Podcasts about rusk institute

Dr. Heidi Fusco is an assistant professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU LANGONE Health and the Rusk Rehabilitation hospital. She is the Assistant Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Program at Rusk and the Medical Director of the Brain Injury Unit at Queens Nassau Nursing and Rehabilitation. She completed a fellowship in Brain injury Rehab in 2013 at the Rusk Institute and is board certified in Brain Injury medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Alaina B. Hammond is a board certified rehabilitation psychologist and currently serves as Clinical Assistant Professor and Staff Psychologist in the NYU Langone Rusk Adult Inpatient - Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program.  She provides psychological and neuropsychological intervention and assessment to patients and families with acquired brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and other illness/injuries. In addition, she supervises psychology interns and enjoys researching family/caregiver adjustment to medical illness.  Dr. Jessica Rivetz is the current Brain Injury Medicine Fellow at NYU Rusk Rehabilitation. She recently completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at NYU Rusk. She received her MD degree at Albany Medical College, and also has a Master's of Science in health care management. Extracurricular activities include serving as co-chairperson of the NYU GME House Staff Patient Safety Council. Within brain injury medicine, she has a special interest managing patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury and helping them and their caregivers navigate life after brain injury and achieve their functional and quality of life goals. Part 3 The discussion covered the following topics: phases of treatment when mindfulness and self-compassion can be introduced to achieve optimal effectiveness; the role of telehealth; extent to which a group-based approach is used; availability of commercialized digital resources on the Internet, such as apps; use of wearable devices by patients; and the impact of artificial intelligence on patient care.  

Dr. Heidi Fusco is an assistant professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU LANGONE Health and the Rusk Rehabilitation hospital. She is the Assistant Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Program at Rusk and the Medical Director of the Brain Injury Unit at Queens Nassau Nursing and Rehabilitation. She completed a fellowship in Brain injury Rehab in 2013 at the Rusk Institute and is board certified in Brain Injury medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Alaina B. Hammond is a board certified rehabilitation psychologist and currently serves as Clinical Assistant Professor and Staff Psychologist in the NYU Langone Rusk Adult Inpatient - Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program.  She provides psychological and neuropsychological intervention and assessment to patients and families with acquired brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and other illness/injuries. In addition, she supervises psychology interns and enjoys researching family/caregiver adjustment to medical illness.  Dr. Jessica Rivetz is the current Brain Injury Medicine Fellow at NYU Rusk Rehabilitation. She recently completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at NYU Rusk. She received her MD degree at Albany Medical College, and also has a Master's of Science in health care management. Extracurricular activities include serving as co-chairperson of the NYU GME House Staff Patient Safety Council. Within brain injury medicine, she has a special interest managing patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury and helping them and their caregivers navigate life after brain injury and achieve their functional and quality of life goals. Part 2 The discussion covered the following topics: persistence of sleep disorders and the role of physical exercise in treating them; definition of mindfulness; kinds of interventions included under the heading of mindfulness; examples of how it aims to address the severity of various TBI-related health problems; duration of mindfulness treatment; and self-compassion as another type of non-pharmacological intervention.

Dr. Heidi Fusco is an assistant professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU LANGONE Health and the Rusk Rehabilitation hospital. She is the Assistant Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Program at Rusk and the Medical Director of the Brain Injury Unit at Queens Nassau Nursing and Rehabilitation. She completed a fellowship in Brain injury Rehab in 2013 at the Rusk Institute and is board certified in Brain Injury medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Alaina B. Hammond is a board certified rehabilitation psychologist and currently serves as Clinical Assistant Professor and Staff Psychologist in the NYU Langone Rusk Adult Inpatient - Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program.  She provides psychological and neuropsychological intervention and assessment to patients and families with acquired brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and other illness/injuries. In addition, she supervises psychology interns and enjoys researching family/caregiver adjustment to medical illness.  Dr. Jessica Rivetz is the current Brain Injury Medicine Fellow at NYU Rusk Rehabilitation. She recently completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at NYU Rusk. She received her MD degree at Albany Medical College, and also has a Master's of Science in health care management. Extracurricular activities include serving as co-chairperson of the NYU GME House Staff Patient Safety Council. Within brain injury medicine, she has a special interest managing patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury and helping them and their caregivers navigate life after brain injury and achieve their functional and quality of life goals. Part 1 The discussion covered the following topics: concussions and TBIs; pediatric care; use of biomarkers; common causes of a TBI; common symptoms and their length of duration; involvement of informal caregivers; and occurrence of sleep disorders.

This is an exciting year for RUSK, celebrating our 75th anniversary! As part of our celebration, we are hosting a number of events including our Research Symposium, podcasts, and interviews. Our content continues to cover a wide range of topics within PM&R, and this particular segment includes special Rusk 75th Anniversary episodes featuring Rusk leadership, faculty, and residents. This is the second of three special episodes... Dr. Jonathan Whiteson is Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine; Medical Director of Rusk Outreach and Growth; and Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation. His research interests include: cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation coping strategies during cardiac rehabilitation following cardiac surgery, pulmonary rehabilitation of individuals exposed to world trade center dust, and recognizing encephalopathy and delirium in the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation setting. He is also part of the Senior Leadership team of Rusk Institute and Medical Director of the Rusk Institute Outpatient program.

This is an exciting year for RUSK, celebrating our 75th anniversary! As part of our celebration, we are hosting a number of events including our Research Symposium, podcasts, and interviews. Our content continues to cover a wide range of topics within PM&R, and this particular segment includes special Rusk 75th Anniversary episodes featuring Rusk leadership, faculty, and residents. This is the first of three special episodes... Steven Flanagan, MD is professor and chairman of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, and the medical director of the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center. Dr. Flanagan has served on medical advisory boards of many national and international committees and has presented at scientific meetings both nationally and internationally, most notably on topics pertaining to brain injury rehabilitation. He has authored numerous chapters and publications and has participated in both federally and industry sponsored research, funded by such organization as the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Jonathan Whiteson is Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine; Medical Director of Rusk Outreach and Growth; and Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation. His research interests include: cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation coping strategies during cardiac rehabilitation following cardiac surgery, pulmonary rehabilitation of individuals exposed to world trade center dust, and recognizing encephalopathy and delirium in the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation setting. He is also part of the Senior Leadership team of Rusk Institute and Medical Director of the Rusk Institute Outpatient program.  

