A partnership has been formed between Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ, and Children’s Specialized Hospital, to forge a collaborative research program for children with disabilities.
A Kessler Foundation news release reports that in a recent announcement, Rodger DeRose, president and chief executive officer of Kessler Foundation, articulated the Foundation’s excitement in being chosen by Children’s Specialized Hospital for the collaboration in translation rehabilitation research.
“…Kessler Foundation is excited to provide scientific expertise to change the lives of children with disabilities, as we have done for thousands of adults. We look forward to a long partnership with Children’s Specialized Hospital and watching children’s progress as they continue to grow to lead full, independent and productive lives,” DeRose says.
The release notes that Children’s Specialized Hospital Research Center was created to advance care, and establish evidence-based practices for children with a variety of disabilities and special needs.
Senior research scientists from the Foundation include James Sumowski, PhD, and Karen Nolan, PhD, as well as assistant director of Engineering Research Peter Barrance, PhD. The three Foundation researchers will be working with physicians and other clinical experts at Children’s Specialized Hospital to investigate strategies to improve mobility and cognition in children with a range of challenges, such as brain and spinal cord injuries (SCIs). John DeLuca, PhD, Kessler Foundation senior vice president of Research and Training, is slated to lead the Foundation’s participation in the Research Center, the release reports. The partnership also integrates postdoctoral fellows to assist with research and development projects, the release says.
Michael Dribbon, PhD, vice president of Business & Program Development at Children’s Specialized Hospital, echoes DeRose’s sentiment above, adding that the partnership will propel Children’s Specialized Hospital’s mission to help each child with special and complex medical needs reach their full potential.
“Focusing on areas of mobility and cognition—our collaboration with Kessler Foundation will enable Children’s Specialized Hospital to reach new horizons in discovering best practices for care of children with unique medical challenges,” Dribbon emphasizes.
The release adds that Julia Coyne, PhD, has been a post-doctoral fellow at Children’s Specialized Hospital through the partnership with Kessler Foundation since September 2012. Coyne’s research aims to translate existing studies from an adult population with cognitive disabilities to children with traumatic brain injury (TBI), in order to examine how an injured young brain heals and how it organizes itself around learning.
Source(s): Kessler Foundation, Children’s Specialized Hospital
