Programs: Rehabilitation Research and Development Service

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Centers of Excellence

Center for Aging Veterans with Vision Loss

Researchers at the Atlanta center work to improve function, independence, and quality of life of aging veterans with visual disabilities and those acquiring visual disabilities. The center focuses on vision, cognition and mobility research, and research that highlights the interaction among these areas. Research goals are to understand the mechanisms underlying impairments and disabilities and apply this understanding to the design, testing, and evaluation of rehabilitative interventions. The center is affiliated with Emory University and has relationships with the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State.

Director: Ronald A. Schuchard, Ph.D.
Location: VA Medical Center, Atlanta, GA
Telephone: 404.728.5063
E-mail: Ronald.Schuchard@med.va.gov

Center for Innovative Visual Rehabilitation

The center focuses on the development of a retinal prosthesis to restore vision in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, the leading cause of inherited blindness, and with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the leading cause of blindness among veterans and the general population in industrialized countries. Scientists work together with clinicians to provide care and education for patients with vision impairments, especially those with ARMD. Investigators collaborate with researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Director: Joseph F. Rizzo, III, M.D.
Location: VA Medical Center, Boston, MA
Telephone: 617.573.3412
E-mail: jrizzo@meei.harvard.edu

Center for Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury

The Center for Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is located at the Bronx VA Medical Center with satellite clinical research units at Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation and Helen Hayes Hospital. Investigators are studying the use of anabolic pharmaceuticals, including anabolic steroids, to treat secondary disabilities of SCI. SCI, which affects more than 40,000 veterans nationwide, often is associated with problems related to muscular function, breathing, bowel movements, and cardiovascular health. The aging veteran population with SCI is particularly susceptible to an increased risk of many medical complications that accompany nerve interruption and immobilization.

Director: William A. Bauman, M.D.
Location: VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Telephone: 718.584.9000, ext. 5420 or 5428
E-mail: wabauman@earthlink.net

Center for Functional Electrical Stimulation

Researchers investigate functional electrical stimulation (FES), a technology that relies on controlled electrical current to activate paralyzed muscles to return full or partial physical function to individuals with disabilities. Accomplishments include FDA approval of a hand grasp system and commencement of clinical trials of an advanced bladder/bowel management system. Studies include the clinical development of implantable command/control systems for bilateral hand grasp, implantable systems for transfer and mobility, unassisted standing, upper arm control, and evaluation of FES therapies in the treatment of stroke-related impairments. The Cleveland FES Center is a consortium of the Cleveland VA Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, the MetroHealth Medical Center, and the Edison BioTechnology Center.

Director: P. Hunter Peckham, Ph.D.
Location: VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
Telephone: 216.778.3480
E-mail: pxp2@po.cwru.edu

Center for Brain Rehabilitation Research

Investigators research and develop innovative methods of effective and efficient post acute rehabilitation for veterans with cognitive, motor, or sensory impairments due to stroke, traumatic injury, or degenerative diseases of the central nervous system. These programs incorporate approaches to develop neuro-physiological studies to enhance understanding of mechanisms of neural plasticity and to apply these findings to assist in the development of new treatments for the rehabilitation setting.

Director: Leslie Gonzalez Rothi, Ph.D.
Location: VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL
Telephone: 352.376.1611 x 6603
E-mail: gonzalj@neurology.ufl.edu

Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center

Funded by Health Services Research and Development and Rehabilitation Research and Development Services, Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center (RORC) scientists enhance access, quality, and efficiency of rehabilitation services through inter-disciplinary research and dissemination activities. RORC is developing a national integrated database of individuals with stroke to assess patient outcomes, developing and testing outcomes related to newly emerging rehabilitation therapies based on principles of neuroplasticity and innovative technologies, and providing scientific evidence that promotes informed clinical policy in rehabilitation. The center is affiliated with the University of Florida and Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies.

Director: Pamela W. Duncan, Ph.D., Co-Director: Steve Nadeau, M.D.
Location: VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL
Telephone: 352.376.1611 ext 4923
E-mail: pamela.duncan2@med.va.gov

Center for Functional Recovery in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Investigators study spasticity, pain management, recovery of motor and sensory function, and other areas of critical importance to veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI). The Miami center, a Veterans Health Administration resource for SCI research, care, and education, works to strengthen the network of VA SCI investigators and the community of clinician-scientists dedicated to helping patients with spinal cord injury and their families. The center is affiliated with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami School of Medicine, a leading SCI research center, and the Tampa VA Medical Center.