Dr. Preeti Raghavan is a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physican who specializes in neurorehabilitation after stroke or brain injury. After completing her medical education in India, Dr. Raghavan trained at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx and Columbia University. She began her career at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, followed by Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center, and is now at Johns Hopkins Medical Center where she is a Professor of Stroke Treatment, Recovery, and Rehabilitation. She is an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation and is a partner in a scientist founded start up called Mirrored Motion Works. She has published in both the brain injury and stroke rehabilitation literature. Her research interests include interventions to enhance motor recovery after stroke; development of novel technology and new treatments for muscle stiffness; emotional regulation and its interaction with recovery. In this episode we discuss stroke recovery across a variety of different impairments with an emphasis on physical recovery. In this episode we discuss:A typical stroke recovery timeline.Common concerns when recovering from a stroke.Specific impairments such as weakness, spasticity, neglect, and cognitive changes.Neuroplasticity.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.This episode is not sponsored.

 In this episode we had the  pleasure of interviewing Dr. Matthew Shatzer. Dr. Shatzer discusses the specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, also known as PM&R, and why it is the perfect match for an Osteopathic Physician.  Dr. Shatzer served as program director for Northwell Health for over 10 years and helps us understand what  programs look for in prospective residents as well as  the role of personal statement in an application. He will describe his own journey to PM&R including his time at the prestigious Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in NJ.  His "pearls" will help anyone interested in a career in osteopathic medicine, PM&R or applying for any medical or surgical specialty who is working on their applications.

Dr. Gerard Varlotta is a graduate of Colgate University (1978) and New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (1983). He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Pain Medicine. He is Board Certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine and a Diplomat of the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. He achieved the academic rank of Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU's Rusk Institute serving as the Director of the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Network and is presently in private practice in New York City and White Plains. He is a member of the International Federation's Anti-doping and Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee and is presently the Chair of the Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee for the International Tennis Integrity Association. He has been a ringside physician for the New York State Athletic Commission since 1991. He is a board member of the Association of Ringside Physicians and an ARP Certified Ringside Physician. He has served as Head Team Physician for the New Jersey Rockin' Rollers and Long Island Jaws Professional Roller Hockey teams as well as the New Jersey Red Dogs Arena Football team. He has volunteered as a Medical Captain for the New York City Marathon for 30 years. He is a consultant to Schwartz & Feinsod Football Agency, AMDG Agency, O-Line Performance Center and the International Sports Agency. https://www.writersrepublic.com/bookshop/association-ringside-physicians-manual-combat-sports-medicine --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/steve-richards/support

Episode 013 – On the AccessAbility Works podcast, Dr. JR Rizzo discusses his latest medical research on assistive technologies, including mobility solutions for people who are blind or visually-impaired. What makes his work more interesting is that Dr. Rizzo is also a member of the visually impaired and print disabled communities. JR has Choroideremia a visual impairment and was diagnosed with this condition when he was a young boy. Dr. Rizzo is affiliated with the NYU Langone Medical Center and Director of Innovation and Technology for the Department of Physical medicine and rehabilitation at Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine.

This podcast is about big ideas on how technology is making life better for people with vision loss. Today's big idea centers on the place where big ideas get born — the human brain. In today's episode, Dr. Roberts and his guests explore theories of brain plasticity, sensory substitution, and sensory augmentation. Dr. Patricia Grant discusses the BrainPort, which uses sensory substitution in this case, the nerve fibers in the tongue, to send information to the brain instead of the optic nerve. Dr. John-Ross Rizzo is developing a device to be called the Sensory Halo, which is supported by sensory augmentation. Both guests share what is being learned about sensory substitution and augmentation through these technologies and how this understanding will help perfect future devices to enable people with vision impairment to see better.   The Big Takeaways: The BrainPort is a headset device with a camera that picks up visual input as the eyes would. It uses the theory of sensory substitution by sending stimulation to the nerve fibers on the tongue. The device picks up visual formation in grayscale imagery: lighter areas of the images produce high stimulation on the tongue, while dark areas produce none. This contrast allows users to identify objects in their environment. The BrainPort device is meant for people who are blind so it's not crowding out a person's residual vision. And surprisingly, both users who are congenitally blind and users who have seen before and have a visual memory — have performed the same in clinical trials.  This shows that users are not experiencing a memory of sight. They are learning to interpret the camera's image through stimulating the nerve fibers on their tongue. In the future, there are opportunities for collaboration between BrainPort and other technologies to continue to enhance the user experience to create more autonomy. Another device being developed that draws on some aspects of sensory augmentation is the Sensory Halo. Using a device with sensory augmentation is more intuitive to use than a device that uses sensory substitution. The Sensory Halo is designed to empower the wearer by delivering key pieces of information to safely and independently navigate their environment.   Tweetables: “We put the brain port on him and started training him, and we were doing some mobility tasks...And I was walking around the room and he would just scan the room. Then all of a sudden, I could feel when he perceived me.” — Dr. Patricia Grant “The great thing about the BrainPort is that it gives a person their own sense. It's something that they can experience on their own, and that is of great value to a person who is blind.” — Dr. Patricia Grant “Simply put, I just want to amplify your existing senses and augment what I can give to you right now so that you can have a richer experience.” — Dr. John-Ross Rizzo   Contact Us: Contact us at podcasts@lighthouseguild.org with your innovative new technology ideas for people with vision loss.   Pertinent Links: Lighthouse Guild BrainPort Assistive Technology & Advanced Wearables by John-Ross Rizzo, MD, MSCI   Guest Bios: Patricia Grant, PhD, Director of Clinical Research, Wicab, Inc. Dr. Grant joined Wicab, Inc. as Director of Clinical Research in February 2014. She previously served as Co-Investigator for Wicab's FDA clinical trial and currently serves as the Principal Investigator of a clinical trial, funded by the US Department of Defense, investigating the safety and efficacy of the BrainPort for people who have been blinded by traumatic injury. Her future research goals include demonstrating the value of the BrainPort in the workplace, in addition to teaching spatial concepts to children. Prior to joining Wicab, Dr. Grant was the Director of Research at the Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired and a Research Specialist in the Low Vision Research and the Applied Physics laboratories in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition to her work at Wicab, Dr. Grant has contributed to research in the areas of methods for assessing loss of vision due to retinal disease, treatments to optimize remaining vision, the psychological effects of vision loss, and the measurement of retinal image quality and ocular aberration. She earned a BA in Psychology, an MS in Public Health Sciences, and PhD from the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a concentration in behavioral science and eye health promotion.   John-Ross (JR) Rizzo, MD, MSCI, Director of Innovation and Technology, Assistant Professor Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Department of Neurology, NYU Langone Medical Center John-Ross (JR) Rizzo, MD, MSCI, is a physician-scientist at NYU Langone Medical Center. He is serving as the Director of Innovation and Technology for the Department of Physical medicine and rehabilitation at Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, with cross-appointments in the Department of Neurology and the Departments of Biomedical & Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering New York University Tandon School of Engineering. He is also the Associate Director of Healthcare for the NYU Wireless Laboratory in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at New York University Tandon School of Engineering. He leads the Visuomotor Integration Laboratory (VMIL), where his team focuses on eye-hand coordination, as it relates to acquired brain injury, and the REACTIV Laboratory (Rehabilitation Engineering Alliance and Center Transforming Low Vision), where his team focuses on advanced wearables for the sensory deprived and benefits from his own personal experiences with vision loss. He is also the Founder and Chief Medical Advisor of Tactile Navigation Tools, LLC, where he and his team work to disrupt the assistive technology space for those with visual impairments of all kinds, enhancing human capabilities. He partners with a number of industrial sponsors and laboratories throughout the country to help breakthrough new barriers in disability research and/or motor control.   Host Bio: Dr. Calvin W. Roberts Calvin W. Roberts, MD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Lighthouse Guild, the leading organization dedicated to providing exceptional services that inspire people who are visually impaired to attain their goals. Dr. Roberts has a unique blend of academic, clinical, business, and hands-on product development experience. Dr. Roberts is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He was formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Eye Care, at Bausch Health Companies where he coordinated global development and research efforts across their vision care, pharmaceutical, and surgical business units. As a practicing ophthalmologist from 1982 to 2008, he performed more than 10,000 cataract surgeries as well as 5,000 refractive and other corneal surgeries. He is credited with developing surgical therapies, over-the-counter products for vision care, prescription ocular therapeutics, and innovative treatment regimens. He also holds patents on the wide-field specular microscope and has done extensive research on ophthalmic non-steroidals and postoperative cystoid macular edema. Dr. Roberts has co-founded a specialty pharmaceutical company and is a frequent industry lecturer and author. He currently serves as an Independent Director on multiple corporate boards and has served as a consultant to Allergan, Johnson & Johnson, and Novartis. A graduate of Princeton University and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, Dr. Roberts completed his internship and ophthalmology residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in New York. He also completed cornea fellowships at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston.

