3/3/2009

Susan Harkema, Ph.D., Receives 2008 "Reeve-Irvine Research Medal"

IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 3, 2009

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Barbara Mackovic, (502) 587-4230 or 641-5461
barbara.mackovic@jhsmh.org

Susan Harkema, Ph.D., Receives 2008 “Reeve-Irvine Research Medal”

LOUISVILLE, KY (March 3, 2009) – Susan Harkema, Ph.D., a nationally recognized leading researcher in the field of neurological rehabilitation at Frazier Rehab Institute and the University of Louisville School of Medicine, has been named co-recipient of the 2008 “Reeve-Irvine Research Medal”.

The medal is awarded annually by the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California, Irvine to individuals who have made recent critical contributions to promoting repair of the damaged spinal cord and recovery of function.  The medal is to recognize, “… the most meritorious science, a proven body of work that has withstood the test of time and scrutiny, as well as other enriching contributions to the field.”

Harkema heads up a research team in the Human Locomotion Research Center and is also affiliated with the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center in Louisville.  She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UofL and the Director of Research at Frazier.

The research team is comprised of scientists, engineers, physicians, technicians and physical therapists who work together to understand how the nervous system works during human locomotion. The focus is on retraining the nervous system to facilitate the recovery of standing and stepping in individuals with spinal cord injury. Her studies investigate not only physiological characteristics that enable retraining of the nervous system to stand and walk, but also examine a number of issues secondary to spinal cord injury.

The Reeve-Irvine Research Center was launched in 1996 with the backing of actor Christopher Reeve, who was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident in 1995, and a gift from local philanthropist Joan Irvine-Smith. The mission of the center is to find new treatments for spinal cord injury through the collaborative research and educational efforts of prominent scientists and clinicians both at the University of California, Irvine and around the world.

The award presentation will take place during a symposium being held at the University of California, Irvine on March 10-11, 2009.

For interview opportunities, contact Barbara Mackovic at (502) 587-4230.

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