WORCESTER, MA -- Col. Geoffrey Ling, MD, PhD, leader of prosthetics research at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and Hugh Herr, PhD, director of the biomechatronics group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will deliver the keynote addresses at Neuroprosthetics 2012, an international symposium organized by the Bioengineering Institute (BEI) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). The symposium will take place Feb. 23, 2012 on the WPI campus in Worcester, MA, and will ...

HOUSTON -- U.S. Physical Therapy Inc., a national operator of physical and occupational therapy outpatient clinics, has announced that its chief financial officer, Larry McAfee, will present at the UBS 22nd Annual Global Healthcare Services Conference Feb. 8.The presentation will cover an overview of the company. The conference is being held at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York. A copy of the presentation is posted on the company's website at www.usph.com Founded in 1990, U.S. Physical Therapy operates ...

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Mary Free Bed Hospital has announced a $48 million expansion that will upgrade therapy areas, create all-private patient rooms and consolidate all patient care services under a single roof. Mary Free Bed plans to break ground on a new, 114,660-square-foot facility adjacent to its current hospital. The new facility, which should be completed late 2013, will house 40 private patient rooms with larger living areas and family-friendly amenities. One floor in the four-story facility may be ...

EVANSVILLE, IN -- ProRehab, an Indiana-based private practice, partnered with Tri-State Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine to conduct a running clinic for local running enthusiasts. The event was held in November 2011 at the Tri-State Orthopaedic Surgeons facility and attracted more than 90 runners. The clinic featured injury prevention and treatment workshops, an AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill demonstration, and a motivational speech by three-time Olympian Anne Audain. Audain was born with ...

Zaghoul Ahmed, PhD, of the Department of Physical Therapy at the College of Staten Island (CSI) and Department of Neuroscience at The City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center, was one of five winners of the $1.5 million 2011 BioAccelerate NYC Prize for his research of the PathMaker Neuromuscular Treatment System, a CUNY-trademarked method of treating spinal cord injuries by using electrical stimulation to strengthen neuromotor connections. Dr. Ahmed was awarded the prize for his research at CSI, ...

ROSEMONT, IL -- According to a new study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the answer to the question of why females are more prone than males to ACL injury may lie in geometry -- the length and shape of a patient's knee bone. The study compared MRI scans of male and female athletes with non-contact ACL injuries with those of athletes who participated in similar, at-risk sports but without a history of ligament injury. The study found that most of the women (those who had ACL injuries ...

Midwest-based AthletiCo Physical and Occupational Therapy has joined the Chicago Concussion Coalition as a founding member. AthletiCo will support the coalition's mission to provide student-athletes in the greater Chicago area with resources to protect them from traumatic brain injuries in sports.The Chicago Concussion Coalition was formed in Aug. 2011 under the leadership of the Boston-based Sports Legacy Institute to offer more localized resources to Chicago-area coaches, athletic directors, athletic ...

POTSDAM, NY -- Clarkson University DPT student Samantha Maki of Potsdam, NY, has received the New York Physical Therapy Association's Student Participation Award for 2011. Maki also attended the American Physical Therapy Association National Student Conclave in Minneapolis in October. In addition, Clarkson student Samantha Hadley of Carthage, NY, was the 2011 Clarkson Physical Therapy Director's Intern to the New York Physical Therapy Association (NYPTA) Board of Directors meeting. Student Jason Ury of ...

NORTHBROOK, IL -- Allstate Insurance Co. has opened an onsite medical facility for employees and their families. The Allstate Wellness Center features a physician, nurse practitioner, physical therapist and health coach, and is available to Allstate employees, their family members and Allstate retirees. "Our goal is to build a culture that embraces and encourages our employees' pursuit of well-being in all aspects of their life," said Catherine Winn, vice president of human resources. "The Wellness Center ...

APPLE VALLEY, MN -- A new Sister Kenny Sports & Physical Therapy Center opened Jan. 16 at the Apple Valley Medical Center, Apple Valley, MN. It replaces Integrated Medical Rehabilitation (IMR), whose contract expired at the end of 2011. "We are proud to welcome the Sister Kenny Sports & Physical Therapy Center to our facility," said Mike Foley, administrator and chief operating officer of the Apple Valley Medical Clinic, one of the other providers at the center. "We know they will offer our ...

EUREKA, MO -- In 2011, the therapy staff of the Sports and Physical Therapy Center completed more than 85 hours of continuing education, enabling them to incorporate new treatments and attain advanced certification.Physical therapist Jennifer Steffee studied Kinesiotaping® techniques and functional muscle electrical stimulation for nerve grafting. As a result, the practice now provides taping for increased muscle activation, postural education and edema reduction. "The three most common conditions we ...

THOUSAND OAKS, CA -- biodesigns Inc., a company specializing in upper and lower limb prosthetic systems, has signed three licensees for their High-Fidelity (HiFi) Interface. The new licensees are Next Step Orthotics & Prosthetics, Inc., Manchester, NH; Optimus Prosthetics, Dayton, OH; and Sampson's Prosthetic & Orthotic Laboratory, Schenectady, NY. "We wanted to license our revolutionary socket design to a select group of prosthetic companies throughout the country that shared our same clinical ...

NASHVILLE, TN -- Saint Thomas Health is currently offering Cancer Transitions: Moving Beyond Treatment, a free six-week workshop to help cancer patients make the transition from active treatment to post-treatment care. The sessions will take place Jan. 5 through Feb. 9 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Saint Thomas Hospital. The Cancer Transitions program features expert panelists, including physicians, nutritionists and fitness experts, who will discuss exercise tailored to each participant's ...

Silverchair Learning Systems, a provider of online education for senior care, has released its initial curriculum of therapy courses for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology. The courses are the result of Silverchair's partnership with Dynamic Learning Online Inc., a provider of therapy education for rehab professionals.The initial therapy curriculum delivers more than 70 courses offering more than 200 hours of therapy education. The courses are written by rehab industry ...

MARIETTA, GA -- WellStar Health System has purchased OrthoSport Physical Therapy for $3.4 million, and will combine OrthoSport's three branches with WellStar's current outpatient rehabilitation services. OrthoSport, which was established in 2002 and has offices in Kennesaw, Marietta and Woodstock, GA, is now under the purview of WellStar Chief Operating Officer Michael Graue, but will be run by OrthoSport's former owner Kim Chastain, WellStar spokesman Keith Bowermaster said. Chastain is now the executive ...