Orthopedics and Rehabilitation

Madeline Czeck, PhD
Research Scientist
Minneapolis VA Health Care System

Abstract: Physical inactivity impacts persons worldwide and negatively affect health outcomes. Participation in sport and adaptive sport can help individuals achieve physical activity’s beneficial health outcomes. Adaptive sport also impacts participant’s social and environmental well-being. This presentation outlines the benefits of being physically active and explores current literature for the barriers and facilitators to participating in adaptive sport, while looking for perceived needs for improvement in accessibility of sport.

Bio: Madeline Czeck, PhD is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Rehabilitation & Engineering Center for Optimizing Veteran Engagement and Reintegration (RECOVER) within the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Her research focuses on understanding goals and motives, increasing access, and decreasing barriers to participation and engagement in sport and physical activity.

Alex Senk, MD
Medical Director of the National Veterans Golden Age Games
Deputy Chief of PM&R
Medical Director of PM&R Sports Medicine
PM&R Acting Internship & Clerkships Course Director
Associate Site Director of PM&R Residency
Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Bio: Alex Senk, MD is a board-certified physiatrist and sports medicine physician who serves as the Medical Director of PM&R Sports Medicine and Deputy Chief of PM&R at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.  His practice centers on comprehensive musculoskeletal medicine and sports medicine with a special focus on the adaptive athlete.  He has been a member of the National Medical Team for the National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events since 2018 and has served at the Golden Age Games, Golf Clinic, Wheelchair Games, and Winter Sports Clinic.  In 2023, he began his tenure as the Medical Director of the National Veterans Golden Age Games.  He is a co-founder of SPADE (Sports Performance Adaptive Design and Engineering), a collaboration centered on the research and development of novel solutions and equipment to enhance the wellbeing of all Veterans by facilitating their participation in exercise and sport.  When not at work, you might find Dr Senk at an agility course with his pup or in the water helping as a Handicapped Scuba Association certified dive buddy.

John Looft, PhD
Director, Motion Analysis Laboratory & Clinics

Associate Director, SCI/D Research
RECOVER

Abstract: One of the conner stones of sport is different backgrounds and abilities coming together to achieve a common goal. Achieving access to sport for individuals with a spinal cord injury and disease (SCID) requires a dedicated team with a wide range of expertise. This presentation introduces our team as well as the design process to take an abstract napkin idea to reality.

Bio: John M Looft, PhD is the Director of the Motion Analysis Laboratories and Clinic and the Associate Director of the Rehabilitation & Engineering Center for Optimizing Veteran Engagement & Reintegration (RECOVER) within the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Dr. Looft’s research currently focuses on adaptive design for wheelchairs and adaptive sports equipment.

Lisa Lombardo
Research Physical Therapist and Principal Investigator
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center

Abstract: Veterans with paralysis are often extremely sedentary due to limited exercise options.  This can lead to profound deconditioning, premature aging and many secondary health complications.  Currently, these individuals can only exercise their uninvolved extremities and are unable to benefit from more intense exercise simultaneously involving both upper and lower extremities.  We wanted to find a way to achieve this level of exercise for Veteran’s with paralysis.  Our practice is an innovative way for Veterans with paralysis to exercise using electrical stimulation to contract paralyzed muscles.  It consists of an adapted rowing machine that automatically coordinates upper extremity movements with lower extremity contractions of the paralyzed muscles with electrical stimulation via an intuitive tablet/cellphone-based interface. The rowing machine will allow Veterans to get a full body workout including both upper and lower extremities.  A graphical user interface (GUI) will enable clinicians and users to easily setup and adjust stimulation parameters independently without technical assistance, thus advancing Veterans Health with a new exercise modality.  This will significantly improve the overall health and well-being of Veterans with paralysis. Veterans with SCI, stroke or MS have few effective options to exercise paralyzed or weak muscles, and often develop numerous secondary health issues including obesity, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and depression. This is an exciting new, easy to use, effective mode of exercise; it’s a liberating option and encourages community engagement. It will allow Veterans to maintain a healthy, active style and thereby reduce health care costs and prevent life threatening secondary medical and psychological complications.  

Bio: Lisa Lombardo, MPT is a Research Physical Therapist and Principal Investigator at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC.  Lisa received her Bachelor of Science Degree from the Ohio State University in 1994.  She is a graduate of Slippery Rock University’s Master of Physical Therapy program in 1997.  Lisa specializes in the treatment of individuals with spinal cord injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis.  She is currently involved in several research projects involving the use of an implanted neuroprothesis and surface electrical stimulation to provide individuals with paralysis the ability to regain functions such as standing, stepping and seated stability.  She specializes in cardiovascular and physiologic response to exercise.  Lisa is also currently a part time professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Cleveland State University.  She has presented the research outcomes and courses on functional electrical stimulation numerous times at conferences.  She is co-author of 31 publications in various journals. 

Andrew Hansen 
Director, RECOVER, Minneapolis VA Health Care System

Andrew Hansen is the Director of the Rehabilitation & Engineering Center for Optimizing Veteran Engagement & Reintegration (RECOVER) at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, and Professor of Rehabilitation Science & Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. His interdisciplinary center focuses on development and evaluation of rehabilitation technologies and interventions aimed at improving participation of Veterans with amputations and Veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders.

Holly Golecki
Assistant Teaching Professor, Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Holly Golecki, Ph.D is a Teaching Assistant Professor in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and in the Biological and Translational Sciences Department at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. She is a Core Faculty member at the Institute for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in the Grainger College of Engineering. Dr. Golecki holds an Associate appointment in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. Dr. Golecki earned her BS and MS degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Drexel University. She then earned her PhD in Bioengineering from Harvard University, developing biomaterials for engineered scaffolds in vivo. Dr. Golecki now uses her expertise in biomaterials applied to robotics. She runs an externally funded research group working in the areas of soft biorobots and engineering education research addressing the challenges faced when humans interact with robots by building accessible tools. Her research spans work engineering biomaterials in medical device design to developing new educational and analysis tools with the goal of increasing equity and access in research and engineering.