Faculty Interests
Rita Ayyangar, M.D.
Research interests: Neuropharmacologic management of cognitive disorders in brain injury; cognitive effects of intrathecal and oral baclofen; effects of early treadmill intervention in high-risk infants on ambulation and spasticity outcome; development of an adaptive cognition testing lab.
Tony Chiodo, M.D.
Research interests: Efficacy of interventional spine therapy; spine pain in dental health professionals; lumbosacral plexopathies in hip and pelvic fractures; wellness issues in persons with SCI; pulmonary function in persons with SCI.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Follow-up of the Wellness with SCI Study (MI PVA, U-M Office of the Vice President for Research; with Dr. Tate and Dr. Zemper)
- Assessment of osteopathic manual medicine in preventing respiratory complications in persons with SCI: A preliminary study (U-M OVPR, MSU COM; with Dr. Zemper)
- Comparison of transforaminal epidural steroid injections performed at the level of disc herniation vs. at the level of the affected nerve (with Dr. Schultz and Dr. Smuck)
- Effect of combined transforaminal epidural steroid injection and facet block vs.
transforaminal epidural steroid injection only in the treatment of spondylitic lumbar stenosis (with Dr. Schultz and Dr. Smuck) - Submitted:
- Osteopathic manual medicine and SCI respiratory function (NIH, NIDRR;
with Dr. Zemper) - Non-funded clinical research:
- Saphenous nerve conduction study: Comparing two techniques
Miles Colwell Jr., M.D.
Research interests: Biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system; pulmonary function in persons with SCI.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Assessment of osteopathic manual medicine in preventing respiratory
complications in persons with SCI: A preliminary study (U-M OVPR,
MSU COM; with Dr. Zemper) - Submitted:
- Osteopathic manual medicine and SCI respiratory function (NIH, NIDRR;
with Dr. Zemper)
Lisa DiPonio, M.D.
Research interests: Effect of backpacks on pain and posture in children; hand function in tetraplegics.
Jeffrey Evans, Ph.D.
Research interests: Scientific basis for the use of expressive arts in health care; assessment of executive mental functioning in adult rehabilitation inpatients
Research skills: Qualitative research methods.
Michael Geisser, Ph.D.
Research interests: Mechanisms associated with the development and maintenance of back pain; influence of psychosocial factors on the experience of pain; treatment and prevention of chronic pain syndrome.
Research skills: Statistics and research design; research ethics and compliance
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Cooperative agreement for studying chronic multi-symptom illnesses
- Efficacy of centrally acting analgesics for the treatment of chronic low back
pain - Medical rehabilitation research training program (NIDRR; with Dr. Tate and
Dr. Hurvitz) - Acute post-operative pain management using massage as adjuvant therapy
- Submitted:
- Neural substrates of cognitive factors and chronic pain
- Paraspinal denervation in low back pain (with Dr. Haig)
- Mechanisms of hyperalgesia in fibromyalgia and chronic low back pain
- Palliative pain control with adjuvant massage to restore function
- Interventions for chronic low back pain and disability
Andrew Haig, M.D.
Research interests: Paraspinal EMG and spinal stenosis; multidisciplinary assessments; PM&R in developing countries; industrial rehabilitation.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Lumbar spinal stenosis study
Anne Hartigan, M.D.
Research interests: Ergonomics; low back pain in workers; relationship of physical examination findings to medical office visits for back pain; injury prevention in industrial settings; return to work issues; work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
Current research activities:
- Unfunded:
- Self-Assessment of Work Capability
Joseph Hornyak, M.D., Ph.D.
Research interests: Genetics of exercise; exercise in people with disabilities.
Current research activities:
- Submitted:
- Genomic analysis of exercise training in a rat model of the metabolic syndrome (NIH; with Dr. Britton)
Jane Huggins, Ph.D.
Research interests: Brain-computer interfaces; augmentive and alternative communication; brain plasticity after impairment.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Direct brain interface based on event detection in ECoG (with Dr. Levine)
Edward Hurvitz, M.D.
Research interests: Fitness, activity, exercise and obesity in cerebral palsy; adults with cerebral palsy. Motor control in children and adolescents with cerebral injury; spasticity; pediatric stroke.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Medical rehabilitation research training program (NIDRR; with Dr. Tate)
- Sensorimotor Training and Assessment in Adults with
Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: The ULTrA Program (NIDRR; with Dr. Brown) - Submitted
- Fitness, Activity, and Health in Cerebral Palsy (NIDRR; with Dr. Hornyak, Dr. Green and Dr. Lewis)
Claire Kalpakjian, Ph.D.
