an occupational therapist in acute care and outpatient orthopedics and sports medicine. The focus of much of his research relates to biomechanics of the upper extremity and safe patient handling. His other professional interests include healthcare informatics, program development, and value based practice.

Vincent Cavallaro serves as a Vice President for hospital operations at NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn. He began his career as a staff physical therapist at Lutheran Medical Center in 1981. He was instrumental in the development and regulatory planning of a 30-bed Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF). He assumed various roles across the rehabilitation continuum in Acute Care, IRF, Subacute, Homecare and Outpatient services. He was chiefly responsible for operationalizing multiple outpatient Rehabilitation therapy sites within the Lutheran Family Health Center Network. He assumed operational responsibilities for Neurology and Epilepsy services as the Vice President of Hospital Operations for Neurology and Rehabilitation Services. Lutheran Medical Center underwent a merger with NYU Langone Health. His degree in physical therapy is from SUNY Downstate.

The three interviewees discussed the following: the technique of prone positioning; differences between proning in the ICU vs. proning of acute care patients; challenges in treating coronavirus patients; different stages when occupational therapy and physical therapy are most effective when coronavirus patients are hospitalized; engaging with patients using telehealth; differences between providing hands-on care in a clinical setting and a telehealth approach for treatment; stresses and strains being experienced by caregivers; specific challenges that must be addressed in treating patients with different personal characteristics, such as age; questions that arise worth pursuing in future research studies; and based on experiences working with coronavirus patients, what could possibly be incorporated in occupational therapy and physical therapy education programs

May 13, 2020

This interview is a special front-line discussion with Dr. John Corcoran, William Finley, and Vincent Cavallaro. 

Dr. John Corcoran is the Site Director for Rehabilitation Therapy Services and Director of Inpatient Therapy Services at NYU Langone Health - Rusk Rehabilitation. He is a CARF Medical Rehabilitation Surveyor and surveys rehabilitation hospitals both nationally and internationally. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine - specializing in rehabilitation, critical care rehabilitation and pain rehabilitation. His Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree is from Long Island University Health Sciences Center and he won the Division of Physical Therapy Academic Excellence Award. He has won two awards at the NYU Langone Health Annual Quality and Safety Day (2015) for his work on Early Mobilization (lead author of the team award) and the Children’s Hospital Safety Network Fall Prevention Program (team award).

William Finley is the Program Manager of the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Department at NYU Langone Health and is on the faculty at NYU Medical Center. He received his Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy and Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science from Quinnipiac University. He obtained his Master’s of Business Administration degree with a dual specialty in Accounting and Health Care Administration from the University of Scranton. He has over a decade of experience as an occupational therapist in acute care and outpatient orthopedics and sports medicine. The focus of much of his research relates to biomechanics of the upper extremity and safe patient handling. His other professional interests include healthcare informatics, program development, and value based practice.

Vincent Cavallaro serves as a Vice President for hospital operations at NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn. He began his career as a staff physical therapist at Lutheran Medical Center in 1981. He was instrumental in the development and regulatory planning of a 30-bed Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF). He assumed various roles across the rehabilitation continuum in Acute Care, IRF, Subacute, Homecare and Outpatient services. He was chiefly responsible for operationalizing multiple outpatient Rehabilitation therapy sites within the Lutheran Family Health Center Network. He assumed operational responsibilities for Neurology and Epilepsy services as the Vice President of Hospital Operations for Neurology and Rehabilitation Services. Lutheran Medical Center underwent a merger with NYU Langone Health. His degree in physical therapy is from SUNY Downstate.

The three interviewees discussed the following: the technique of prone positioning; differences between proning in the ICU vs. proning of acute care patients; challenges in treating coronavirus patients; different stages when occupational therapy and physical therapy are most effective when coronavirus patients are hospitalized; engaging with patients using telehealth; differences between providing hands-on care in a clinical setting and a telehealth approach for treatment; stresses and strains being experienced by caregivers; specific challenges that must be addressed in treating patients with different personal characteristics, such as age; questions that arise worth pursuing in future research studies; and based on experiences working with coronavirus patients, what could possibly be incorporated in occupational therapy and physical therapy education programs

May 6, 2020

This discussion is a special presentation from Rusk Rehabilitation that features a group of faculty and staff battling the pandemic on the front lines at the middle of the epicenter in New York City. 

Questions from around the country are answered in this exciting and extremely important episode!

Please excuse any issues with sound. 

Apr 29, 2020

This discussion is a special presentation from Rusk Rehabilitation that features a group of faculty and staff battling the pandemic on the front lines at the middle of the epicenter in New York City. 

Questions from around the country are answered in this exciting and extremely important episode!

Please excuse any issues with sound. 

