In the News
3rd Annual Kessler Foundation's Joel A. DeLisa, MD Award for Excellence in Research and Education in the Field of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R),
Ross Zafonte, DO, was named the 2013 recipient of the 3rd Annual Kessler Foundation Joel A. DeLisa, MD Award for Excellence in Research and Education in the Field of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), which includes a $50,000 unrestricted grant for Dr. Zafonte’s research activities. An expert on brain injury, he is the Harvard Medical School Earle P. and Ida S. Charlton Professor and Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. He also serves as Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital. His textbook, Brain Injury Medicine: Principles and Practice, is considered one of the standards in brain injury care. Dr. Zafonte studies the impact of multiple concussions as well as the role of innovative agents to enhance recovery after brain and spinal cord injury. Kessler Foundation created this annual award in 2011 to honor Dr. DeLisa's service as founding director of Kessler Foundation and his many contributions to the field of PM&R.
Staff at Kessler Foundation share their expertise and findings in national and international journals and are invited to speak at conferences around the world.
Senior Vice President for Research & Training John DeLuca, PhD, lectured at the 7th World Congress of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM2013), the premier international congress of physical and rehabilitation medicine. More than 4,000 professionals attended the June meeting at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, China. Dr. DeLuca’s talk, “Cognitive Rehabilitation Following Brain Damage: Past, Present, and Future,” addressed cognitive rehabilitation after brain injury including a history of cognitive rehabilitation, current trends in evidence-based treatment, and future directions for research and practice.
Mooyeon Oh-Park, MD, assistant director of Stroke Rehabilitation Research at Kessler Foundation, was named the 2013 “Teacher of the Year” in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. This award is given each year to a faculty member who demonstrated outstanding knowledge in PM&R as well as dedication and skills in teaching. “When someone asks me, ‘what wakes you up in the morning,’ I can confidently say, ‘my students.’ Teaching is always bidirectional in enhancing our knowledge and wisdom; at the end of the day, I learn the most from my students,” she said. Dr. Oh-Park also taught at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, where she was named “Teacher of the Year” in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2010.
The Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System (NNJSCIS)—a collaborative effort of Kessler Foundation, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey—and the Spinal Cord Injury Project of the W. M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers sponsored a conference, The State of Spinal Cord Injury: Latest News on Clinical Trials of Interventions to Promote Neurological Recovery. Speakers Steven Kirshblum, MD, of Kessler Institute, and Wise Young, MD, PhD, of the Keck Center, discussed recent and ongoing clinical trials to improve recovery and quality of life in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Dr. Kirshblum is Medical Director and Director of SCI Services at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and Co-Project Director of the NNJSCIS. Dr. Young is the Founding Director of the Keck Center, Richard H. Shindell Chair in Neuroscience and Professor II in the Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience at Rutgers University.
Earlier this summer Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of Traumatic Brain Injury Research and Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research, gave two presentations while in Spain on a month-long sabbatical. The talks focused on cognitive rehabilitation in patients with multiple sclerosis and new techniques being researched at Kessler Foundation. In June, she presented at the Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology at the University of Deusto to professors, researchers, and PhD students. In July, she gave a similar presentation at the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, and discussed possibilities for future collaboration.
Senior Research Scientist Peter Barrance, PhD, received the 2013 Clinical Biomechanics Award at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics in Omaha, Nebraska. He was primary author of the winning abstract, “Tibiofemoral contact location changes associated with lateral heel wedging: A study using weight-bearing MRI.” The study involved 12 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee and was funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and Kessler Foundation. “The burden of osteoarthritis in terms of reduced mobility, lost workplace productivity, and escalating medical care costs, is profound,” noted Dr. Barrance. “Our group develops MRI techniques to study changes related to osteoarthritis in the knee while patients are standing. These methods can be used to develop improved treatment options, and in the long term, they may replace the radiographic imaging that is now used clinically. We are honored by the Society’s recognition of the clinical significance of this work, as represented by this award.”
