This interview is a continuation of a panel discussion on TBI. This is the second of a two-part series featuring Dr. Prin Amorapanth and Dr. Brian Im.
Dr. Prin Amorapanth is a clinical instructor and a member of the research faculty at Rusk. His fellowship at NYU Langone Health focuses on brain injury medicine. His current research interests include identifying markers of visuospatial impairment following acquired brain injury as well as the use of non-invasive brain stimulation as both a therapeutic and investigational tool for maximizing rehabilitation and better understanding mechanisms of recovery following brain injury. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. His medical degree and PhD are from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency training in rehabilitation medicine at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Dr. Brian Im is Associate Director of Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Rusk. He also is program director for the ACGME-accredited brain injury medicine fellowship at NYU School of Medicine. Following medical school at SUNY, Syracuse, rehabilitation residency at NYU School of Medicine/Rusk Rehabilitation, and fellowship in BI rehabilitation medicine at UMDNJ/Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, his subsequent 5-year tenure at NYU Bellevue Hospital focused upon an interest in improving brain injury rehabilitation for underserved populations. He has an active role in TBI research at NYU and the TBI Model Systems Project at Rusk Rehabilitation, specifically as co-director of the Bellevue program. His primary research interest is in disparities in TBI health care for different U.S. populations.
In Part 2, the discussion includes: kinds of tests employed to assess patient emotions and the possibility of the results being compromised; differences between male and female athletes in TBI injuries; key rehabilitation research topics involving TBI where it would be beneficial to conduct more investigations; and changes that may occur as more patient care services occur mostly outside the hospital setting
This interview is a continuation of a panel discussion on TBI. This is the first of a two-part series featuring Dr. Prin Amorapanth and Dr. Brian Im.
Dr. Prin Amorapanth is a clinical instructor and a member of the research faculty at Rusk. His fellowship at NYU Langone Health focuses on brain injury medicine. His current research interests include identifying markers of visuospatial impairment following acquired brain injury as well as the use of non-invasive brain stimulation as both a therapeutic and investigational tool for maximizing rehabilitation and better understanding mechanisms of recovery following brain injury. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. His medical degree and PhD are from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency training in rehabilitation medicine at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Dr. Brian Im is Associate Director of Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Rusk. He also is program director for the ACGME-accredited brain injury medicine fellowship at NYU School of Medicine. Following medical school at SUNY, Syracuse, rehabilitation residency at NYU School of Medicine/Rusk Rehabilitation, and fellowship in BI rehabilitation medicine at UMDNJ/Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, his subsequent 5-year tenure at NYU Bellevue Hospital focused upon an interest in improving brain injury rehabilitation for underserved populations. He has an active role in TBI research at NYU and the TBI Model Systems Project at Rusk Rehabilitation, specifically as co-director of the Bellevue program. His primary research interest is in disparities in TBI health care for different U.S. populations.
In Part 1, the discussion includes: whether different patterns of outcomes occur upon discharge of different racial and ethnic TBI patients from inpatient rehabilitation facilities; challenges involved in predicting the degree of cognitive, motor, and psychological recovery and the timeline of such recovery after sustaining a TBI; diagnostic tools to explore chronic traumatic encephalopathy pathophysiology; progress being made in identifying suitable biomarkers; kinds of emotional impairment among TBI patients; and the usefulness of incorporating patient self-reports in assessments of their emotional state.
This episode is part two of a panel discussion on TBI with Dr. Steven Flanagan and Dr. Erika Trovato.
Dr. Steven Flanagan is Director of the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute. He is highly recognized, nationally and internationally, as one of the leading experts in the area of brain injury rehabilitation. He serves on numerous medical advisory boards, including the Brain Trauma Foundation and is a peer reviewer for several scientific journals. He currently is chairperson of the Medical Education Committee and sits on the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine. The author of numerous chapters and peer-reviewed publications, he has received awards from several organizations and been continually listed as one of America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly.
