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Dr. Mushahwar received her BSc in Electrical Engineering from the Brigham Young University (1991) and her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Utah (1996). Following post-doctoral training at Emory University Centre for Rehabilitation Medicine and the University of Alberta Centre for Neuroscience, she joined the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry as an independent investigator. Dr. Mushahwar is the recipient of numerous distinctions including the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Scholar and Senior Scholar awards and the Distinguished Women in Neural Engineering award. She has published over 150 papers, patents and abstracts and has given over 60 lectures worldwide.
TOPIC
Can Pressure Ulcers Be Prevented after Spinal Cord Injury or Has this Battle Been Lost?
This presentation will provide an update on our understanding of the etiology of pressure ulcers. It will also provide a description of a new clinically viable method for the prophylactic of pressure ulcers in people with reduced mobility and sensation.
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David S. K. Magnuson, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery,Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center
University of Louisville |
My training included a PhD in Neuroscie
nce from the University of British Columbia, and postdoctoral work at University College London and the University of Ottawa. After three years as an Assistant Professor of Physiology at the University of Manitoba, I joined the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Louisville, helping to form the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center in 1999. My laboratory studies how increases or decreases in activity can influence functional recovery following spinal cord injury. We use a rat model of contusive spinal cord injury and swimming, stepping in shallow water or immobilization in a wheelchair during the critical first few weeks post-injury to investigate how activity at various post-injury time points can influence functional locomotor recovery. My laboratory is currently funded by the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust and the National Institutes of Health.
TOPIC
Loss and Gain of Function: Activity-Dependent Plasticity After SCI
This presentation will describe how swimming, shallow water stepping and wheelchair immobilization in the first few weeks post-spinal cord injury can have dramatic effects on functional recovery. The results presented will support the concept that models of rehabilitation in rodents must deal with a ceiling effect due to in-cage retraining and that wheelchair restriction can have dramatic negative effects on functional recovery.
Keynote Speakers
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Daniel E. Graves, PhD, FACRM
Director of Spinal Cord Injury Research
Director NeuroRecovery Center
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research |
Daniel E. Graves, Ph.D. has been the Director of Spinal Cord Injury Research for The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) since 1996. He is also the Director of the NeuroRecovery Center at TIRR. Dr. Graves is Principal Investigator of the Texas Model Spinal Cord Injury System (TMSCIS). His primary Academic appointment is Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine and holds adjunct appointments at the University of Texas Medical School-Houston in PM&R and Epidemiology. He has served on the Board of Governors of the American Congress of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation from 2003-2006. In 2007 Dr. Graves was given the honor of becoming a Fellow of the American Congress of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He holds both Master and Doctorate Degrees (1997, 2001) in Statistics and Measurement from the University of Houston. Dr. Graves has mentored many students seeking Doctorate or Master’s degrees in a diverse set of areas of study including Physical Therapy, Psychology, Educational Psychology and Epidemiology.
TOPIC
All Limbs Lead to the Trunk: The Rationale and Methods in the Development of the Thoracic-Lumbar Control Scale
The function of the trunk musculature has not received the attention given to the extremities over the years. The vital role the trunk plays in many aspects of life following spinal cord injury cannot be ignored.
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John Flannery, MD, FRCPC
Associate Professor, Division of Physiatry, University of Toronto; Toronto Rehabilitation Institute |
Dr. John Flannery is a Physiatry graduate from Queen’s University (1996); Medical School graduate Queen’s (1989) completed his internship at the Lion’s Gate Hospital, Vancouver (1990), general Locum Tenens 1990-1992. He was a co-director of the ABI and SCI program at the University of Calgary 1996-99, Foothills Hospital. From 1999 – 2002, he was the Director of Physiatry at St. John’s Rehabilitation Hospital, and Burn Physiatrist 2000-2005. In 2003, Dr. Flannery became the Medical Director of the MSK Program at the Toronto Rehab – Hillcrest Centre. He is also the University of Toronto, Department of Medicine (DOM) Division of Physiatry Residency Program Director since 2002. He completed the Master Teacher Program through U of T DOM in 2005. His wide range of expertise focuses on complex rehabilitation (Amputee, SCI, ABI, Burn, Polytrauma and peripheral nerve injury) with primary focus in complex musculoskeletal disease during the past 5 years. Dr. Flannery is also a member of the Bone & Joint Health Network Expert Panel as Lead Inpatient Rehab Representative.
TOPIC
Clarity During Challenging Conversations
During challenging conversations, outcomes are important as emotions are peaked and stakes are high. This is particularly important in SCI where challenging conversations can be part of everyday patient care. The ability to master challenging conversations and be clear during communication is important for long term relationships and patient care.
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Joanne Smith, BA, BRT Dip, CNP
Holistic Nutritionist
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Joanne Smith is a graduate of the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto and also holds a degree in psychology from York University. As a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, Joanne specializes in providing optimal nutritional health for people with disabilities. Her expertise in the disability community comes from her personal experience of living with a spinal cord injury for over twenty years, as well as her years as a Gemini award winning broadcaster who focused on telling in-depth stories about Canadians with disabilities. Joanne fully understands the special needs of people with disabilities and her nutritional consulting practice helps others live to their maximum potential. Joanne’s dedication to raising awareness and improving the lives of Canadians with disabilities led to her receipt of the King Clancy Award in 2006, induction into Terry Fox Hall of Fame in 2007 and being honored with the Gabriel Humanitarian Award in 2008.
TOPIC
Nutrition, the Missing Link: The Role of Nutrition in Rehabilitation
This presentation will provide insight into the role that nutrition can play in the rehabilitation process. Demonstrating how food can be used as a preventative medicine for many of the secondary health complications people with spinal cord injuries face, and revealing how this holistic approach can help to empower people to live independently.
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Clifford J. Rosen, MD
Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine; Director of Clinical and Translational Research, Maine Medical Center
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Dr. Clifford J. Rosen, M.D. is the Director of Clinical and Translational Research and a Senior Scientist at Maine Medical Center’s Research Institute. His other current positions include Adjunct Staff Scientist at the Jackson Laboratory, and Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Rosen is the founder and Former Director of the Maine Center for Osteoporosis Research and Education. He was the first Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Densitometry, is the current Editor-in-Chief of The Primer in Metabolic Bone Diseases, and just began a term as Associate Editor for JCEM. His publications include more than 325 peer-reviewed manuscripts, covering both clinical and basic bone biology. He has overseen numerous phase II and III clinical trials, funded both privately and through the NIH. Dr. Rosen’s research interests include the genetic regulation of insulin-like growth factor relative to skeletal metabolism, PTH as an anabolic therapy, and the relationship between marrow adipogenesis and osteoblastogenesis.
TOPIC
Muscle – Bone – Fat Interactions
Three major tissues control locomotion and energy metabolism in mammalian homeostasis. The muscle - bone interaction has been studied in detail but the interaction of these 3 tissues, particularly relative to fuel utilization, has recently come to light. Two unifying factors link these three organs: Insulin and their common mesenchymal stem cell origin.
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