Dr. Leo Shea is a neuropsychologist, Lyme disease pioneer and polymath with offices in Boston and New York. Dr. Shea began his professional career as a successful international business consultant where he developed a passion for identifying and developing human resources. Provoked by his passion, he returned to academia to earn dual PhDs in psychology. In 1995, while serving as the Assistant Director of the NYU Brain Injury Day Treatment Center, he began to treat patients with Lyme disease who were exhibiting classic brain injury symptoms. Today, Dr. Shea is the President of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Educational Foundation (ILADEF), the Immediate Past President of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), staff psychologist and Clinical Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Rusk Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, and Principal of Neuropsychological Evaluation and Treatment Services (NETS). If you would like to learn more about how a Lyme disease pioneer is constructing customized psychological care for patients with neurological disorders, traumatic brain injuries, Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, then tune in now!

What can we do to promote women's health, increase health equity, and prevent Ovarian Cancer? LOTS! If you want inspiration and practical ideas to improve your health and the health of those you love, then tune into Swift Healthcare Podcast with guest Diane Powis, PhD, Chief Spokeswoman at Aspira Women's Health. Ranked a Top 60 Healthcare Leadership podcast by Feedspot. Diane Powis, PhD is a licensed healthcare provider, an advocate for women's health, and the Chief Spokeswoman at Aspira Women's Health. Through her advocacy, storytelling, coordination and management of an ethnically diverse patient advisory board, she is working toward empowering women to take control over their gynecological health by increasing their awareness of symptoms, understanding their genetic risks, and knowing that Aspira's life saving biomarker tools exist. Special Note: Dr. Patrick Swift/Swift Healthcare do NOT have any financial relationships with any commercial interests with Aspira Health. Dr. Swift invited Dr. Powis on the show because they are grad school friends and Dr. Powis has an amazing and powerful story to share with the world. The information in this episode is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this video podcast/web site is for general information purposes only. Dr. Diane Powis, PhD Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-powis-a7885a37/ https://aspirawh.com/ Music Credit: Jason Shaw from www.Audionautix.com THE IMPERFECT SHOW NOTES To help make this podcast more accessible to those who are hearing impaired or those who like to read rather than listen to podcasts, we'd love to offer polished show notes. However, Swift Healthcare is in its first year.  What we can offer currently are these imperfect show notes. The transcription is far from perfect. But hopefully it's close enough - even with the errors - to give those who aren't able or inclined to audio interviews a way to participate.  Please enjoy! Transcript: Advancing Women's Health, Change the Story w/ Diane Powis, PhD [00:00:00] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:00:00] Welcome to another episode of the Swift healthcare video podcast. I'm delighted that you're here and I have a fantastic guest for us today. Diane Powis, Diane. Thanks for being on the show. Welcome to the show. Welcome to the Swift healthcare podcast. [00:00:12] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:00:12] Thank you. It's an honor to be here, Patrick. Thanks for having me. [00:00:16] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:00:16] It's a joy having you here and the show title is Advancing Women's Health, Change the Story with Diane Powis . And let me tell you about Diane Powis, a dear colleague of mine. Diane has worked as a clinical psychologist since 2001. She did her training at NYU medical center, the Rusk Institute of rehab medicine. [00:00:37] And then she suffered through the postdoctoral fellowship in neuro-psychology rehabilitation, psychology at Mount Sinai medical center in neuro-psychology rehab psychology. I say suffered because she and I both went through the same program LOL. [00:00:51] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:00:51] We survived together? [00:00:53] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:00:53] fellows and, um yes!, uh, the, and inspiration and trainingand outstanding training and all the wonderful stuff [00:01:00] that came with that as well. Right. Um, but since then, Diane, um, served as a rehabilitation psychologist neuropsychologist at Stanford hospital. And then she was at Greenwich hospital where she specialized in behavioral medicine. [00:01:14] And, um, here's where it gets real. Not that that is a significant enough, um, in her training and the services done for patients and, and, and the community. Um, but here's where it really gets interesting in the work Diane's done; since 2019, Diane  served as the chief spokeswoman for the MAT , Marilyn Ann Trahan  charity program aimed at raising awareness. [00:01:36] For health care providers on how to better prevent and detect early stage breast and ovarian cancers. And since then in November, 2020, Diane joined ASPIRA women's health, senior leadership team as chief spokeswoman and through her advocacy, storytelling, coordination management of an ethnically diverse patient advisory board, she's working toward empowering women. [00:01:59] All [00:02:00] of us have benefit to that. She's, she's working on empowering women to take control over their gynecological health by increasing their awareness of symptoms and to understanding their genetic risks and knowing that APIRA's life-saving biomarker tools exist. Diane Powis, Dr. Diane Powis . Thank you for being here. [00:02:16] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:02:16] Thank you, Patrick, what a lovely introduction. I really appreciate that. And, um, I'm really looking forward to our conversation today and trying to get the message out there. So [00:02:27] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:02:27] and that's why we're doing absolutely. I'm happy to do it. So I'm going to give you the title again. Folks,  Advancing Women's Health, Change the Story with Diane Powis.  Folks, . I want you to bear in mind. This is about women's health, but it's. It's advancing healthcare in general, whether we're healthcare leaders, we're healthcare providers, whether we're healthcare leader providers, or whether we support the work being done in health care. [00:02:50] These are issues that we all at least need to have a working knowledge of. And I'm grateful that Diane is on the show to talk with us about it. So Diane, if we could start [00:03:00] with your journey of misdiagnosis to diagnosis and the relevance to what we're talking about here now. [00:03:07]Diane Powis, PhD: [00:03:07] Thank you. So yeah, my, my journey to diagnosis, , I, um, fortunately just have been so blessed with a very healthy life up until age 45. , I have beautiful family, husband and children, two great kids. , a working as Patrick mentioned, , it a very rewarding position as a clinical neuropsychologist rehab psychologist at various hospitals. , and suddenly after my 45th birthday. I started to develop some strange new problems and symptoms. , this period lasted for over 10 months overall. , and the symptoms varied. , it started with, , heavy menstrual periods, , with my gynecologist, , and the symptoms ranged from. [00:04:00] Pelvic discomfort and urinating frequently again, with my gynecologist to, , lower back pain to bowel problems, to, , just not feeling exhausted and just knowing something was wrong. , what happened over the 10 month period is I was bounced from specialist to specialist and the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Was missed. , and I was misdiagnosed with everything and anything from perimenopause to, , urinary tract infections, which the tests were negative, but the doctor said, well, it must be a false negative because, , you're still healthy. Nothing else would be wrong with you? , this is by my gynecologist along the way, I was referred to a urologist because, , since the many antibiotics I took for my faux bladder infection, , didn't seem to help. He