Division of Rehabilitation Sciences

12/17/2018 - PhD Students Scholarship Recipients

Rehab Sciences  12/17/18

Congratulations to Rehab Sciences PhD students, Julianne Bores, Jason Johnson, Jaspreet Sodhi, Efi Polychronopoulou and Ioannis Malagaris on awards and scholarships from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Ms. Bores received the Michael Gilles Purgason Memorial Scholarship & Charles F. Otis Clinical Research Award. Mr. Johnson received the Stephen C. Silverthorne Memorial Scholarship. Ms. Sodhi received the Emily E. Dupree Award of Excellence in Rehabilitation Sciences and the Peyton Lydia Schapper Endowed Scholarship fund. Ms. Polychronopoulou and Mr. Malagaris received the David and Janet Niesel Scholarship.

12/12/2018 - Big Data Drives New Research

The Rheumatologist  12/12/18

In 2013, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K), an initiative to facilitate the use of large biomedical data sets for research, the design of new research tools and methodologies, and training researchers. The initiative promotes discovery in this new landscape, said Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, Russell Shearn Moody Distinguished Chair in Neurological Rehabilitation at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. He is also a principal investigator at the Center for Large Data Research and Data Sharing in Rehabilitation (CLDR).

Accessible, Shareable Data
“Data need to be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. That means the data are out there and can be used again,” said Dr. Ottenbacher. “This [approach] is a new concept of data science within the NIH. There are so many new, different ways we can use these new, different types of data. We should be trying to take advantage of that.” Read the article.

12/11/2018 - Dr. Na New Research Grant

Rehab Sciences  12/11/18

Rehabilitation Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow Annalisa Na, PT, PhD, DPT, OCS is the recipient of a 2018 Foundation Geriatric Research Grant from the Foundation for Physical Therapy entitled, “Functional Recovery in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus following a Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.” Congratulations, Dr. Na!

11/14/2018 - Beth Cammarn CRA Extended

  Rehab Sciences  11/14/18

Beth Cammarn received a five year extension of her Certified Research Administrator (CRA) credential.  The CRA is awarded by The Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC). The CRA requires training and a national exam.  The CRA must be renewed every five years.

Beth is the only CRA in the School of Health Professions and is an active member of the Society of Research Administrators International and the National Council of University Research Administrators.

11/11/2018 - New Publication on Rehabilitation & Discharge

  SCoA Press Release  11/11/18
For patients who need rehabilitation before they can leave the hospital, does the hospital make a difference in whether they go home at discharge?

That was the question Kenneth Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR and colleagues attempted to answer in their new paper published in JAMA Network Open on November 9th,  “Facility and Geographic Variation in Rates of Successful Community Discharge after Inpatient Rehabilitation among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries."

The article looks at the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014. Dr. Addie Middleton, an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina and a former faculty member at UTMB, is the lead author on the study. She is also a scholar in the Rehabilitation Sciences Career Development Program. Dr. Janet Bettger, another author on this study, is a former pilot project awardee of the Center for Large Data Research and Data Sharing in Rehabilitation.

10/24/2018 - PhD Students Earn Awards at Forum on Aging

  Rehab Sciences  10/24/18

The Division of Rehabilitation Sciences was well represented at the 22nd Annual Forum on Aging at UTMB on October 18, 2018. Two students in the Division won awards:

Jason Johnson, Best Student Poster in Health Disparities Research, "Frailty as a Predictor of Life-Space Mobility Among Community Dwelling Older Mexican Americans"

Jaspreet Sodhi, Best Student Poster in Rehabilitation Sciences Research, "Pain and Upper-Lower Extremity Disability among Older Adult Americans: Findings from the National Health and Aging Trends Study"

10/10/2018 - Dr. Hreha Joins Rehab Sciences

  Rehab Sciences  10/10/18

The Division of Rehabilitation Sciences welcomes new faculty member Kimberly P. Hreha, EdD, OT/L, as an Assistant Professor this fall.

Dr. Hreha is a scholar in the Rehabilitation Research Career Development Program.

10/10/2018 - Division Welcomes New Students

  Rehab Sciences  10/10/18

The Division of Rehabilitation Sciences Doctoral Program welcomes three new students this fall:
- Nisha Bhattarai, BS, Biological Sciences - Mentors: C. Porter & D. Herndon
- Ursela Christopherson, MOT, Occupational Therapy - Mentor: E. Lyons
- Emre Vardarli, MS, Exercise Science - Mentor: B. Rasmussen

10/08/2018 - Dr. Karmarkar Appointed Professorship

  Rehab Sciences  10/08/18

Amol Karmarkar, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, has been awarded the Fannie Kempner Adoue Distinguished Professorship in Cognitive Rehabilitation.

Please join the Division in congratulating Dr. Karmarkar!

10/03/2018 - Rehab Sci & CLDR at ACRM 2018

  Rehab Sciences  10/03/18

Ken Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR presents in a symposium during the annual American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine meeting.