Steven Benvenisti, Esq., partner at Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, personal injury attorney and motivational speaker, was named the first recipient of the Kessler Foundation Neurorehabilitation Award. The award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to social and public awareness of neurorehabilitation. Mr. Benvenisti travels around the nation, sharing the story of a case of catastrophic brain injury, which he calls, “The most significant case of his entire career.” He is also the author of Spring Break: A True Story of Hope and Determination, which details the case and the important role that neurorehabilitation plays in the lives of individuals with brain injury and their families. The American Society of Neurorehabilitation Educational Foundation Board selected the winner.
The Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System (NNJSCIS)—a collaborative effort of Kessler Foundation, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey—and the Spinal Cord Injury Project of the W. M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers sponsored a conference, The State of Spinal Cord Injury: Latest News on Clinical Trials of Interventions to Promote Neurological Recovery. Speakers Steven Kirshblum, MD, of Kessler Institute, and Wise Young, MD, PhD, of the Keck Center, discussed recent and ongoing clinical trials to improve recovery and quality of life in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Dr. Kirshblum is Medical Director and Director of SCI Services at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and Co-Project Director of the NNJSCIS. Dr. Young is the Founding Director of the Keck Center, Richard H. Shindell Chair in Neuroscience and Professor II in the Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience at Rutgers University.
Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ-10) and Congressman Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-NJ-11) toured the research facilities at Kessler Foundation. Chris Tagatac, who was paralyzed in July 2011, demonstrated Ekso—a robotic, battery-powered exoskeleton that enables wheelchair users to stand and walk. Rep. Payne, Jr. also saw the Lokomat—a robotic device in which individuals are harnessed over a treadmill as robotics move their legs in a simulated walking pattern. The two congressmen also toured the new Neuroimaging Center at Kessler Foundation, designed to accelerate the pace of research discoveries to improve the mobility and cognition of people with disabilities through magnetic resonance imaging and other imaging techniques.
For two decades, Kessler Foundation has sponsored the New Jersey Chapter of ThinkFirst, a national injury prevention program for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. Throughout the years, more than 315,000 students in NJ have learned about the dangers of engaging in risky behavior such as drinking and driving, texting while driving, and diving into shallow water, as well as the importance of wearing seatbelts and helmets, having a designated driver, looking both ways when crossing, and avoiding physical and gun violence. ThinkFirst is brought to life through VIPs—Voices for Injury Prevention—who speak to the students about how they were injured, how their injuries have changed their lives, and how they wish they had taken the time to “think first” to prevent their injuries. The grand prize-winning poster, from 5th grader Clarisse Noristz, is depicted here. The 2013 program also received support from Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation and the Kreitman family.
Laurens Molina, from Costa Rica, won the Men’s Open division in the 13th Annual Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K—the wheelchair division of the Fred d’Elia Ridgewood Run. Twenty-eight racers represented five countries, including Nigeria, Spain, Columbia, Costa Rica, and the United States, and competed for a total purse of $10,000. The Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K was the first wheelchair race in N.J. and is now one of the largest integrated races in the country as runners and wheelchair athletes compete on the same course at the same time.
Since 2006, Kessler Foundation has supported the
North Jersey Navigators—an adaptive sports team for junior athletes with disabilities. In 2013, the Navigators received the Amazing Sports Club Award from the US Olympic Committee, one of seven recipients of the 2013 Paralympic Amazing Awards. Head Coach Jim Cuevas was also awarded the 2012 National Coach of the Year Award for Paralympics Track & Field. Elaine Katz, senior vice president of Grants & Communications at Kessler Foundation, said, “It has been wonderful to be so involved with the Navigators over the years, and to chart their success since they started out as a small, grassroots program and now watch them compete as a large team. We are proud of their accomplishments and happy they are getting the recognition they deserve.”
Senior Vice President of Grants and Communications Elaine Katz, MS, CCC-SLP, delivered a presentation, titled, “Building on the Momentum: Igniting Public-Private Partnerships,” which discussed successful employment initiatives for people with disabilities. The conference, “Building a More Inclusive Workforce: A National Summit to Boost Education and Employment Outcomes for Americans with Disabilities,” was hosted by Delaware Governor Jack Markell, the Council on Foundations, and the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN). Summit participants were national leaders in disability employment, including Senators Harkin and Chris Coon, Congresswoman Cathy M. Rodgers (R-WA), Chair of the USBLN Keith Wiedenkeller, and Governor Markell, former Chair of the National Governors’ Association.