said, well, , sorry. My faux , , urinary tract infection didn't seem to help. He said it must be a bladder infection. [00:05:00] [00:04:59] So he referred me and this was a new doctor for me. He did his in-office evaluation and he did an, an office scan. And I told him I was really worried. Something just felt wrong. And he looked me in the eye and he said, um, Diane, you're perfectly fine. And as I was. Leaving the office. I, you know, I still wasn't convinced that, you know, as he put it, I have an overactive bladder and just take these new pills and that will help me. [00:05:27] Um, I said, you know, doctor, look, I really think something's wrong. In fact, it's not just my, my bladder when I have to have a bowel movement, um, having some severe cramping and pain. And he smiled, chuckled, looked me in the eye and this is a direct quote. He said, well, that sounds like a gastrointestinal problem. So I guess I'm completely off the hook. So, uh, [00:05:54] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:05:54] guess I'm completely off the [00:05:55] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:05:55] guess I'm completely off the hook. Um, and that was the end of [00:06:00] that appointment and that interaction. Uh, from there I was passed. I saw my GP. She diagnosed me with diverticulitis because of the stomach pain and cramping, based on an in-office exam, more antibiotics after which, uh, those didn't help. [00:06:17] I went to a gastroenterologist. She thought I had colitis. Um, ultimately this is 10 months after my initial heavy menstrual periods where I had peri-menopause. Um, she was, she had me for a colonoscopy to confirm the colitis and I woke up from the Twilight of the procedure and she stood over me and said, um, listen, I, I can't, I couldn't get the tube through. [00:06:45] Cause there was a blockage. Um, you have cancer. So I was completely. I was completely blindsided. Yeah. It was devastating [00:06:54] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:06:54] Incredible to be going through that months and months, and months, and months and months of seeing our colleagues in [00:07:00] healthcare who go to work every day with the intention of doing good. Um, but if we work in a siloed mentality and we think we're either on the hook or off the hook, then it's no longer putting the patient in the center of the care, but. [00:07:16] Um, uh, put in the hero as the center of the care instead of the patient and that's backward, and that resulted in your journey there. Diane, and I'm so sorry, you went through that experience and that's why you're here. I mean, there's so much at stake cause your, your, unfortunately your story is not an exception. [00:07:35] Um, you're a spokeswoman. Um, what's at stake for women here in general, and those who love them, we should be all of us. We should all be supporting one another in this team, human, um, in women's health. What's at stake here. [00:07:47] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:07:47] Yeah. Um, well what's at stake is women are dying. And, um, even though it's not the most prevalent cancer, ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer. Over [00:08:00] 50% of those diagnosed, um, die within five years. That's about the prognosis. Uh, the reason why is that? Uh, first of all, there's no screening for ovarian cancer. [00:08:11] There's a common misconception, , among women I think, and, and. , I'm not sure how much I knew about this myself, but that, , a pap smear protects you from ovarian cancer, which is absolutely untrue. A pap smear is a screening for only cervical cancer. No other gynecological. Issues or problems. So there's no screening, , no screening ever existed and still doesn't exist, which is shocking given the state of, , of science and what's been developed out there. [00:08:43], another reason for the horrific, , prognosis for these patients is that the symptoms are often considered vague and, , can. Perhaps be written off as other kinds of [00:09:00] problems are not so serious. And I think both patients don't really know the symptoms or understand them. And many providers don't either, unfortunately, and you know, they call it the disease that whispers and these symptoms whisper. [00:09:14] But for me, You know, in hindsight, having gone through this, I see them more as shouts than whispers and things were just missed. And again, as you, so aptly put it. It's not just, this is something that happens over and over and over again to so many women. , [00:09:34] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:09:34] Yeah, Diane. And I'd also , I'd also argue that there, it can be described as whispers, but it also described them as, um, voices calling out to be heard that are being ignored. Right. And knowing the cardiac data on women, more likely to die of a heart attack in a hospital than men because of how gender differences are perceived. [00:09:54] It's, it's astonishing and ridiculous that women are more likely the [00:10:00] data in disparities in care. Uh, even when you control for socioeconomic status level of income, education insurance, um, women are more likely, uh, so the heart attacks are missed. Um, we need to be more sensitive to ova. Ovarian cancers are, are, are missed. [00:10:17] Um, and that leads to your, your, your message here. This is a critical list, not this. This is about ovarian cancer. Detection, but it's more than that. And I heard you speak on, you touched on the, the test it itself. Um, so I'd love to hear what your organization is about that your spokesperson for, um, and how they're helping being part of the solution. [00:10:40] Folks. This is not an ad folks. Aspire health is not a sponsor of the show. They didn't send me a coffee or a Starbucks. Card or a sponsorship. This is not an ad. This is real conversations about what we can do to improve women's health. So that being said, what's, ASPIRA women's health doing [00:11:00] to help prevent, you said 50% of women mortality rate in five years [00:11:07] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:11:07] Yes, in fact, and [00:11:08] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:11:08] and ASPIRA health has been part of the solution to reduce that and stop it. [00:11:11] Yes. [00:11:12] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:11:12] Yes, absolutely. And that's the idea, the issue with this, you know, with, with these misses and, and I'll, I'll talk about ASPIRA and just one moment, but time is everything in this disease and like so many cancers, the longer it festers and, and there's no awareness of what the problem is. [00:11:31] The later you get in stages and the five-year survival rate, if it's caught in stage one, Is 90%. If it's cotton stage two, it's 70% stage three and four considered late stage caught stage tree. Your five year survival rate is 39%. If it's cotton stage Ford, 17%. So clearly what's happening. Um, and 80% of all ovarian cancers are [00:12:00] diagnosed at late stage three or four because of what I'm talking [00:12:03] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:12:03] 80% of diagnosis as your journey was Dianne. And these numbers are not just numbers they're people's experience, [00:12:12] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:12:12] Exactly. These are women. These are women. [00:12:14] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:12:14] experience. So, you what's ASPIRA  doing to help be part of the solution. [00:12:18] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:12:18] So ASPIRA as mission is to, , globally transform women's health, starting with ovarian cancer. Okay. , And when they say women, they, they mean all women, all ages, stages of life, all races, ethnicities, socioeconomic status. , they really are doing everything they can to, , treat all women the same and have their products available to everybody. , and remove some of the disparities that exist in healthcare for women, because they're really they're out there. , To the fact that their chief spokeswoman, I think speaks to the company and their real desire to [00:12:57] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:12:57] A patient being you, you as the chief [00:13:00] spokeswoman. [00:13:00] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:13:00] would be me. Yes. , they really want to understand the patient's journey and, , think about, you know, what's important as they develop their