Several members of the Division attended and presented, including:

• Julianna Bores received Best Early Career Poster for "Patient Characteristics Associated with Functional Status Change in Stroke."
• Jason Johnson presented, “Frailty as a Predictor of Life-Space Mobility among Community Dwelling Older Mexican Americans,” as a part of the CLDR-sponsored Travel Award.
• Jaspreet Sodhi presented, “Association between Pain and Frailty over Time among Older Mexican Americans,” as well as presented a poster.

The Center for Large Data Research and Data Sharing in Rehabilitation (CLDR) sponsored a number of ACRM 2018 events:

• Advancing Knowledge on Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia through Health Services Research
• Demonstrating the Value of Rehabilitation in the Era of Value Based Care Using Medicare Data
• SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM: Post-Acute Health Services Research: Many Challenges, Many More Opportunities
• SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM: Big Data in Stroke: Current Applications and Future Possibilities
• CLDR-Sponsored Young Investigators Panel: Large data analysis of stroke lesion effects on subcortical volumes
• IC23: How to Find and Access Secondary Data for Your Research

10/02/2018 - Student Wins Best Early Career Poster

  Rehab Sciences  10/02/18

Congratulations to Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Program student Juliana Bores for receiving the Best Early Career Poster in Geriatric Rehabilitation by the American College of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) Geriatric Rehabilitation Networking Group. She present ed her poster, "Patient Characteristics Associated with Functional Status Change in Stroke," on October 2nd during the annual ACRM meeting.

08/28/2018 - PhD Student Receives President's Cabinet Award

  Rehab Sciences  08/28/18

Rehabilitation Sciences doctoral student Jaspreet Sodhi has been awarded a 2018 President's Cabinet Award receiving funding for a project entitled, "An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: The St. Vincent's/Luke Society Preventive Dental Health Clinic Collaborative."

Ms. Sodhi partnered with Anthony Nguyen, School of Medicine Student, Jay Truitt, MD, PhD, PharmD and Barbara Slusher, MSW, PA-C, DFAAPA, Physician Assistant Studies at UTMB.

The group's $50,000 award will help them achieve their goal to create a new preventive dental health clinic at St. Vincent's House in Galveston, in partnership with The Luke Society for indigent, uninsured, and underinsured individuals. The new clinic will provide no-cost services to help prevent new tooth/oral infections, reduce dental decay, decrease the need for antibiotic usage, and improve systemic health. The funding, which will run through August 2020 will allow a triple focus to be placed on access to dental care (including oral hygiene education), antibiotic stewardship, and interprofessional training/education.

08/23/2018 - Special Guest Lecture: Wellness Approaches

  Rehab Sciences  08/23/18
The Division of Rehabilitation Sciences sponsored a special guest lecture on August 23, 2018. Patricia Heyn, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado, presented, "Promoting Healthspan for Persons with Complex and Chronic Health Conditions with Sustainable Wellness Approaches: From Evidence to Action."

08/15/2018 - PhD Student Awarded Fellowship

  Rehab Sciences  08/15/18

Rehabilitation Sciences doctoral student Ioannis Malagaris, MSc has been selected as a Jeane B. Kempner Scholar for 2018-2019. His application is titled, "Protein intake in burn injury. Methodology development in stable isotope studies." Congratulations to Ioannis on this prestigious fellowship.

07/19/2018 - PhD Student Publishes First Paper

  Rehab Sciences  07/19/18

Efi Polychronopoulou, a third year student in the Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Program has published her first paper as lead author, "The Long-Term Impact of Severe Burn Trauma on Musculoskeletal Health."

07/16/2018 - Special Guest Lecture: Mind-Body Medicine and Cancer

  Rehab Sciences  07/16/18
The Division of Rehabilitation Sciences sponsored a special guest lecture on July 16, 2018. Kathrin Milbury, PhD (top-left) presented, "The Role of Mind-Body Medicine in the Rehabilitation of Cancer Patients on Active Treatment and their Family Caregivers." Dr. Ottenbacher (top-right) facilitated and introduced Dr. Milbury to the audience (bottom). Dr. Milbury is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, Division of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

07/02/2018 - Dr. Ottenbacher Appointed to National Advisory Council

  Rehab Sciences  07/02/18

Dr. Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, Professor and Director in the Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, Associate Director, Sealy Center on Aging, has been appointed to the National Advisory Council for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in the NIH for four years.  The Council advises, consults with, and makes recommendations to the Director on matters relating to NICHD research, research support and functions, and provides second level review and recommendations regarding all NICHD-funded research.

06/06/2018 - Dr. Deer Accepted to NIA Butler-Williams Scholars

  Rehab Sciences  06/06/18

Rachel Deer, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, was recently selected to participate in the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Butler-Williams (B-W) Scholars Program, to be held July 30- August 3, 2018. The B-W Scholars Program is an intensive 5-day program geared towards emerging aging researchers and those with limited involvement in research on aging to learn more about research on aging and to further develop their interest in this challenging and important area. Dr. Deer was selected from a group of outstanding applicants.

05/18/2018 - Congratulations Rehab Grad Catherine Hay

  Rehab Sciences 5/18/18

Catherine Hay, MS receives her Doctor of Philosophy at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Commencement on Friday, May 18th, 2018. Catherine successfully defended her dissertation  in the PhD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences in February. Occupational Therapy is her area of interest.

