World-renowned clinical excellence of the Rusk Institute is supplemented by on-going research programs in many areas relevant to the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Diverse training environments present house staff with many opportunities to engage in research. A variety of clinical pathology seen at Bellevue, integrated "paperless" medical record system at the two VA hospitals, and standardized protocols of the Orthopedic Institute are invaluable when developing a research project.
Resident and attending physicians represent the Department during the yearly presentations for the New York Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Association of Academic Physiatrists.
Dedicated research space, funds, and staff are critical components of planning for the New Rusk expected to be built over the next several years.
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine has a distinguished history of innovative basic and clinical research. An important part of the Rusk legacy has been the success in attracting more than 60 million dollars in research funds, mostly from peer-reviewed projects at the Federal level. The result was a major research program at the Rusk Institute that not only led to significant advances in clinical rehabilitation, but credibility and visibility for Rusk and the NYU School of Medicine.
Reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of our specialty, our current research efforts reflect a diversity of interests and methodologies.
Electrodiagnosis
Fellows and residents join our internationally renowned faculty in conducting
research related to diseases of nerves and muscles.
Acupuncture
The effects of Acupuncture on sympathetic nervous system are being explored.
Chronic Pain Laboratory
Kathryn Walter Stein Chronic Pain Laboratory
Thermal emission patterns associated with a variety of clinical entities
are studied in the Chronic Pain Laboratory.
Spinal Cord Injury
The Spinal Cord Injury Center, is unique in its approach to developing
treatments of spinal cord injury. It was the first to develop the concept
of secondary tissue damage in spinal cord injury. Its success is evidenced
by the widespread use of drugs it helped develop and numerous awards
it has received from the National Institutes of Health for research accomplishments.
Training and research are the two major foci of the center. In research, the center has engaged in many clinical trials that have developed new ways to assess clinical damage and new pharmacological and surgical treatments. The Center is designated as the Regional Spinal Cord Trauma Center for Manhattan by the New York City Emergency Medical Service. It also admits patients from the entire metropolitan area
Multiple Sclerosis
On the cellular level, the causes and treatments of demyelinating diseases
such as Multiple Sclerosis in humans as well as corresponding syndromes
in experimental animals are investigated. The findings are applied to
the repair of demyelination associated with spinal cord injury.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Division
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Division is examining the modulating role
of endogenous opioids on the cardiovascular response to exercise in addition
to developing pulmonary function tests characterizing the effects of
neuromuscular disease on respiratory function.
The Motor Behavior Laboratory
The Motor Behavior Laboratory is exploring the contributions of bio-feedback
to motor rehabilitation in various patient groups.
Alzheimer’s Disease
The impact of the regimen of drugs and exercise on the motor and cognitive
function of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease is being investigated.
The laboratory is also studying the influence of passive and active exercise on motor patterns and mentation of patients with movement disorders including Parkinson’s Disease.
Stroke Rehabilitation & Traumatic
Brain Injury
The Behavioral Science Department conducted definitive psychological studies
in Stroke Rehabilitation and continues at the forefront of cognitive
and perceptual rehabilitation efforts following the Traumatic Brain Injury.
Ways of improving problem-solving behavior in individual with acquired
brain damage are being investigated and instruments measuring problem
solving in interpersonal situations are being developed.
Read about our five-year NIH grant to study innovative treatments.
Internationally recognized for pioneering contributions to the clinical management of aphasia and its course of recovery following Stroke, the Speech and Language Department is now conducting studies of neurogenic communication disorders due to Brain Injury and their impact on psychological and social function.
Learning in Disabled Children
The Pre-School Program explores patterns and mechanisms of learning in
disabled children as well as effecting comprehension of these processes
by care providers.
Outcomes Management
Our Outcomes Management System is field-testing the Health Care Financing
Administration’s attempt to improve reimbursement procedures for
post-acute care in rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, and long-term
care hospitals. Part of this initiative is development of a data collection
tool to assess patient needs for rehabilitative care and monitor clinical
and functional outcomes.
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering applies computer-aided design and manufacturing
technologies to Prosthetic and Orthotic design and fabrication. The research
goals of this effort are to develop knowledge, equipment, and techniques
that facilitate and expedite the rehabilitation of physically impaired
enabling them to lead more comfortable, functional and independent lives.