products and deliver them to the public, to providers. [00:13:11], and they, they want to really be a support, , in that way. And I think that's quite unique in this world as a public company. You know, there are a lot of healthcare companies out there that develop products and they forget that they're really treating. Patients, and this is about saving lives and these are real women and these are real lives they're talking about. So [00:13:30] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:13:30] Amen to that, to [00:13:32] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:13:32] yeah. So what they're trying to do is develop, , comprehensive, , risk assessment products, tools that can be used. There's no screening tools, as I said, but the real focus is how do we take that 80% late stage and flip it and have women. Who, , and in a system where this can be discovered and detected at a much earlier stage, because the [00:14:00] saddest part of all of this, that women are dying is it's preventable. It does not have to be this way. , so the way [00:14:08] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:14:08] a part of that. I encourage people to follow ASPIRA health on LinkedIn to find out what they're up to though. And there again, they're not there. There's no incentive for me to say that I, I it's, as far as health is doing the right thing and they, uh, they're worth following. [00:14:21] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:14:21] we've developed, , biomarker tools. These are, , protein biomarkers, and it's a simple blood test. One in five women will have a pelvic mass at some point in their life. And, , and with that pelvic mass many will have to contemplate a surgical procedure to address the mass. What currently is the standard of care is to use the CA one 25 bio-marker um and it's a test that's been around a long time. [00:14:52], but it's really insufficient. It does not pick up early stage disease. For ovarian cancer. What they've developed is [00:15:00] ovo  one. Plus they've done a tremendous amount of research with, you know, large studies with large populations of women with pelvic masses. They've directly compared ovo one plus to , the CA one 25. And if they. If you sort of did a meta analysis of all of those studies that they've done, the sensitivity of the CA one 25 is much lower. In fact, it's around 65% to pick up stage one and two early stage ovarian cancer for women with pelvic masses. Whereas the OVA1®PLUS is at 91%. So there's [00:15:38] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:15:38] plus. [00:15:38] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:15:38] OVA1®PLUS [00:15:41] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:15:41] OVA1®PLUS, yeah, you lost me on some of the numbers there, but the OVA1®PLUS . I  my listeners. So, you [00:15:47] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:15:47] Yeah. So [00:15:48] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:15:48] then remember the OVA1®PLUS. [00:15:50] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:15:50] significantly better than CA one 25 at detecting early stage ovarian cancer for women with pelvic masses. Yeah. So, [00:16:00] um, with that being said also for black women, the CA one 25 is just known to be a poor measure. It's the, the numbers come out low. Lower than for white women, um, there, where it's not as good a measure, [00:16:18] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:16:18] sensitivity is weaker. [00:16:20] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:16:20] the sensitivity is weaker for black women versus the ovo one. Plus that disparity doesn't exist between white and black women. So, you know, it's another reason to think about, you know, what to do. The problem is. Women aren't aware of to ask for OVA1®PLUS providers are very uncomfortable with making change sometimes and they go with the standard of care because that's what they know. [00:16:46] And they unfortunately miss  a number of early stage diagnoses and time loops forward. , ASPIRA is also doing a lot of continued research. , they're working towards. , further [00:17:00] developing their over one product. There's a lot of pipeline coming down, , with, with the research that they're doing to continue to monitor the women who have pelvic masses and also monitor women who have a high risk from a hereditary standpoint of ovarian cancer. [00:17:16], the second that they have right now is called genetics with an X and it's. It's a very, uh, specialized genetic test for. , the mutations that could be connected to a gynecological cancer. So, , there are 33 potential mutations that are included in the test and it allows women to really have the knowledge of their genetics. [00:17:46] There's nothing, there's no substitute for that because that's really the only way to prevent the disease, , is to know you have a genetic predisposition. , and it's, it's something that, you know, in my story, for [00:18:00] example, I have a very significant history of breast cancer in my family. My mother was diagnosed at age 40. [00:18:06] She died at 48. Um, I have a number of great aunts who had breast cancer. , clearly that should should've rang a bell with any of my doctors. Over the years, I was very, , conscientious of. Of, , you know, I will not go down with breast cancer. So I was really vigilant. It was in a high risk program. , but I had no idea there was a genetic link between breast and ovarian cancers. [00:18:32] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:18:32] not about  OVA1®PLUS, and this also in the pipeline, the genetics [00:18:37] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:18:37] Oh, it's out. It's not [00:18:39] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:18:39] Good. Good, good, great, good, good, good, good. We got enough. Love to ASPIRA . And what they're doing, focusing on you also, um, I want to talk with you about your experience. Diane, what was it like in finding your voice to, to you? [00:18:52] Didn't just wake up one day and say, I want to be a spokeswoman. [00:18:54] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:18:54] No. [00:18:55] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:18:55] what was the journey like for you and finding your voice? And I understand there's a little book, project [00:19:00] [00:19:00] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:19:00] Yes. [00:19:02] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:19:02] I love to hear about your finding your voice and this book you're working on. [00:19:05] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:19:05] Thanks for asking about that. , yeah. You know, I think like so many women, , I grew up. , I grew up in the seventies, , but I think we're socialized a certain way. And I, I, my, my take on that is, you know, how to be a good girl and how to be compliant and listen to authority and not necessarily speak up and be an advocate. [00:19:31], and I feel like, you know, there's that aspect of it for me. , and I'm also an introvert and I'm a private person. , and I have been my whole life, however, being faced with my mortality at, , you know, once I was diagnosed and recognize the severity of my situation and that, you know, I had a five-year prognosis and 39%. [00:19:55], so I, I sort of realized I had a [00:20:00] choice. This was the crossroads for me. I could either. You know, like a raft without a paddle B be pushed through the system as a cancer patient. And, , like I was bounced from doctor to doctor, just not take charge of things in a way that would give me some semblance of control or start to speak up for myself and, and advocate for what I felt was best in terms of my care and all my treatments. [00:20:26] And. , there are a lot of examples of that, but it really helped. And I think that translated ultimately to reaching out to others, you know, realizing I'm not the only one with ovarian cancer, connecting to other women and learning how many of them. Shared a very similar story of late stage diagnosis that could have been prevented because of misses, misdiagnoses blowing off symptoms, you know, attributing them to perhaps manifestations of stress. , for example, one woman was [00:21:00] given anti-anxiety pills and told, you know, because her belly's ex just, , [00:21:05] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:21:05] extending and