Apr 22, 2020

Dr. Jeffrey Fine serves as Vice Chairman of NYU Langone Health Brooklyn Rehabilitation & Rusk Rehabilitation Network Development. He is a clinician educator and administrator who has been practicing in academic medicine at Level I Trauma Center teaching hospitals for over 20 years. Dr. Fine is chairperson of the VBM ICU early mobilization program at NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn and also chairperson of the  Brooklyn brain injury outpatient care planning team. He holds four certifications from the American Board of Medical Specialties in the following areas: Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Spinal Cord Injury; Brain Injury Medicine; and Pain Medicine. He also has published several articles regarding patient safety during transitions of care including communication during handoffs, and identification/reconciliation of barriers to safe community discharge with resultant enhanced patient satisfaction. His medical degree is from New York Medical College and he completed his residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Among his many prestigious awards, on more than one occasion he was honored as Best Teacher Of The Year in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

In this interview, Dr. Fine discusses the following: kinds of patients he is treating for COVID-19; patient pathways to arrive for treatment; differential susceptibility of patients entering the health care setting on the basis of age, gender, socioeconomic factors, genetic variations and other characteristics, such as preexisting conditions like diabetes; whether accurate predictors are being employed, along with any kinds of measures or rating scales to help distinguish patients who can expect to be discharged to their homes compared to individuals with more life-limiting medical conditions; access to all necessary therapies, including those considered still at an experimental stage of effectiveness; role of telehealth in treating COVID-19; possible impact on daily activities of wearing full-body PPE by clinicians in the hospital; and how as a health professional life may have changed since the appearance of COVID-19.

 

 

 

Apr 15, 2020

Dr. Brian Im serves as director of brain injury rehabilitation at the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute at NYU Langone Health. He is heavily involved in program development and academic medicine. He has an active role in TBI research with a focus on studying health care disparities and differences that exist in traumatic brain injury care for different populations. After completing medical school at SUNY, Syracuse, a rehabilitation residency at NYU School of Medicine/Rusk Rehabilitation, and a fellowship in brain injury medicine at UMDNJ/Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, his subsequent tenure at Bellevue Hospital focused upon an interest in improving brain injury rehabilitation for underserved populations.

In this episode, Dr Im discusses the kinds of patients he has been treating for COVID-19, after-effects that are caused or associated with the onset of coronavirus that might not have occurred in the absence of a COVID-19 infection; patterns that characterize these patients; when triage becomes necessary; whether any kinds of measures or rating scales are being used at Rusk as a means of helping to distinguish patients who can expect to be discharged to their homes compared to individuals with more life-limiting medical conditions; whether accurate predictors exist to help determine whether a patient’s condition may be prone to deteriorate rapidly as opposed to achieving recovery eventually from what ails them; if Rusk has access to all necessary therapies, including those considered still at an experimental stage of effectiveness; if wearing full-body PPE in the hospital results in physical barriers that hinder personal activities; ways is which his life has changed since the appearance of COVID-19; and whether telehealth plays a role in treating either patients who have been discharged after being treated for COVID-19 or patients who already were being treated by Rusk clinicians prior to the outbreak of that disease.

 

 

Apr 1, 2020

Dr. Naomi Gerber serves as the Director of Research for the Department of Medicine at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia and the Outcomes Program at the Beatty Center for Integrated Research. After graduating from Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Gerber completed two residencies in internal medicine and rehabilitation medicine and a fellowship in rheumatology. She served as the Chief of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department at the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and was instrumental in helping to develop the sub-specialty of rehabilitative rheumatology. In 2006, Dr. Gerber joined the faculty of George Mason University in the Health Administration and Policy Department and is co-director of the Laboratory for the Study and Simulation of Human Movement. 

Listeners to Part 1 of Dr. Gerber’s presentation will recall that she talked about fatigue in the context of proteomics, performance, and perception. In Part 2, she began by asking how do we separate central fatigue from depression? It is a difficult question and may be why the biosignatures are so important. From a clinical perspective, sad and despairing feelings, anhedonia, really is the hallmark of depression. It’s not the hallmark of central fatigue, which is a different pathway. Many important factors here originate in the liver. We need to be attentive to the way we measure the specifics of both peripheral and central fatigue. We have objective measures that are quantitative and we have self-reports. Both are needed, along with observer-recorded reports to obtain a full picture of what we mean by fatigue. A perfect fatigue instrument has not been found yet. She described the fatigue severity scale and indicated some of its deficiencies. She also described the kinds of procedures undertaken in her laboratory to obtain a fuller understanding of fatigue. She indicated who can be considered fatigued. It’s usually women, individuals who are less active, who are obese or overweight, who are smokers with more than moderate alcohol intake, often complaining of depressed symptomology, and they are anxious. In her view, metabolic issues are under appreciated by our specialty. 

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