SCI Science Perspectives

In this administrative episode we speak with this year's six recipients of named awards, awarded as part of the ASIA 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting. Each guest introduces themself and the project they were awarded for, and then gives a brief (~3 min) synopsis of the project and (~2 min) followup on future directions. The guests include: 2022 Anthony F. DiMarco Fellowship Award to C. Kevin Park, MD, for their project "Benefit of Mechanical Insufflation-Exsufflation (MIE) on Ventilator Dependent Spinal Cord Injury Patients in Acute Rehabilitation Center.” 2022 Apple Award to Michael G. Fehlings, M.D., for their project "The Influence of Timing of Surgical Decompression for Acute Spinal Cord Injury: A Pooled Analysis of Individual Patient Data." 2022 Craig H. Neilsen Foundation Allied Health Professional Research Award of ASIA to Blake Perkins, PT, DPT, ATP, for their project "Reversing the Trend: Provisional Clinical Strategy to Mitigate Incidence and Impact of Wheelchair Repairs in Spinal Cord Injury?" 2022 Mulcahey Award for Research in Outcomes Measurement to Alberto Isaac Perez SanPablo, DSc, for their project "Reliability and Validity of the Assessment of Trunk Control in Pediatric Subjects with Spinal Cord Injury using Smartphones." 2022 Translational Research or Human Neuroscience Studies in Spinal Cord Injury (TRoHNS) Award to Andrew Smith, PT, DPT, PhD, for their project "Epidural stimulation-promoted standing ability and spinal cord lesion characteristics in motor complete SCI." 2022 Vogel Award to Matthew Hanks, PhD, ATC, for their project “The Influence of Sex on Upper Extremity Joint Dynamics in Pediatric Manual Wheelchair Users with Spinal Cord Injury.” (Note: the awardees are listed in order of alphabetical order based on award name.)

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Andrei Krassioukov and Dr. Suzanne Groah about their American Spinal Injury Association presidency. Parts of this episode were recorded live in New Orleans at the 2022 American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) annual scientific meeting.

In this episode we talk to Dr. Jacob Long about their 2019 Neilsen-ASIA Research Award project titled "Does the Speed of Robotic Leg Movements During Tilt-Table Verticalization Mitigate Orthostatic Hypotension in Subacute SCI?" Note: this episode was recorded live in New Orleans at the 2022 American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) annual scientific meeting. Dr. Long received his doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2013. He joined Methodist Rehabilitation Center in 2014, soon transitioning to the Spinal Cord Injury program to advance his education and clinical expertise with this complex condition. In parallel to his clinical duties, he achieved two assistive technology certifications from the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), and the Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) and Seating & Mobility Specialist (SMS). After passing the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties board examination in Neurologic Physical Therapy (NCS) in 2018, he has been promoted to the position of Clinical Specialist. In this role, he serves as a resource and mentor for other therapists and students, and actively collaborates with the investigators at the Methodist research division, the Center for Neuroscience and Neurological Recovery.

In this episode we talk to Dr. Jacob Long about their 2019 Neilsen-ASIA Research Award project titled "Does the Speed of Robotic Leg Movements During Tilt-Table Verticalization Mitigate Orthostatic Hypotension in Subacute SCI?" Note: this episode was recorded live in New Orleans at the 2022 American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) annual scientific meeting. Dr. Long received his doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2013. He joined Methodist Rehabilitation Center in 2014, soon transitioning to the Spinal Cord Injury program to advance his education and clinical expertise with this complex condition. In parallel to his clinical duties, he achieved two assistive technology certifications from the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), and the Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) and Seating & Mobility Specialist (SMS). After passing the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties board examination in Neurologic Physical Therapy (NCS) in 2018, he has been promoted to the position of Clinical Specialist. In this role, he serves as a resource and mentor for other therapists and students, and actively collaborates with the investigators at the Methodist research division, the Center for Neuroscience and Neurological Recovery.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Melina Longoni Di Giusto and Nishu Tyagi about the paper titled "COVID-19 and spinal cord injury and disease: results of an international survey as the pandemic progresses" published in 2021 in the journal Spinal Cord Series and Cases (doi: 10.1038/s41394-020-00356-4).

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Melina Longoni Di Giusto and Nishu Tyagi about the paper titled "COVID-19 and spinal cord injury and disease: results of an international survey as the pandemic progresses" published in 2021 in the journal Spinal Cord Series and Cases (doi: 10.1038/s41394-020-00356-4).

In this episode we talk to Dr. James Milligan about the paper "A Primary Care Provider’s Guide to Preventive Health After Spinal Cord Injury" https://doi.org/10.46292/sci2603-209) published in Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. James Milligan is a family physician with the Centre for Family Medicine Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He is director of the CFFM Mobility Clinic, an interprofessional primary care clinic with a focus to improve primary care for individuals with spinal cord injury and other physical disabilities. The clinic is dedicated to clinical research in SCI in primary care, working closely with the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute and the former Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. He is an Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University and Adjunct Clinical Professor at Western University. He is a Clinical Specialist for Mobility and Falls with the Schlegel Research Institute for Aging.

In this episode we talk to Dr. James Milligan about the paper "A Primary Care Provider’s Guide to Preventive Health After Spinal Cord Injury" https://doi.org/10.46292/sci2603-209) published in Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. James Milligan is a family physician with the Centre for Family Medicine Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He is director of the CFFM Mobility Clinic, an interprofessional primary care clinic with a focus to improve primary care for individuals with spinal cord injury and other physical disabilities. The clinic is dedicated to clinical research in SCI in primary care, working closely with the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute and the former Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. He is an Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University and Adjunct Clinical Professor at Western University. He is a Clinical Specialist for Mobility and Falls with the Schlegel Research Institute for Aging.

In this episode we talk about the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) exam--commonly referred to as the "ASIA exam"--with Dr. Steven Kirshblum. Our conversation is centered around Dr. Kirshblum's recent paper titled "Characterizing Natural Recovery after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury" published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma in 2021 (10.1089/neu.2020.7473).Note: the audio file for this episode was updated on 10 February 2022. There were no content changes, only aesthetic edits.

In this episode we talk about the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) exam with Dr. Steven Kirshblum via a conversation about his recent paper titled "Characterizing Natural Recovery after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury" published in the Journal of Neurotrauma in 2021 (10.1089/neu.2020.7473).Note: the audio file for this episode was updated on 10 February 2022. There were no content changes, only aesthetic edits.

In this administrative episode we speak with the founders and producers--Dr. Suzanne Groah, Dr. Marla Petriello, and Dr. David W. McMillan--about the anatomy and physiology of the SCI Science Perspectives podcast.