there, yeah. [00:21:07] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:21:07] she's, you know, sick or just not feeling right? Oh, it's anxiety. Um, you know, so many stories that I realized, you know what, I'm not alone in this. And [00:21:17] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:21:17] You are not alone.. [00:21:18] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:21:18] even though my window has long closed for early detection, you know, maybe there's something that I can do to facilitate, , change and. [00:21:28] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:21:28] if there's one listener that changes their behavior as a practitioner, or if there's one listener who is a partner and advocates for their. Their loved one to go through this, get this kind of testing or a potential patient themselves who may be brewing some ovarian cancer to be aware of this demand, you know, your lips to God's ears that, uh, this be heard and, and, um, even just saving one life. [00:21:53] Um, but imagine getting this message out there more and more. So the what's the title of the book that you're working on it. [00:21:59] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:21:59] thank you. [00:22:00] Um, the book is called what's a good girl to do. Records and revelations of a cancer survivor. And, um, [00:22:07] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:07] Do you have a publisher? [00:22:09] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:22:09] I'm working on [00:22:10] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:10] All right. So we'll put that include those show. Diane Powis on LinkedIn. [00:22:14] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:22:14] want to publish [00:22:14] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:14] she needs a publisher folks. Um, [00:22:17] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:22:17] It's with an editor right now. [00:22:19] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:19] okay. Well still let's get the word out there. [00:22:21] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:22:21] yeah. The goal is to get it out there though, and, you know, try to make a difference if I can and be heard. [00:22:27] Um, but yeah, you know, women, women do need to know. And, you know, uh, just the opportunities that came my way to speak up. I just couldn't say no. [00:22:37] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:37] Yeah. God bless you for doing that. And, uh, more power to you, and that is your call to action, um, for folks to act based on this information and, and save a life and it may be your own or one that someone that you love. And so this may be a good time to ask you then, um, um, if you had an opportunity. [00:22:56] To speak to all the healthcare folks around the whole planet. You had [00:23:00] other attention for a brief moment. Diane, what would you say to them? [00:23:05] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:23:05] Well, that would be incredible. I know how busy and overwhelmed a lot of healthcare folks are. Um, I would say, uh, a couple of things, first of all, please, you know, I know you're busy. I know you work so hard and not saying, you know, these are good people. These are people who have entered a profession to help others. [00:23:24] And with all good intentions, do no harm, you know? Um, but I would say, please, please get educated. Learn about. Ovarian cancer, you know, other gynecological diseases and problems like endometriosis. It's another one that's often missed overlooked, shunned aside for women. Um, they go years without, without knowing what's wrong with them. [00:23:49], but please get educated. , know the symptoms, know the early warning signs. , learn about Aspira's  products. I mean, you know, if your go-to is the CA [00:24:00] one 25, if you have a woman with a pelvic mass who's contemplating surgery, please look into, you know, the ovo  one, plus it's FDA cleared. It's been around for 10 years now. [00:24:11] So no excuse let's let's think about what better options exist out there that. All the mechanisms are there. The technology's there that the scientists have developed this, please take advantage of it. I would also say too. My group of healthcare listeners, please, please listen to your patients. Um, I know time is limited. [00:24:36] Your schedules are busy. You know, the, the drive is to get through a lot of people and maybe your waiting room is full and, and, you know, you're, you're just trying to get through your day and you have so much to cover. So when a woman comes in wondering, you know, something's really wrong with her, if she's having these pelvic. [00:24:55] Pains and discomfort, please stop and listen, and [00:25:00] think comprehensively. Try to get a full picture of what's going on. What brought her to you? What other symptoms and problems she has been experiencing lately? Has she, what other doctors has she seen coordinate care with those other doctors so that you're not operating in that vacuum of your specialty because you're gonna miss it. [00:25:20] You're gonna miss it. And, um, it's so important to think comprehensively so that, you know, women have. That chance, you know, that window of opportunity with early detection, they're not going to the gynecological oncologist. At that point, they're going to their GP. They're going to the gastroenterologist, the urologist, the chiropractor. [00:25:43] These are the folks that have the opportunity to catch it early. And, um, it's just so important that they pay attention in a certain way. Take a history. And also consider genetics for women. I think a lot of doctors think about genetics. Testing is a [00:26:00] nice option sometimes, but it's essential. Knowing a woman's knowing her genetics could make the difference between life and death and give her choices about, um, prophylactic surgeries, ways to prevent completely prevent. [00:26:17] Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and other other issues and problems, um, and a lifetime of pain and suffering and medical uncertainty, and, um, real real hit to the quality of life [00:26:34] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:26:34] A passionate and comprehensive full of heart, um, call to action folks. Um, if you take one thing away, it's listen to your patients. The of a one, plus the, the, the genetics testing, the, the whole context to all of it. Um, there's so much that you share Diane. I'm so grateful for what you have to say and for your heart and your passion for this, and, um, the takeaway to listen to your patients and [00:27:00] really it's to listen to one. [00:27:00] And also it's still to listen to one another, um, in the work we do, um, we, we need to care for one another and, and the signs, the signs are there. If we, if we, um, listened to our heart and listened to our gut and pay attention to it. [00:27:15] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:27:15] And you can tools available. Um, and also, you know, it's, it's about all the women in our lives. You know, I think about my daughter who has a 50% chance of. Of inheriting my Brock of mutation. Um, but it's not just about her. It's about all of our daughters, our mothers, our sisters, wives, friends, you know, the list goes on and on. [00:27:39] Um, you know, please think about what can be done for prevention and really change the story for women. [00:27:48] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:27:48] changing the story about there we go  or we're talking about change. The story is to Advancing Women's Health, Change the story with Diane Powis , Dr. Diane Powis . Diane, thank you so much for being on the show. It's been [00:28:00] a pleasure and an honor, and thank you for your message and your heart and, and all that you shared. I really appreciate your, your being here. [00:28:06] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:28:06] Thank you for having me, Patrick, it's been a pleasure. Thank you! Special Note: Dr. Patrick Swift/Swift Healthcare do NOT have any financial relationships with any commercial interests with Aspira Health. Dr. Swift invited Dr. Powis on the show because they are grad school friends and Dr. Powis has an amazing and powerful story to share with the world. The information in this episode is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this video podcast/web site is for general information purposes only.  

