January was a busy and productive month for MRRI scientists and staff as we continue to remotely foster connections and collaborations with neurorehabilitation experts from other leading institutions to further advance neurorehabilitation research.

As part of the MossRehab Shrier Family Topics in Rehabilitation Science Lecture Series, MRRI welcomed back a former MRRI postdoctoral fellow, Denise Harvey, PhD as a visiting speaker. A Research Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Harvey presented her work on using noninvasive brain stimulation to enhance recovery in people with aphasia.

Brenda Rapp, PhD, also joined us virtually to present in MRRI’s Institute Forum. Dr. Rapp is working to better understand language recovery after stroke or other brain injury. She serves as a Professor in the Department of Cognitive Science at Johns Hopkins University.

New Research Collaborations

Amanda Rabinowitz, PhD, will collaborate with investigators from the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana in Indianapolis on a project funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). Dr. Rabinowitz will serve as a site principal investigator on a multi-site study led by Flora Hammond, MD to examine chronic disease management in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This project will leverage resources of the MossRehab TBI Model System as well as TBI Model Systems across the country. By producing new knowledge to address evidence gaps in the management of brain injury as a chronic condition, the research team looks to reduce mortality and improve health, function and quality of life for people with TBIs.

Dylan Edwards, PhD, will work alongside Hermano Igo Krebs, PhD, from MIT as co-chair of a Special Interest Group on Rehabilitation Robotics for the World Federation for Neurorehabilitation (WFNR). In this role, Dr. Edwards will further the development of rehabilitation robotics through meetings and educational activities during the WFNR World Congress and beyond.