05/03/2018 - Mark Sherer, PhD Wins Moody Prize

  Rehab Sciences  5/3/18
Mark Sherer, PhD is this year’s recipient of The Robert L. Moody Prize, presented for distinguished work in helping people with traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Sherer is a senior scientist and associate vice president at the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Memorial Hermann. The Moody Prize is awarded at the annual Galveston Brain Injury Conference.

03/16/2018 - Editor's Choice in Journals of Gerontology

  Rehab Sciences  3/16/18
Rehabilitation Sciences faculty member Rachel Deer, PhD is lead author on article selected as Editor's Choice in the February 2018 issue of Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Medical Sciences, A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of Interventions to Improve Functional Recovery After Hospitalization in Older Adults: Feasibility and Adherence.

Congratulations to all, including co authors Shawn Goodlett, Steve Fisher, Jacques Baillargeon, Jared Dickinson, Mukaila Raji, and Elena Volpi.

03/15/2018 - APTA Best Poster by Rodney Welsh, PhD

  Rehab Sciences  3/15/18

"Predictors of Discharge Settings Following Total Knee Arthroplasty in Medicare Patients," was recently chosen by APTA Health Policy Administration Section, HPA-The Catalyst, Research Committee as Best Poster Presentation.

Lead author & former Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Program student Dr. Rod Welsh and co-authors, James E. Graham, Amol M. Karmarkar, Natalie E. Leland, Jacques G. Baillargeon, Dana Wild, and Kenneth J. Ottenbacher contributed to the article.

03/14/2018 - Catherine Hay Defends Dissertation

  Rehab Sciences  3/14/18

Catherine Hay, MS successfully defended her dissertation, "The Impact of Gender, Age, and Performance on Stroke Survivor's Goal Conceptualization, Prioritization, and Attainment," on February 16, 2018. Congratulations, Catherine! Learn more about the PhD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences.

03/05/2018 - Two New Board Appointments for Dr. Pappadis

Rehab Sciences  3/5/18

Rehabilitation Sciences Assistant Professor Monique Pappadis, MEd, PhD has been appointed to two boards:

Board of Governors of the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists (ACBIS) of the Brain Injury Association of America

Members of the board work together to elevate the understanding of brain injury in professionals and paraprofessionals across the continuums of rehabilitative service delivery and personal education and experience. Each member has a 3-year term, which can be renewed.

PINK Concussions Professional Advisory Board

Professional Advisory Board members will help PINK Concussions educate other professionals and the public about concussions in girls and women; advocate for additional supports and services, including grants; and establish the reputation of PINK Concussions as a major informational resource on female brain injury including concussions sustained through sports, domestic violence, accidents, and military service.

 

02/26/2018 - ATLAS Open Source Dataset for Stroke

Rehab Sciences  2/26/18

Researchers have compiled, archived and shared one of the largest open-source data sets of brain scans from stroke patients. The Anatomical Tracings of Lesions after Stroke (ATLAS) dataset is now available for download through the Archive of Data on Disability to Enable Policy and research (ADDEP), supported by the Center for Large Data Research and Data Sharing in Rehabilitation (CLDR).

Researchers globally are using the scans to develop and test algorithms that can automatically process MRI images from stroke patients. In the long run, scientists hope to identify biological markers that forecast which patients will respond to various rehabilitation therapies and personalize treatment plans.

Read More: MRI stroke data set released - Science Daily | USC releases MRI stroke dataset to spur AI research - Health Data Management | Researchers hope to use MRI for stroke treatment, recovery - HSC News

02/20/2018 - NIH K12 Positions: Calling All OT & PT Scholars

 Rehab Sciences  2/20/18

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), in collaboration with the University of Florida (UF) and University of Southern California (USC), is seeking Occupational and Physical Therapy scholars to train in the Rehabilitation Research Career Development (RRCD) Program.The goal of the program is to provide scholars with the skills and research experience necessary to become independent investigators and future academic and scientific leaders in their professions. Read more: K12 Position Description & Requirements / Online Application.

01/18/2018 - Dr. Pappadis Named Elite Reviewer Archives of PM&R

Rehab Sciences  1/18/18
Rehabilitation Sciences Assistant Professor Monique Pappadis, MEd, PhD has been named an Elite Reviewer for Archives of PM&R Journal for 2017. Elite status designation reflects the number, timeliness, and quality of reviews for the Archives in 2017 as judged by the editors. Selection reflects critical thinking and effective participation in the process of peer review. After examining the performance of reviewers, approximately 3 percent of reviewers (97 people out of 2,985 reviewers who submitted 1,730 reviews in 2017) were judged to be deserving of this recognition.

01/11/2018 - Postdoc Annalisa Na Geriatric Fellowship

Rehab Sciences  1/11/18

Rehabilitation Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow Annalisa Na, PT, PhD, DPT, OCS is a recipient of a Fellowship for Geriatric Research for 2018 from the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy. This program seeks to recognize outstanding new investigators committed to geriatric physical therapy, and support them in pursuing research in geriatric physical therapy.