​Richard Morgan was a board-certified physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation who trained at the Rusk Institute of NYU Medical Center. He graduated NYCOM in 1998. He went into private practice in New York City with a focus on sports medicine and musculoskeletal disorders. Throughout his early career, triggered by an early injury and surgical procedure, he followed a dark path down an abyss of addiction that ultimately led him to federal prison, where he was sentenced to 14 years for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. After serving 97 months of his sentence, he was rewarded with an early release. In the one year he has been out of prison, he has begun the process of not only reconnecting with his family and society, but he has begun the process of giving back and helping others with chemical dependency. His story was recently highlighted on the Dr. Oz show, and he shared his story with his alma mater at NYCOM, stressing the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of addiction in colleagues.

As we start to wind down our series on Healing Gardens and Therapeutic Landscape design, we’re joined by Matthew J. Wichrowski, MSW HTR, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Senior Horticultural Therapist at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health. A longtime educator and practitioner in the field of horticultural therapy. From acute care bedsides to locked ward psychiatric care, plants make everything better. Join us. Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you so much for listening over the years and we hope you'll support Cultivating Place. We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow even more of these types of conversations. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher. To read more and for many more photos please visit www.cultivatingplace.com.

Dr. Susan Maltser is Director of Cancer Rehabilitation and oversees the comprehensive Cancer Rehabilitation program for Northwell health. She is a practicing physiatrist and an assistant professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Zucker School of Medicine. She also serves as Chief, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Long Island Jewish Hospital. A graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic medicine, her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was completed at the Rusk Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center. She is a fellow of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and holds membership in both the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the National Cancer Rehabilitation Physician Consortium. This interview is a two-part series. In Part 2, Dr. Maltser discusses: the extent of post-surgical care aimed at social and emotional functions; from the perspective of patient-reported outcomes, steps taken to identify the felt needs of patients in conjunction with the needs identified by the health care team; whether demographic factors, such as age influence whether a woman wants to remain in the labor force and what can be done to assist women in this aspect of their lives; the degree to which sexual function affected by breast cancer treatment is discussed with patients; whether older women who undergo treatment for breast cancer are vulnerable to experiencing a balance problem that increases the risk of falling; if technological approaches, such as the development of wearable sensors and cloud-based apps are being used after patients leave the clinical setting to enable them to provide daily feedback on their condition and successes they are experiencing in self-care; and areas where improvements in diagnostic measures and rehabilitation treatment would be warranted.

Dr. Susan Maltser is Director of Cancer Rehabilitation and oversees the comprehensive Cancer Rehabilitation program for Northwell health. She is a practicing physiatrist and an assistant professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Zucker School of Medicine. She also serves as Chief, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Long Island Jewish Hospital. A graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic medicine, her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was completed at the Rusk Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center. She is a fellow of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and holds membership in both the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the National Cancer Rehabilitation Physician Consortium. This interview is a two-part series. In Part 1, Dr. Maltser discusses:  what cancer rehabilitation is and some conditions that commonly are treated in breast cancer patients; measures employed to assess patients who have undergone breast surgery regarding the scope of rehabilitation interventions to pursue; the adverse effect of reconstructive surgery for breast cancer on shoulder function and the kinds of rehabilitation that prove effective in dealing with this problem; debilitating side effects, such as difficulty sleeping and fatigue, associated with breast cancer surgery; the risk of developing lymphedema after undergoing surgery for breast cancer; the role of self-care in treating lymphedema; and the role that physical exercise might play and when it should occur pre- and post-surgery.

Dr. J.R. Rizzo is a physician scientist at NYU Langone Medical Center’s Rusk Rehabilitation Institute, where he is an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a cross-appointment in the Department of Neurology. He leads the Visuomotor Integration Laboratory where his team focuses on eye-hand coordination as it relates to acquired brain injury and the Technology Translation in Medicine Laboratory, where the focus is on assistive technology for the visually impaired and benefits from his own personal experiences with vision loss.  He recently completed an R03 grant through the National Institute of Aging, as a GEMSSTAR Scholar, focusing his research goals on eye-hand coordination in elderly stroke, and is completing a K12 award, as an RMSTP Fellow, focusing on visuomotor integration in brain injury. He has funding at the federal, state, municipal and foundational levels. He has numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, in addition to domestic and international patents filed for his rehabilitation tools. An honors graduate in neuroscience at NYU, he completed medical school on scholarship at New York Medical College and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor’s Society Iota Chapter. He completed his residency, including a chief year, at NYU’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Program where he subsequently was awarded funding to complete a clinical research fellowship at Rusk. In the first part of a grand rounds presentation, Dr. Rizzo discussses eye-hand coordination or what is known as the eye-hand mystique. He describes perception, the ocular motor system, perception to action, and eye-hand control deficits as they relate to visual motor integration. He discusses visual crowding as it pertains to peripheral vision and the importance of material categorization. He also describes research involving chronic stroke patients recruited from outpatient clinics using eye tracking and simultaneously recording motion capture of their actual limbs. The session includes questions from attendees at the presentation and his responses. In the second part of a grand rounds presentation by Dr. John Ross Rizzo on December 12, 2018 at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, he continued his description of a pilot research project involving chronic stroke patients who were recruited from outpatient clinics. The investigation included eye tracking while simultaneously recording motion capture of patients’ limbs. He indicated how eye errors correlated with limb errors in this study and mentioned some cognitive implications derived from the project. For example, in reaching for a cup of tea there could be an eye movement that has some computational load, meaning what is the cerebral load to complete that task and what is involved if the reaching is done using peripheral vision? In this context, it is worth considering what is occurring in the presence of an impaired brain, such as after a stroke. A central idea is that stroke interferes with cognitive resource sharing between eye and hand movement during eye-hand coordination. A question and answer period followed his presentation.            