Dr. Erika Trovato recently completed her fellowship in Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Rusk. She obtained her medical degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rusk Rehabilitation before beginning her fellowship. Her current research interest involves sleep dysfunction after traumatic brain injury. She has accepted a TBI attending physician position at Burke Rehabilitation in White Plains, NY and will begin working there in October 2017.
In this interview, the two discuss: how to deal with situations when a patient’s resilience and positive willingness to want to participate actively in all aspects of rehabilitation are not present; long-term motor dysfunction and movement disorders in the kinds of research being conducted; progress being made in the incorporation of advances in technology to patient care; availability of prognostic tools to predict and define outcomes after a TBI; ways in which the rehabilitation of TBI patients could benefit from the development of more innovations of a non-technology nature; breaking bad news to patients and their family members about reduced chances for significant recovery; and kinds of interventions effective in dealing with fatigue.
This episode is part of a panel discussion on TBI with Dr. Steven Flanagan and Dr. Erika Trovato.
Dr. Steven Flanagan is Director of the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute. He is highly recognized, nationally and internationally, as one of the leading experts in the area of brain injury rehabilitation. He serves on numerous medical advisory boards, including the Brain Trauma Foundation and is a peer reviewer for several scientific journals. He currently is chairperson of the Medical Education Committee and sits on the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine. The author of numerous chapters and peer-reviewed publications, he has received awards from several organizations and been continually listed as one of America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly.
Dr. Erika Trovato recently completed her fellowship in Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Rusk. She obtained her medical degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rusk Rehabilitation before beginning her fellowship. Her current research interest involves sleep dysfunction after traumatic brain injury. She has accepted a TBI attending physician position at Burke Rehabilitation in White Plains, NY and will begin working there in October 2017.
In this interview, the two discuss: the TBI Model System at Rusk; activities undertaken in the Rusk Fellowship Program; advice for incoming Rusk Fellows; when a patient is ill, how decisions are made regarding which different kinds of therapy should commence and when; and use of family caregivers to assist in the pain assessment of TBI patients.
Samantha Muscato is a clinical specialist in pediatric occupational therapy acute care at Rusk Rehabilitation, where she has been for nine years. She has worked in all pediatric rehabilitation departments including: outpatient, the former preschool program, inpatient acute rehabilitation, and acute care. Her experience includes assessing needs regarding assistive technology, seating and mobility, splinting, as well as standard occupational therapy assessment of fine motor, visual motor, sensory processing, cognitive skills, and activities of daily living. Her current work primarily is in the neonatal intensive care unit, the congenital cardiovascular care unit, and the acute care unit providing feeding therapy to infants born prematurely and babies with complex medical/surgical histories. Her Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Occupational therapy are from D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY. She has taken certification courses for Kinesiotaping, neonatal oral motor assessment scale, and she is a Certified Lactation Counselor.
In this interview, Samantha discusses: the ages of her patients and the kinds of conditions they have that necessitate the provision of occupational therapy services; feeding therapy to infants born prematurely and babies with complex medical and surgical histories; what specifically distinguishes the work of an occupational therapist in the pediatric intensive care unit; whether certification is necessary for an occupational therapist to work in that unit; tools for conducting assessments; occupational therapy strategies employed when addressing the complex health care needs of children at different ages; the role of assistive technology; mentoring and training new pediatric occupational therapists for all aspects of acute care; and developing programs and providing education for staff in other health professions.
Dr. Camille Magsombol is an occupational therapy clinical specialist at Rusk. She currently is involved in the development and promotion of self-management programs for patients with diabetes, low vision, and COPD. Her capstone project for her doctorate was about low vision, its effect on function, and incorporating low vision assessment and management within the inpatient rehabilitation setting. Her occupational therapy Bachelor's degree is from the University of the Philippines Manila and her Doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy is from Quinnipiac University.
Christina Marino is a senior occupational therapist on the adult inpatient unit at Rusk. She has specialized in treating patients with cognitive-perceptual deficits and visual deficits and she also provides mentoring for staff therapists in these areas. She leads the occupational therapy Vision Team which focuses on providing in-services for new staff and looking into evidenced based practice for treatment of vision problems. Her degree in occupational therapy as well as a bachelors in Hispanic Studies are from the University of Scranton.