Research interests: Psychosocial aspects of aging in women with disabilities.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Psychosocial and physiological aspects of menopause in women with SCI (NIDRR)
Brian Kelly, D.O.
Research interests: Orthotics and prosthetics; medical education.
Ned Kirsch, Ph.D.
Research interests: Cognitive rehabilitation; development of assistive technology systems for neurocognitive and neurobehavioral symptoms; outcomes after mild TBI.
Research skills: Single case methodologies.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Projects in the listed interest areas currently funded by NIH, NIDRR, CDC
James Leonard , M.D.
Research interests: Prosthetics and orthotics.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Development of an educational program for surgeons about amputation, prosthetics and rehabilitation
Michelle Meade, Ph.D.
Research interests: Psychological and behavioral factors associated with the management of spinal cord injury/disease and other physical impairments; health and health care disparities associated with both race/ethnicity and disability. Health access; community reintegration including employment after SCI.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- Self-management of spinal cord injury/disease
- Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems
- Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Program (NIDRR; with Dr. Tate)
Sonya Miller, M.D.
Research interests: Quality of life outcomes in minority and aging populations; medical education.
Susan L. Murphy, Sc.D.,O.T.R.
Research interests: Osteoarthritis, fatigue, physical activity, rehabilitation interventions, aging.
Virginia Nelson, M.D., M.P.H.
Research interests: Pediatric rehabilitation; SCI rehabilitation; rehabilitation of ventilator assisted children and adolescents; pediatric brain injury.
Percival Pangilinan Jr., M.D.
Research interests: General rehabilitation; musculoskeletal rehabilitation, stroke.
James Richardson, M.D.
Research interests: Peripheral nerve dysfunction and its association with falls in the elderly; athletic injuries in the young; low back disorders; electrodiagnostic medicine.
Randy Roth, Ph.D.
Research interests: Psychological factors and treatment outcomes in chronic pain management; myofascial pain disorders; psychological predictors of surgical outcome for chronic pain disorders.
James Rowan, Ph.D.
Research interests: Traumatic brain injury.
Catherine Spires, M.D.
Research interests: Multiple trauma and burn rehabilitation; lower limb prosthetics and rehabilitation; electrodiagnostic medicine; medical education.
Current research activity:
- Funded:
- Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Program (NIDRR; with Dr. Tate)
Denise Tate, Ph.D.
Research interests: Quality of life and outcomes research; health behaviors and wellness; SCI and post-polio adjustment; community integration following SCI.
Research skills: Research design; grant-writing.
Current research activity:
- Funded:
- Medical rehabilitation research training program (NIH; with Dr. Hurvitz)
- Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Program (NIDRR; with Dr. Spires)
- U-M Model Spinal Cord Injury Care System (NIDRR; with Dr. Gater)
- Health and quality of life in persons with long-term mechanical ventilation (Model Systems)
- Stress and coping across the lifespan in women with SCI (NIDRR)
- Follow-up of the Wellness with SCI Study (MI PVA, U-M OVPR; with Dr. Zemper and Dr. Chiodo)
Seth Warschausky, Ph.D.
Research interests: Neuropsychology of neurodevelopmental conditions; neuropsychology of pediatric TBI; adapted neuropsychological assessment techniques; social competence in neurodevelopmental conditions.
Current research activities:
- Funded:
- ACSESS Project – adapted neuropsychological assessment
- AFSIS Project – social integration of children with disabilities
- Health and quality of life in persons with long-term mechanical ventilation (Model Systems; with Dr. Tate)
- Submitted:
- Pediatric TBI: ADHS, attention and neuroanatomical networks (NIH)
- Mentored assertiveness training for children with disabilities (NIDRR)
- Adapted neuropsychological assessment in children with cerebral palsy (NIH)
Robert Werner, M.D.
Research interests: Evaluating natural history of carpal tunnel syndrome among active workers; effective treatments for CTS; influence of intracarpal pressure on treatment outcomes in CTS.
Recent research activity:
- Ergonomic solutions for employment (NIDRR)
- Rehabilitation of upper extremity cumulative trauma disorder (UAW-GM)
John Yarjanian, D.O.
Current research activities:
- Lumbar spinal stenosis in relation to lumbar paraspinal atrophy (with Dr. Haig)
Mark Ziadeh, M.D.
Research interests: Rehabilitation outcomes; residency education.
