Bittersweet Departure
Our longstanding leader Ross Zafonte, DO, made a career transition this month and will be relocating to the Midwest to take on a new role as the Executive Vice Dean of the University of Missouri Medical School and MU Health Care in Columbia, MO. Spaulding’s research enterprise flourished under Dr. Zafonte’s leadership. Over the course of his 17-year-plus career at our organization, Dr. Zafonte was chair of the Harvard Medical School Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and oversaw the establishment of the Schoen Adams Research Institute, the hub of Spaulding’s efforts in rehabilitation science. Spaulding also became one of the few rehabilitation programs in the country to hold three concurrent Model Systems designations in spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and burn injury. Upon his departure, Dr. Cheri Blauwet, Spaulding Chief Medical Officer, has become Interim Chair of the Department of PM&R, and Greg Jackson, Spaulding Chief Operating Officer, was named Interim President. Read Dr. Zafonte’s announcement to the Spaulding community here.
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Great Grants
Fabrisia Ambrosio, PhD, Atlantic Charter Director of Spaulding’s Discovery Center for Musculoskeletal Recovery, recently secured two major grants totaling more than $6.4 million from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Ambrosio’s research focuses on developing innovative “regenerative” approaches to improve skeletal muscle healing and functional recovery as we age, with a particular emphasis on sex and gender differences.
As any older athlete can tell you, the resilience of young versus aged skeletal muscle following an acute injury is markedly different. Numerous studies have shown that muscle stem cells are major culprits in the failed healing response of aged muscle. Dr. Ambrosio’s team has found that changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM)—a network of proteins and other molecules that surrounds and supports cells and tissues in the body—have deleterious effects on stem cell function. The first grant will fund studies to evaluate the underlying mechanisms by which the ECM is compromised in skeletal muscle aging and whether muscle activity might be able to counteract these effects to promote muscle regeneration.
The second grant will support Dr. Ambrosio’s work in collaboration with Spaulding co–principal investigator Hirotaka Iijima, PhD, examining the intersection of sex and gender influences on the onset of knee osteoarthritis. Postmenopausal women have a higher incidence of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and present with more severe disease progression over time. However, it is still unclear whether these differences are genetic in nature, hormonal in nature, or a combination of the two. With this new funding, the research team will use innovative techniques—from machine learning to creating female aging mouse models—to investigate whether and how changes in the cartilage-cell microenvironment drive the development and progression of KOA in a sex-, gender- and age-dependent manner.
“We are very grateful for the federal grants we’ve received in support of our work, which we hope will ultimately translate into highly impactful treatments that promote the health and well-being of our aging population,” says Dr. Ambrosio. “We also extend our sincere thanks for the donor support that allowed us to pursue our most innovative ideas and generate the preliminary data that formed the foundation for these lines of inquiry.”
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Engineering in Motion
Over the summer, Paolo Bonato, PhD, was honored with the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), the world’s largest international society of biomedical engineers, for his outstanding contributions to EMBS’s work, including the development of a 100% open-access peer-reviewed journal. Dr. Bonato, Director of Spaulding’s Motion Analysis Lab (MAL), received the award at the society’s annual meeting in July, where two of his MAL team members, Benito Pugliese, a doctoral candidate, and Giulia Corniani, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow, also presented their work applying machine learning techniques and robotics in rehabilitation. This conference was one of six international meetings over the last four months where the MAL team has reported on their research. Learn more below.
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Spotlight Q&As
Spaulding’s state-of-the-art Motion Analysis Lab is dedicated to enhancing movement and function in individuals with mobility-limiting conditions using biomechanics, wearable sensors, and robotics. MAL team members Benito Pugliese and Dr. Giulia Corniani share some insights about their work at the lab and their recent presentations at the IEEE EMBS.
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Teaming Up against Pain
A Spaulding team led by Ariana Vora, MD, (pictured), Eve Kennedy-Spaien, OT, and Leon Morales-Quezada, MD, MSc, PhD, MPH, recently published a retrospective study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology about the potential benefits of an innovative interdisciplinary program for individuals with high-impact chronic pain. The researchers examined patients who completed the Spaulding-Medford Functional Restoration Program, where an interdisciplinary team of clinicians combines conventional and complementary rehabilitation with psychoeducation through enriched therapeutic encounters. Program participation was associated with increased productive engagement, reduced pain, reduced maladaptive thought processes, and improved mood, even among participants who started with high levels of helplessness and catastrophizing (ruminating on and magnifying a pain experience).
“This study indicates that the evidence-based, individualized care provided by Spaulding physical and occupational therapists, physiatrists, and behavioral health specialists in this truly interdisciplinary program promotes trust and empathy, empowers individuals to set and achieve their personal goals, and enhances functional outcomes and quality of life,” says Dr. Vora. “Our results are promising for individuals living with pain and signal the need for larger, prospective trials on this promising collaborative program. With clinical and research support, the Spaulding Functional Restoration program has high potential to model an answer to the pain epidemic on national and international levels.”
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Shockwave of the Future
Hye Chang Rhim, MD, MPH, (pictured) and Adam Tenforde, MD, (pictured) were recently lead author and senior author, respectively, on the first systematic review of the use of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in athletes and other highly physically active individuals. Used for decades as a treatment for kidney and gall stones, ESWT is a noninvasive procedure that uses shockwaves to break down tissue, increase circulation, and stimulate cell regeneration. The research team, which also included Spaulding’s Paige Dyrek, DO, and Joanne Borg-Stein, MD, found that ESWT, alone or as an adjunct to exercise treatment, can reduce symptoms and facilitate a return to sport or activity for those afflicted with a variety of conditions, including plantar fasciitis, a number of tendinopathies, and more. The therapy also has an excellent safety profile.
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"We are excited to share this review to inform best clinical practice in shockwave delivery in athletes and those who are physically active,” says Dr. Tenforde. “This review highlights promise in use for multiple musculoskeletal injuries and the value of ongoing research to optimize treatment delivery and outcomes." The team’s findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Learn more in Spaulding’s news piece.
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Innovation Designation
In September, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) named Spaulding as one of 15 inaugural rehabilitation centers to earn the Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Center designation. This designation, signed into law in January 2023, recognizes rehabilitation facilities that lead the nation in medical research and drive innovation for the entire field. These centers also care for patients with highly complex medical conditions and educate a high number of residents.
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Hispanic Healer
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Spaulding researcher Leon Morales-Quezada, MD, MSc, PhD, MPH, was featured in a recent Mass General Brigham news piece. An expert in neurocognitive rehabilitation, Dr. Morales-Quezada’s recent work at Spaulding’s Schoen Adams Discovery Center for Chronic Pain Recovery focuses on the role of placebos in controlling chronic pain and reducing opioid dependence.
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Spotlight on Spaulding Science is a quarterly e-newsletter for donors and friends of the Schoen Adams Research Institute at Spaulding Rehabilitation. For questions or to submit your own research news item, please contact: Alexandra Molloy at amolloy@mgb.org. | |
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