In this interview, they discuss the kinds of disorders encountered that necessitate doing neurological and low vision assessments; how conditions, such as health problems, head injuries, or being sedated have an impact on the ability to obtain accurate assessments; given that neglect can restrict independence in activities of daily living, such as dressing and instrumental activities of daily living, such as cooking, how neglect is measured and what is done with the results; approach used to assess declines in cognitive capacity, vision, and physical abilities that may impair an individual's ability to drive safely; the role of occupational therapy in identifying and addressing visual impairments; and strategies used for patients with visual impairments.
Dr. Olga Kalandova is the supervisor of the Outpatient Physical Therapy Unit at Rusk Institute, NYU Langone Health. A wide spectrum of outpatient physical therapy programs have developed under her guidance, including orthopedic, neurological and the woman’s health patient population. She has been at Rusk Institute for 29 years and has extensive expertise in the treatment of spinal and neurological disorders. She also frequently teaches and gives professional and community lectures presenting on various topics and conditions. She received her graduate degree in orthopedics, a doctorate degree in physical therapy, completed internationally recognized certification in mechanical diagnosis and therapy, and holds a number of certifications in manual and alternative therapies.
In this interview, Dr. Kalandova discusses the kinds of patients she treats; the importance of posture and postural alignment;how posture affects function and daily performance;consequences of poor posture; correlations between posture and pain; how postural alignment affects exercise and conditioning; and the role education plays in treatment as a way of enabling patients to obtain skills necessary to manage pain and also as a way of either preventing or self-treating future occurrences outside of the clinical setting.
Steven has more than 35 years’ experience in Vocational Rehabilitation. He has worked in a variety of settings, including New York State Vocational Rehabilitation, as a Rusk Supervisor in Vocational Rehabilitation, as Associate Executive Director at a Not for Profit mental health agency, and 14 years at the Veterans Administration, including 5 years in the New York Regional Office. He supervises counselors and a support staff who serve 2,300 disabled Veterans in Eastern New York State. He obtained a Masters’ Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation at New York University and another Masters’ Degree in public Administration from John Jay College.
In this interview, Jennifer and Steven discuss vocational rehabilitation for veterans, the use of assistive technologies to accommodate more complex medical conditions experienced such as PTSD, vocational assessments, kinds of activities funded, and differences in providing services for veterans from the Gulf War/Afghanistan and the Vietnam conflict.
Matthew Wichrowski is a Senior Horticultural Therapist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Rusk. His primary responsibility at the Medical Center is as a clinician where he provides horticultural therapy services to patients in a cardiac/medically complex unit, a psychiatry unit, and an Epilepsy unit. His research interests center around the effects of nature on human health and wellness. He has completed performance improvement projects assessing the benefits that patients perceived as a result of participating in horticultural therapy sessions, as an inpatient, and then post discharge. His study assessing the effects of horticultural therapy on mood and heart rate in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation patients was published in the Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation. He also has been involved with environmental improvement projects. He has been teaching in the Horticultural Therapy Certificate Program at New York Botanical Garden for 20 years and is Editor-In-Chief of The Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture. His bachelor’s degree is from SUNY Stony Brook and he has a master’s degree in social work from that institution.
Dr. Kristine Josef is a Neurologic Clinical Specialist with experience working in various areas including adult inpatient rehabilitation and acute care. While working in acute care, she was involved in the Early Mobility project in the intensive care unit that resulted in patient decreased length of stay, decreased hospital costs, and increased incidence of patient discharge home vs post-acute facilities. She has given multiple presentations on the topic of delirium. Recently, she co-authored a poster that was presented at the 2017 Combined Sections Meeting in San Antonio, TX that was titled “Delirium in patients with cerebrovascular accident: increasing treatment team awareness.” Her doctorate in physical therapy is from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, which now is Rutgers University. She is a board certified neurologic clinical specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.