Director: Marca L. Sipski, M.D.
Location: VA Medical Center, Miami, FL
Telephone: 305.324-3363
E-mail: m.sipski@miami.edu

Center for Mobility

Researchers are studying neurologic or orthopedic impairments to restore and enhance muscle coordination in persons who have had a stroke or have sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) and musculo-skeletal function and integrity in persons with osteoporosis, arthritis, or SCI. Nervous system coordination during complex motor tasks, as well as bone growth, maintenance, and regeneration are under study. Researchers are also investigating obstacle avoidance training with computer-simulated environments, developing an assistive robot for effective health care delivery, and differential pressure walking assistance. The center is affiliated with Stanford University and collaborates with other institutions in areas of relevance to the center's mission.

Director: Christopher R. Jacobs, Ph.D.
Location: VA Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
Telephone: 650.493.5000 ext. 65012
E-mail: jacobs@rrd.stanford.edu

Center for Wheelchair and Related Technology

Pittsburgh investigators focus on the design, development, and evaluation of new technologies to improve the mobility of physically impaired individuals. They have made important contributions towards the design of wheelchairs, seating systems, transportation systems, and novel approaches to the delivery of assistive technology. The center has been a leader in the establishment and implementation of international standards. Rehabilitation engineering and biomechanics are important strengths of the center, as is its capabilities in conducting mutli-site studies of assistive technology. Through improved design and prescription, investigators expect to reduce the incidence of pressure sores, enhance understanding of wheeled mobility needs, reduce the incidence of repetitive upper extremity strain injuries, increase access to wheelchair and seating experts, expand and improve upon clinical knowledge, and develop better wheelchair designs and related technologies.

Director: Rory A. Cooper, Ph.D.
Location: VA Health Care System, Pittsburgh, PA
Telephone: 412.365.4850
E-mail: rcooper@pitt.edu

National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR)

The National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) is the only VA national center of excellence dedicated to addressing the needs of veterans with auditory disorders. The center is a consortium of multi-disciplinary professionals conducting research to increase knowledge about auditory dysfunction and improve auditory rehabilitation for veterans with hearing loss. The NCRAR trains new scientists and disseminates information to clinicians, educates and informs the public about hearing conservation, rehabilitation options, and how to effectively cope with auditory disorders. The center is affiliated with the Oregon Health and Science University, the University of Oregon, and has formed collaborations with three other RR&D; centers of excellence, one HSR&D; center of excellence, seven VAMCs, and thirteen academic institutions. The ultimate mission of the NCRAR is to alleviate the communication, social, and economic problems that result from disorders that affect the human auditory system.

Director: Stephen A. Fausti, Ph.D.
Location: VA Medical Center, Portland, OR
Telephone: 503.273.5306/503.220.8262 ext. 57535
E-mail: stephen.fausti@med.va.gov

Center for Limb Loss and Prosthetic Engineering

Investigators study amputation prevention, lower limb prosthetic improvement, and patient outcome measurements. One of the first to routinely test aging veterans for diabetes, the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb loss, the center has long been a resource for veterans with limb-at-risk and amputation-related problems. The center nurtures a community of clinical and basic scientists to better understand lower limb mechanics and the effect on disease, prosthetic engineering innovations, and treatment of secondary disabilities after amputation. The center measures functional treatment outcomes, tracks the positive impact of innovation, and disseminates research results. Collaborative research is conducted with the Departments of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington and the Prosthetics Research Study Group.

Director: Bruce J. Sangeorzan, M.D.
Location: Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA
Telephone: 206.764.2991
E-mail: bsangeor@u.washington.edu

Center for Spinal Cord Injury and Multiple Sclerosis

For more than a decade, West Haven researchers have focused their efforts on the recovery of functional loss from spinal cord injury (SCI). Research done at molecular and cellular levels is translated into restorative therapies in the clinical domain. Studies examine the use of channel blocking agents on rehabilitation outcomes in both SCI and multiple sclerosis (MS), neuroprotective approaches to preserving neurologic function in relapsing-remitting MS, pharmacologic treatment of ataxia in MS, and transplantation of myelin-forming cells for restoration of function in demyelinating disorders. Through this work, the center builds upon and brings together the unique resources of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, Yale University Medical School, and the PVA/EPVA Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research.

Director: Stephen G. Waxman, M.D., Ph.D.
Location: West Haven, CT
Telephone: 203.785.6351
E-mail: stephen.waxman@yale.edu

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Page Last Updated: 10/8/03