Continued Success in Tech Transfer: Our center was awarded a patent and licensed the Oblique Angled Suspension Caster Fork for Wheelchairs: U.S. patent 6,892,421, issued May 17, 2005. We also entered into an evaluation agreement for the Variable Compliance Joystick with Compensation Algorithms: U.S. patent 0066072-17 pending, which we are optimistic about licensing in 2006. Three of our previous devices continue to benefits veterans and other people with disabilities, namely the SMARTWheel, the GAMECycle, and the Natural Fit Handrims. The GAMECycle has been adopted by Walter Reed Army Medical Center and is in use in the WRAMC Physical Therapy Clinic.
We published several key papers, three of the most important are referenced below:
• Boninger ML, Koontz AM, Sisto SA, Dyson-Hudson TA, Chang M, Price R, Cooper RA, Pushrim Biomechanics and Injury Prevention in Spinal Cord Injury: Recommendations Based on CULP-SCI Investigations, Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Vol. 42, No. 3 (Supplement 1), pp. 9-20, May/June 2005.
• Kwarciak AM, Cooper RA, Ammer WA, Fitzgerald SG, Boninger ML, Cooper R, Fatigue Testing of Selected Suspension Manual Wheelchairs Using ANSI/RESNA Standards, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 86, No. 1, pp. 123-129, 2005.
• Pearlman JL, Cooper RA, Karnawat J, Cooper R, Boninger ML, Evaluation of the Safety and Durability of Low-Cost Electric Powered Wheelchairs, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 86, No. 12, pp. 2361-2370, December, 2005.
We had one junior investigator receive National Institutes of Health K12 Award, and another receive a National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Switzer Fellowship. Brad Dicianno, MD was awarded the NIH-K12 award to study improved assistive technology interfaces for individuals with cerebral damage. Dan Ding, PhD was awarded a NIDRR Switzer Fellowship to study remote tracking and monitoring of wheelchair status and location.
An article with lead author Alicia M. Koontz, PhD was awarded the Liberty Mutual & International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics (2005) best paper award: Koontz AM, Cooper RA, Boninger ML, Souza AL, Fay BT, Scapular Range of Motion in a Virtual Wheelchair Push, International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 237-248, 2004.
We began a series of State of the Science – Research to Clinical Practice Workshops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. We organized three workshops in 2005, on the topics of wheelchairs, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. Between 100 and 150 people attended each workshop. During the lunch breaks guests from VA and DoD participated in round-table discussions on means of improving coordination and collaboration. For this work, Dr. Cooper was presented a certificate and flag flow over the Pentagon for continued support of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and for your unwavering dedication to improving the quality of life of individuals with disabilities, particularly our military veterans.
We continued to recruit into a National Wheelchair Users Registry: As of the end of December we had over 900 individuals from across the United States that agreed to be contacted about studies and surveyed about wheelchair use.
Dr. Rory Cooper was elected to the Inaugural Class of the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame. Among the people elected were John Hockenberry, Christopher Reeve, Marilyn Hamilton, Weiss Young, and Teddy Pendergrass. VA Research Currents, pp. 3, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2005.
Dr. Rory Cooper was the President of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America and presided over the 25th year anniversary: RESNA is the preeminent rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology society in north America and possibly the world. Dr. Cooper was also keynote a speaker at United Kingdom, China, and Japan rehabilitation engineering society meetings. Under his presidency, RESNA created a long-term plan, and initiated several new member programs.
This year Thane McCane, MD, CPT, USA won an outstanding resident research paper award from the Association of Academic Physiatrists for his study conducted with HERL at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Our students won 6 national paper/design competitions.
We continue to provide our scientific and clinical knowledge to improve public policy. Our center is involved with the coding and eligibility changes within Medicare for electric powered wheelchairs. We are also intimately involved in the VA pilot program to have RESNA credentialed clinicians working in formal “Wheelchair and Seating Clinics”, both Drs. Koontz and Spaeth have RESNA “Rehabilitation Engineering Technology” credentials and are providing clinical services in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. We are also involved in the development of VA clinical practice guidelines for wheelchair provision. HERL also participated in the organizing of the Rehabilitation Medicine Summit – Building Research Capacity: Frontera WR, Fuhrer MJ, Jette AM, Chan L, Cooper RA, Duncan PW, Kemp JD, Ottenbacher KJ, Peckham PH, Roth EJ, Tate DG, Rehabilitation Medicine Summit – Building Research Capacity, American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 84, No. 12, pp. 913-917, 2005. Lastly, Dr. Cooper chairs the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development where he also led the board’s first long-range planning efforts in nearly a decade.
We initiated the first ever study on the ability of pushrim activated power assist wheelchairs to pass ANSI/RESNA standards: The pushrim activated power assist wheelchairs are an entirely new class of wheelchair that recently received Medicare coding. We are testing three different PAPAW to international standards for wheelchairs.
We completed a study using the National Prosthetics Patient Database (NPPD), the National Patient Care Database (NPCD), and the NIDRR SCI Model Systems Database: This study showed that there were disparities in the types an quality of wheelchairs issued across VISN’s, even when controlling for patient mix. Moreover, it was discovered that veterans with multiple sclerosis are more likely to receive a lower quality wheelchair (based on Medicare K-Code and ANSI/RESNA testing results) than veterans with spinal cord injury. Moreover, the study indicated that veterans with SCI or MS that received their wheelchairs from a VA hospital with an SCI Center did not receive better quality chairs. Lastly, the study showed that individuals with SCI receiving their wheelchair in a NIDRR SCI Model Systems Center were more likely to receive a better quality wheelchair than from the VA.
We were instrumental in the development of a new guideline on preserving arm function in spinal cord injury (SCI): The guideline which is produced by the consortium for Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, and sponsored by Paralyzed Veterans for America was released in the spring 2005. Dr. Boninger chaired this effort and Dr. Koontz was a member of the panel.
We developed new methodology to evaluate acute changes in upper limb soft tissue structures using ultra-high frequency ultrasound. This work holds extraordinary promise for being able to evaluate interventions to prevent secondary injury in veterans with disability. The tremendous potential of this line of study is evidenced by the fact that in lest than 2 years of work, this research has resulted in three National awards. This work, although conceived and developed in our Center, has expanded to include investigators at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.