In this interview, she discusses: distinguishing delirium from encephalopathy; tools for accurate delirium screening and diagnosis in critically ill patients; the role physical therapy plays in dealing with the problem of patients with delirium from the standpoint of diagnosis and treatment; if anything can be done pre-surgically to prevent the occurrence of delirium; aging and co-morbidities in relation to delirium; the role of family members in changing the course of delirium in a patient; and the advantages and disadvantages of using physical restraints to manage behavioral symptoms of hospitalized patients.
Kaitlin Hanley works as a speech-language pathologist in acute care and Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Medical Center and Christina Marino is an occupational therapist who works on that same unit. Kaitlin has cross-covered acute care and acute rehabilitation for her entire career with a focus on functional therapy for enabling patients to return to the community as it pertains to cognitive, speech, and language therapy. She completed her graduate work in Speech Language Pathology at MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston. Christina has worked in a variety of settings, including Rusk and the Tisch Hospital acute care service at NYU Langone. Along with treating cardiopulmonary patients with cognitive deficits, another specialty includes working with limb loss patients. Her undergraduate and graduate degrees are from the University of Scranton.
In this interview, Kaitlin and Christina discuss the kinds of patients they treat and problems regarding how cognitive impairments affect cardiopulmonary patients; occupational therapy and speech-language pathology tools available to arrive at an accurate diagnosis; factors involved in making a determination of which types of interventions would be most appropriate for patients who may differ by age, frailty, and extent of their problems; activities that are aimed at preventing a recurrence of problems; and areas where further research might provide guidance for making additional improvements in patient care.
Sharon Matsos has been a physical therapist for 11 years and has experience in treating patients with cardiopulmonary diseases in acute care, inpatient, and outpatient cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. She helped develop and implement the diabetes education management program on the HCC-9 unit and is part of the cardiopulmonary strategic planning group, in the clinical subcommittee. Her doctorate in physical therapy is from Stony Brook University. Camille Magsombol currently is involved in the development and promotion of self-management programs for patients with diabetes, low vision, and COPD. She also is part of the cardiopulmonary strategic planning group, in the clinical subcommittee. Her Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy is from the University of the Philippines Manila and her Occupational Therapy doctorate is from Quinnipiac University. Shaparak Shadravan who is called “Shap” is part of the team treating cardiopulmonary and medically complex patients with communication, swallowing, and cognitive impairments. She also participates in the clinical brain injury strategic planning group, with a focus on stroke. Her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Communication Disorders are from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Sharon Matsos has been a physical therapist for 11 years and has experience in treating patients with cardiopulmonary diseases in acute care, inpatient, and outpatient cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. She helped develop and implement the diabetes education management program on the HCC-9 unit and is part of the cardiopulmonary strategic planning group, in the clinical subcommittee. Her doctorate in physical therapy is from Stony Brook University. Camille Magsombol currently is involved in the development and promotion of self-management programs for patients with diabetes, low vision, and COPD. She also is part of the cardiopulmonary strategic planning group, in the clinical subcommittee. Her Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy is from the University of the Philippines Manila and her Occupational Therapy doctorate is from Quinnipiac University. Shaparak Shadravan who is called “Shap” is part of the team treating cardiopulmonary and medically complex patients with communication, swallowing, and cognitive impairments. She also participates in the clinical brain injury strategic planning group, with a focus on stroke. Her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Communication Disorders are from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Part 1 of this interview involves a discussion of: a definition of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, how patients qualify to be part of the program, kinds of patients treated based on their health problems, members of the treatment team, roles played by occupational therapy/physical therapy. speech-language pathology, and the kinds of tests used to determine appropriate treatment interventions.
Dr. Greg Sweeney is the Program Manager of the Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiac Prevention & Rehabilitation Center at Rusk Rehabilitation. He has close to 20 years of experience in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, spanning a continuum of care that includes acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, home care, and outpatient settings. He is an American Physical Therapy Association board-certified cardiopulmonary clinical specialist. A Past President of the New York State Chapter of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, he has a strong interest in research related to the population with cardiopulmonary disorders. He has produced several publications, including a book chapter and peer-reviewed journal articles. His bachelor’s degree is from Manhattan College. He has a Master's Degree in Physical Therapy from Long Island University and his doctorate in physical therapy is from the University of Scranton.
