RFU has many exciting initiatives in biomedical technology and commercialization with a goal of accelerating the discovery and development of new diagnostics, devices, and therapeutics to improve the quality of patient’s lives. We are located next door to the FHCC VA and Great Lakes NAVY medical centers and hospitals. We are aligned with MTEC as we are ready for collaboration across a large spectrum of disease states that affect the U.S. military and warfighters – MTEC’s mission.
Research at RFU is organized around ten centers of excellence in discovery and translational science which are designed to nurture collaboration among scientists and clinicians and facilitate relationships with potential industry partners. RFU’s 100,000 square foot Innovation and Research Park opened in January 2020. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to accelerate clinically relevant research advances across complementary fields, including brain function and repair, stress and affective disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and immunology, genetic diseases, and proteomics and therapeutics, lower extremity diseases, disorders, wound healing and will facilitate growth opportunities with industry, biotech firms and startups that are also housed in the research park.
Today we will be highlighting the CLEAR Center. The primary areas of interest include: diabetic complications of the lower extremity, biomechanics, motor learning & control, wound healing, and surgery. The researchers of CLEAR are trained as biomedical engineers and kinesiologists. The faculty of CLEAR is world renowned for their work in treating and preventing lower extremity complications associated with diabetes. This work has focused on the prediction and prevention of complications as well as advanced treatment modalities of the complications. CLEAR’s health services research approaches include clinical epidemiology, regional variation of health care, and implementation.
CLEAR is also home to the Scholl College Human Performance Laboratory. The Human Performance Lab was designed as a state-of-the-art facility to better understand how the human body responds to the physical environment. Its researchers are particularly interested in developing innovative tools based on miniaturized body worn sensors to characterize movement changes in response to pathology (e.g., neuropathy, osteoarthritis, balance, pain, and movement disorder, etc.). The Human Performance Laboratory’s recently appointed Director, Shawn Flanagan, adds an emphasis on research to better understand and improve brain-body interactions.
Speakers:
Shawn Flanagan, PhD
Director of the Human Performance Laboratory in the Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research and Associate Professor of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery and Neuroscience
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Connie Cleary, DPM
Director of Innovation & Industry Relations
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
