Rehabilitation Projects

Networked Neuroprosthesis System

Developing digital signal processing algorithms to measure realtime heart rate and blood pressure from implanted functional electrical stimulation systems.

Biolumen

SinaiMedMaker hackathon project that uses biofeedback to wirelessly control parameters of a patient's environment such as lighting and ambient sound as well as trigger actions to a computer. Team members were Jen Lewin, Bill Magnuson, Austin Puckett, Andrew Abdou, and Salman Hirani.

Exoskeleton Gait Training System

Currently in design and prototype stage. Clinical trial pending.

Articles and Tutorials

I publish stories on Medium and contribute to the Association of Academic Physiatrists News publication.

The first two years of medical school, condensed to word cloud form.

word cloud of medical school topics

There is a saying that learning in medical school is like “drinking from a firehose.” I have also heard estimates that one learns [insert some large number here] of new words in medical school, but they were never substantiated by data...

Using MyoWare: a low-cost surface electromyography sensor for developing rehabilitation devices (Tutorial)

Electromyography (EMG) is a method to evaluate motor unit action potential activity in a muscle region. As action potentials (electrical signals) propagate through nerves to neuromuscular junctions, the change in electrical potentials (voltage) can be measured...

Using Consumer Biometric Sensors for Physiatric Research: An Introduction

Research in using technology for rehabilitation is a burgeoning field. Many exciting high-tech devices such as bionic limbs and exoskeletons are in development with funding from large grant sources such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency...

Getting started with prospective research studies during residency training

Research can be a daunting task to add onto a busy residency or fellowship training schedule. Cases, retrospective studies, and review articles use existing data and require little to no involvement of an institutional review board (IRB), and thus can yield a manuscript faster than prospective studies...

Case Reports and Research Posters

Quality Improvement Research

Presented at American Spinal Injury Assocation Annual Meeting 2019, Honolulu, HI

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Research

Presented at AAPM&R 2018, Orlando, FL

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Research

Presented at American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2018, Orlando, FL

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Case Report

Presented at Association of Academic Physiatrists 2017, Las Vegas NV

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Case Report

Presented at Association of Academic Physiatrists 2016, Sacramento, CA

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Original Research

Presented at International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2009, Vienna, Austria

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Original Research

Presented at Neuroscience 2006, Atlanta, GA

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Original Research

Presented at Neuroscience 2006, Atlanta, GA

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Curriculum Vitae

Postdoctoral Training

The MetroHealth System | Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Fellowship in Spinal Cord Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Cleveland, OH

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Residency, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Human Performance
New York, NY

PinnacleHealth Hospitals

Internship, Department of Internal Medicine
Harrisburg, PA

Education

Ross University School of Medicine

M.D.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

B.S. Brain & Cognitive Sciences

Awards & Honors

Association of Academic Physiatrists Innovation Award

For innovative use of technology to promote the ideals of academic physiatry, 2017

SinaiMedMaker Hackathon 3rd place team winner

Project: bioLumen, a biofeedback system for chronic low back pain using surface electromyography to control the lighting, sound, and data interactions within a patient's environment. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 2016.

Publications

A full list of publications is available on PubMed

Past Research Groups

Mount Sinai Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

Clinical Research Coordinator, 2007-2010

Recruited patients for national clinical trials, administered cognitive testing and collected data, prepared IRB/NIH submissions, and maintained regulatory documents. Analyzed safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic data for nutraceutical study. Served as liaison between the research center and the national Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Society.

Richard Wurtman, MD Lab for Neuroendocrine Regulation

Research Assistant, 2005-2007

Performed dietary experimentation in rats and gerbils to study neuroprotective benefits of chronic supplementation of uridine and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Co-authored articles related to the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g. DHA) on synaptic membrane synthesis in gerbils and rats. This animal research led to the active clinical trials of Souvenaid in U.S. and Europe as a possible treatment for cognitive decline in the elderly.

Saoirse Corporation

Research Intern, 2006

Performed dietary experimentation in rats and gerbils to study neuroprotective benefits of chronic supplementation of uridine and docosahexaenoic acid.

Computational Cognitive Science Group

Research Assistant, 2004

Designed and programmed computer-based cognitive experiments, and analyzed data to construct computational models of thought processes.