In this interview, Greg discusses settings where cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is provided, the role of physical therapy in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, types of patients treated, tests involving cardiorespiratory fitness used to aid in a determination of the most effective physical therapy forms of treatment to employ, special challenges involved in treating patients who have implanted left-ventricular assistive devices, responding to situations where a patient may be concerned about the safety of engaging in a program involving physical activity, and key topics in rehabilitation research pertaining to physical therapy aspects of cardiopulmonary care.
Mary Fischer is a clinical specialist in acute care at NYU Langone Medical Center. She is a board-certified Geriatric clinical specialist with over 25 years of experience in acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient, and home care therapy. Along with making presentations on geriatric topics at multiple Physical Therapy Conferences and the American Delirium Society Conference, in October 2016, Rusk Rehabilitation hosted a day-long event called: "Comprehensive Examination and Treatment of the Patient with Delirium: An Interprofessional and Evidence Based Approach" in which she was a content planner and faculty member. Some of her other important activities include serving as the principle investigator for a research project on fall risk assessment in acute care and being a member of the post-operative delirium prevention committee. She has a master’s degree in physical therapy from Columbia University and a doctorate from Stony Brook University. Prior Rusk podcast interviews that she participated in with Dr. Kristine Josef were posted on iTunes on May 18 and May 25, 2016. In Part 2, the discussion includes how delirium can be triggered in the intensive care setting by sleep deprivation/disturbance, non-pharmacological interventions to treat delirium, long-term consequences such as mental health problems, the role of falls in causing delirium, and future activities involving delirium in which she plans to engage.
Mary Fischer is a clinical specialist in acute care at NYU Langone Medical Center. She is a board-certified Geriatric clinical specialist with over 25 years of experience in acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient, and home care therapy. Along with making presentations on geriatric topics at multiple Physical Therapy Conferences and the American Delirium Society Conference, in October 2016, Rusk Rehabilitation hosted a day-long event called: "Comprehensive Examination and Treatment of the Patient with Delirium: An Interprofessional and Evidence Based Approach" in which she was a content planner and faculty member. Some of her other important activities include serving as the principle investigator for a research project on fall risk assessment in acute care and being a member of the post-operative delirium prevention committee. She has a master’s degree in physical therapy from Columbia University and a doctorate from Stony Brook University. Prior Rusk podcast interviews that she participated in with Dr. Kristine Josef were posted on iTunes on May 18 and May 25, 2016. In Part 1, the discussion includes symptoms of delirium, length of delirium episodes, predisposing/precipitating risks for the onset of delirium, and how physical therapists are involved in recognizing and preventing delirium.
Dr. Jonathan Finnoff is the medical director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center and the Program Director for the Mayo Clinic Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship in Minneapolis, MN. His clinical interests are broad and include multiple sports medicine topics. He has published over 70 articles in peer reviewed journals, authored multiple book chapters, and co-edited the book, Sports Medicine: Study Guide and Review for Boards. He serves as a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. He has been a team physician for the United States Ski Team and also is a team physician for the Timberwolves NBA basketball team, and Lynx WNBA basketball team. A member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Board of Governors and the Board of Directors for the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, his medical degree is from the University of New England. He did his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Utah and completed a Sports Medicine fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Finnoff is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Dr. Jonathan Finnoff is the medical director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center and the Program Director for the Mayo Clinic Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship in Minneapolis, MN. His clinical interests are broad and include multiple sports medicine topics. He has published over 70 articles in peer reviewed journals, authored multiple book chapters, and co-edited the book, Sports Medicine: Study Guide and Review for Boards. He serves as a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. He has been a team physician for the United States Ski Team and also is a team physician for the Timberwolves NBA basketball team, and Lynx WNBA basketball team. A member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Board of Governors and the Board of Directors for the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, his medical degree is from the University of New England. He did his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Utah and completed a Sports Medicine fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Finnoff is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
This interview is a live presentation that was presented at the 3rd Annual Rusk Research Symposium during the summer. The title of the talk is: Understanding Sarcopenia and the Role of Exercise in the Elderly.
