Affiliations: Rehabilitation Research and Development Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue (153), Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
Abstract: The Palo Alto Rehabilitation Research and Development (Rehab R&D) Center was founded in 1978 the second of four centers established by the department of Veteran Affairs national Rehabilitation R&D Service. The Rehab R&D Center has an annual budget of over $2 million and a staff of over 40 full- and part-time individuals working on projects that cover broad spectrum of rehabilitation topics. The Rehab R&D Center is staffed by engineers and scientists with expertise in biomechanics, biomaterials, computer modeling of biological systems, rehabilitation robotics, and medical rehabilitation. The staff is dedicated to building an intellectual foundation in rehabilitation based on state-of-the-art engineering, medical science, and technology. Investigators at the Rehab R&D Center collaborate extensively with physicians, therapists, and the researchers at the Palo Alto VA Health Care System, at Stanford University, and with others throughout the nation and world. The Rehab R&D Center is located in close proximity to the clinical centers at the Palo Alto VA Health Care System. Investigative partnerships with the Spinal Cord Injury Center, the Hand Center, the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program, the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, and the Western Blind Rehabilitation Center have led to numerous research studies. An enduring, successful affiliation exists between the Rehab R&D Center and the Stanford University Schools of Engineering and Medicine. Most Rehab R&D Center investigators hold Stanford University faculty appointments. Many graduate and undergraduate students are routinely involved in Rehab R&D Center research and design projects.
Keywords: Rehabilitation research and development, Orthopedic biomechanics, Neuromuscular systems, Human machine integration, Technology transfer