Welcome to SEASON 2 of Concussion Corner!!!Concussion Corner is your trusted resource for interdisciplinary conversations related to all things concussion-related in healthcare, advocacy, and sport. *This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and should not be confused for medical advice. Please reach out to your medical team or call 911 if this is an emergency*Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, & YouTube

Concussion Corner is your trusted resource for interdisciplinary conversations related to all things concussion-related in healthcare, advocacy, and sport. *This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and should not be confused for medical advice. Please reach out to your medical team or call 911 if this is an emergency*Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, & YouTube

Dr. Jeffrey Heckman is a board certified physiatrist and a University of Washington assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and also the Director of the Regional Amputation Center at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. He specializes in the evaluation and management of the medical and functional aspects of rehabilitation following amputation, including prosthesis prescription, phantom limb pain and musculoskeletal injuries, as well as for arthritis-related joint pain and other age-related musculoskeletal conditions. His research interests are mobile technology, phantom limb pain, and peer support, and his teaching interests include amputation/limb loss and prosthetics/orthotics. He received his undergraduate degree from Penn State University and his osteopathic medical degree from the University of New England. He completed his residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. In Part 2, Dr. Heckman discusses: children involved in amputations and their rehabilitation; how neighboring parts of the body may be affected by amputation; provision of relief from phantom pain; use of mirror therapy in treatment of phantom limb pain; translation of clinical findings and evidence-based research to the bedside in a timely manner; key research topics aimed at improving patient care of amputees; patient involvement in medical decision-making; patients’ resilience and positive willingness to want to participate actively in all aspects of rehabilitation; role of in-home telehealth therapy programs; and major challenges facing the profession of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Dr. Jeffrey Heckman is a board certified physiatrist and a University of Washington assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and also the Director of the Regional Amputation Center at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. He specializes in the evaluation and management of the medical and functional aspects of rehabilitation following amputation, including prosthesis prescription, phantom limb pain and musculoskeletal injuries, as well as for arthritis-related joint pain and other age-related musculoskeletal conditions. His research interests are mobile technology, phantom limb pain, and peer support, and his teaching interests include amputation/limb loss and prosthetics/orthotics. He received his undergraduate degree from Penn State University and his osteopathic medical degree from the University of New England. He completed his residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. In Part 1, Dr. Heckman discusses: health problems that necessitate amputation; kinds of assessment tools to predict functional outcomes in amputees; major physical and psychological challenges faced by patients following amputation; efforts to assess mental health status pre-surgery; use of prosthetic devices; instances where patients decide to cease using prosthetic devices; and use of targeted muscle re-innervation to restore physiologic continuity as a means of possibly enabling more intuitive prosthetic control.

Dr. Olga Kalandova is the supervisor of the Outpatient Physical Therapy Unit at Rusk Institute, NYU Langone Health. A wide spectrum of outpatient physical therapy programs have developed under her guidance, including orthopedic, neurological and the woman’s health patient population. She has been at Rusk Institute for 29 years and has extensive expertise in the treatment of spinal and neurological disorders. She also frequently teaches and gives professional and community lectures presenting on various topics and conditions. She received her graduate degree in orthopedics, a doctorate degree in physical therapy, completed internationally recognized certification in mechanical diagnosis and therapy, and holds a number of certifications in manual and alternative therapies. In this interview, Dr. Kalandova discusses the kinds of patients she treat​s; the importance of posture and postural alignment​;how posture affects function and daily performance;​consequences of poor posture​; correlation​s​ between posture and pain; how postural alignment affects exercise and conditioning; and the role education plays in treatment as a way of enabling patients to obtain skills necessary to manage pain and also as a way of either preventing or self-treating future occurrences outside of the clinical setting.

Shirley Morganstein first learned about aphasia while an undergraduate at NYU. She completed her Master’s degree at the University of Minnesota, and, as she says, was privileged to have Hildred Schuell and her staff at the Minnesota VA Hospital as teachers. After her return to NYC, she worked at Rusk Institute, with Martha Taylor Sarno, The Mount Sinai Hospital, and then the Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation in New Jersey. In 2004, she and her long-time colleague, Marilyn Certner Smith, formed a Life Participation practice in Montclair, called Speaking of Aphasia. Now semi-retired, she continues to see patients and is an adjunct professor at New York University. She has published two aphasia workbooks with Marilyn Center Smith, and maintains a blog on Word Press called Relationship and Reflection in Aphasia Therapy. In her free time, she enjoys writing and exploring the art of Ikebana. Relationship and Reflection in Aphasia Therapy blog - https://reflectioninaphasia.wordpress.com Speaking Of Aphasia Twitter handle ‏@SOALLC - https://twitter.com/SOALLC

Dr. Alex Moroz is a physician, an educator, and a national leader in integrative medicine. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Moroz created the Integrative Sports Medicine Program at the World-renowned Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation where he currently serves as the Director of Residency Training and Medical Education at Rusk as well as the Director of the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Unit. An experienced educator in the field of rehabilitation and disability, Dr. Moroz has spearheaded multiple efforts at improving the knowledge and awareness of disability, receiving multiple awards for his work. He is certified in acupuncture, active in national board certification processes, and continues to add to his impressive list of peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Moroz received his MD degree from the NYU School of Medicine. In this interview, Dr. Moroz discusses integrative medicine, disability, and education.

Geoffrey Hall is an accomplished operational strategist and executive leader with more than 15 years of experience cultivating, improving, and directing operations for various facilities throughout the healthcare industry. He is currently the Administrator for the top 10 nationally ranked Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.Geoffrey completed his undergraduate in Social Work from Auburn University.  He has a Masters in Social Work from East Carolina University and obtained his MBA from Walden University.  He is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in New York. In this interview, Geoffrey discusses bundled payments, the importance of communication, shifting care models in both the US and China, and rehabilitation care.