SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM

#333769 – Emerging Technologies for Stroke Rehabilitation: Toys or Tools?

FRI 27 OCT // 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM

 

PRESENTER

Steven L. Wolf, PhD, PT, FAPTA, FAHA
Professor, Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine

 

FOCUS AREAS

Stroke, Technology

 

DESCRIPTION

This seminar will feature several engineers who will dialogue on developing technologies, their relevance and application to the rehabilitation of stroke survivors, and the environments in which they can best be used. Opportunities will be provided for engaging questions and answers with attendees.

 

ABOUT DR WOLF

Dr. Steven Wolf explores novel interventions to improve extremity use in patients with stroke as well as mechanisms of cortical reorganization and inter-joint coordination associated with such changes. Within the past 21 years, he has led several NIH funded clinical trials governing this concept. More recently, his lab has been emphasizing clinical measures of neural plasticity for interventions designed to improve posture in older adults or stroke survivors as well as to improve limb function in the latter group through the addition of electrophysiological (including TMS) and imaging studies. Their newest studies involve use of robotics and mixed reality, both of which have telerehabilitation capabilities and are directed toward home-based treatment post-stroke. He also studies changes in upper extremity movement following stroke using home base robotic and telerehabilitation interfaces that complement our mixed reality studies. While his teams’ studies with stroke survivors have addressed primarily efforts to improve motoric function within the upper extremity, they have also done extensive work in monitoring lower extremity muscle activity to determine the extent to which selective feedback can enhance ambulation amongst stroke survivors. The collective experience in undertaking continuous work in stroke rehabilitation for over 35 years and working with stroke specialists who address motor difficulties faced by these patients, positions him to be of assistance to motor control scientists as well as to partake in oversight of stroke based clinical trials. In January 2014, Dr. Wolf was asked to serve as co-chairman of the Recovery and Rehabilitation Working Group of the newly NINDS funded Stroke Network in which Emory is one of 25 sites. This honor provides further opportunity to facilitate recruitment and retention strategies for clinical trials. Most recently his team has been funded to participate in a multisite trial (NIH U01 NS091951) on use of telerehabilitation to facilitate upper extremity functional return within 90 days after stroke. This study, led by Steven Cramer, MD, is the first rehabilitation and recovery project funded through the Stroke Network. This work is compatible with his experiences in a successful, home-based robotics study (RC3 NS070646-01) recently completed in collaboration with colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic that targeted chronic stroke survivors. His experiences in training grants is extensive. He was co-PI of a T-32 (HD07504) for pre-doctoral students with rehabilitation backgrounds. He has been a mentor for the entirety of the 10 years of the ERRIS training grant and its successor, Training in Grantsmanship in Rehabilitation Research (TIGRR). He is also co-PI for the second 5 year round of our T-32 (HD055931), a collaborative effort between Georgia Tech and Emory to train movement scientists with a focus on prosthetics and orthotics.

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