Please excuse any quality issues during this live presentation.
Dr. Walter Frontera is a Professor in both the Department of Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Sports Medicine and the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. Dr. Frontera was presented with an award at the Rusk Rehabilitation Research Symposium held on Friday June 16 and his presentation at that symposium will be aired in a future segment. This interview is part 1 of 2 and explores Dr. Frontera's insights on mitochondrial function of skeletal muscle, his areas of research, the kinds of patients that he treats, arriving at accurate diagnoses, and translation of clinical findings and evidence-based research to the bedside.
Dr. Frontera's main research interest is geriatric rehabilitation and in particular the study of the mechanisms underlying muscle atrophy and weakness in the elderly. Based on his studies of human sarcopenia, he has developed rehabilitative interventions using therapeutic exercise to slow down or reverse skeletal muscle alterations associated with advanced adult age. Dr.Frontera has served as the Inaugural Professor and Head of the Department of PM&R at Harvard Medical School and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston and also as Chief of the PM&R Service at the Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s Hospitals. He has more than 230 scientific publications including 96 peer-reviewed articles and 16 edited books, along with presenting more than 220 invited lectures in 53 countries. Currently, Dr. Frontera serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of PM&R. In 2008, he was elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. He completed his medical studies and a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Puerto Rico and he has a doctoral degree in applied anatomy and physiology from Boston University.
This interview is a live presentation that was presented at the 3rd Annual Rusk Research Symposium during the summer. The title of the talk is: Understanding Sarcopenia and the Role of Exercise in the Elderly.
Please excuse any quality issues during this live presentation.
Dr. Walter Frontera is a Professor in both the Department of Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Sports Medicine and the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. Dr. Frontera was presented with an award at the Rusk Rehabilitation Research Symposium held on Friday June 16 and his presentation at that symposium will be aired in a future segment. This interview is part 1 of 2 and explores Dr. Frontera's insights on mitochondrial function of skeletal muscle, his areas of research, the kinds of patients that he treats, arriving at accurate diagnoses, and translation of clinical findings and evidence-based research to the bedside.
Dr. Frontera's main research interest is geriatric rehabilitation and in particular the study of the mechanisms underlying muscle atrophy and weakness in the elderly. Based on his studies of human sarcopenia, he has developed rehabilitative interventions using therapeutic exercise to slow down or reverse skeletal muscle alterations associated with advanced adult age. Dr.Frontera has served as the Inaugural Professor and Head of the Department of PM&R at Harvard Medical School and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston and also as Chief of the PM&R Service at the Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s Hospitals. He has more than 230 scientific publications including 96 peer-reviewed articles and 16 edited books, along with presenting more than 220 invited lectures in 53 countries. Currently, Dr. Frontera serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of PM&R. In 2008, he was elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. He completed his medical studies and a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Puerto Rico and he has a doctoral degree in applied anatomy and physiology from Boston University.
This interview is a live presentation that was presented at the 3rd Annual Rusk Research Symposium during the summer. The title of the talk is: Effects of Technology Based Cognitive Intervention in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury Adults.
Please excuse any quality issues during this live presentation.
Gerald Voelbel, PhD is an associate professor of cognitive neuroscience in the Department of Occupational Therapy and Director of the Rehabilitation Sciences Doctoral Program. His main research interests focus on the neuropsychological deficits in neurological and psychiatric populations. An area of significant importance for Dr. Voelbel is the development of cognitive remediation techniques to improve cognitive deficits such as processing speed, executive function, and working memory in individuals with traumatic brain injuries. An additional area of interest for Dr. Voelbel is the use of structural and functional imaging methods to identify biomarkers of cognitive deficits in concussions and in more severe traumatic brain injuries. At Rusk, he is an adjunct assistant professor. His PhD in psychology is from Rutgers University. He did his postdoctoral work at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and the Kessler Foundation Research Center.