UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine

09/03/2026

Will you be at the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (ASCIP) annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, September 7-10, 2026? Faculty and trainees from our department will be presenting on spinal cord injury rehabilitation, clinical care, adaptive sports, and veteran health. We hope to see you there! See the schedule: https://rehab.washington.edu/news-and-events/our-department-at-the-academy-of-spinal-cord-injury-professionals-conference/

09/01/2026

Washington state parents and caregivers: Have you looked for help with your child's feeding challenges in the past three years?

The Feeding Care-Pathway Study is seeking adult caregivers to participate in a 60-90 minute survey about their experiences finding feeding-related care.

The goal is to identify ways to help families access proven therapies for feeding disorders more quickly.

“For a kid with a feeding disorder, their pickiness rarely improves on its own," said study leader Britt St. John, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine at the UW School of Medicine. “It might start with refusal and escalate to more severe reactions like crying and throwing food,” making meals a source of daily family stress.

Learn more:

News and information for journalists

08/27/2026

Will you be at the Paralyzed Veterans of America Healthcare Summit + EXPO, Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2026, in Las Vegas? Several of our faculty members are presenting, and we hope to see you there!

Professor Aaron Turner, PhD, will deliver the John M. Whitaker Memorial Lecture, presenting on “A Brave New World: Partnering with Patients to Promote Health and Wellness in the Age of Technology.” Drawing on research involving telehealth-based behavioral interventions for people with multiple sclerosis, the lecture will explore opportunities and challenges associated with rapidly evolving health technologies.

Faculty from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at UW Medicine will also present on interdisciplinary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) care and the use of registry data to improve understanding of spinal cord injury outcomes across health systems.

More details:

Professor Aaron Turner, PhD, will deliver the John M. Whitaker Memorial Lecture at the Paralyzed Veterans of America Healthcare Summit + EXPO, taking place Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2026, in Las Vegas. Dr. Turner will present “A Brave New World: Partnering with Patients to Promote Health and Wellness in th...

08/25/2026

Assistant Professor Sarah Smith, MD, FAAPMR; recent Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency graduate Kirsten Schlosser, MD; and Acting Assistant Professor Ranee Munaim, MS, OTR/L, CHT, co-authored a review in Muscle & Nerve examining electrical stimulation therapies used in peripheral nerve rehabilitation.

Their review found that while some approaches show promise for pain management and motor relearning, more research is needed before electrical stimulation can be routinely recommended following peripheral nerve injury.

The project included collaborators from the UW Medicine Division of Plastic Surgery.

Read the publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42394298/

08/21/2026

Happy !

Residency and fellowship programs don't run on magic. They run because of dedicated Graduate Medical Education professionals who manage countless details behind the scenes while supporting trainees, faculty, and programs every step of the way.

Today, we thank our GME team for their hard work, commitment, and partnership in training the next generation of physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians.

08/20/2026

Sports help kids develop physical, mental, and social skills. “It’s never too early to get kids involved in age-appropriate sports activities,” says Dr. Charles Kenyon. “The important thing is to be focused on your kid’s fun, enjoyment and creating a love for physical activity and free play.” Read more tips on helping your child love sports and avoid burnout on Right as Rain:

Burnout isn’t.

08/18/2026

How can healthcare teams better support patients who are not getting enough physical activity?

A new review published in PM&R by Clinical Professor Cindy Lin, MD, and Research Coordinator Theresa Kehne, BA, explores how routine physical activity screening and the ExerciseRx® digital health platform can help clinicians identify patients who may benefit from additional exercise support and provide personalized guidance beyond the clinic.

The paper highlights emerging approaches to integrating physical activity into patient care and supporting healthier movement through digital health tools.

Read more: https://rehab.washington.edu/news-and-events/exerciserx-digital-platform-aims-to-make-physical-activity-part-of-routine-care/

08/17/2026

Associate Professor Heather Feldner, PT, PhD, PCS, has received a five-year, $3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant to lead the DRIVE Study (Dynamic, Real-world Learning, Innovative Mobility, and Versatile Exploration).

The multisite study will compare an in-home powered mobility intervention with usual care physical therapy for toddlers with cerebral palsy. Led by Dr. Feldner and co-investigator Kat Steele, PhD, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington, the project includes collaborators from Oregon State University, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Southern California.

The study builds on Dr. Feldner's work focused on early mobility, participation, and family-centered care. Researchers will examine how early access to powered mobility influences child development, motor skill acquisition, activity participation, and family outcomes.

"Moving yourself through the world, no matter if you walk or wheel, is critical to support brain development and learning," said Dr. Feldner.

08/15/2026

For more than two decades, Seattle magazine has published a list of the region’s top doctors, as nominated by their peers. This year, 14 doctors from the Department of Rehabilitation at the UW School of Medicine have been named top docs!

Neurology:
Gloria von Geldern, MD
Annette Wundes, MD

Pediatric Rehabilitation:
Elaine Y. Tsao, MD

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation:
Sean Matsuwaka, MD
Ib Rask Odderson, MD./PhD
Neelwant Sandhu, MD
Stephen Burns, MD
Stanley A. Herring, MD
Stephen C. Johnson, MD

Sports Medicine:
Mark A. Harrast, MD
Brian Krabak, MD
Brian C. Liem, MD
Cindy Y. Lin, MD
Omar M. Bhatti, MD

Congratulations to all!

08/13/2026

Many medical students report receiving little training on Long COVID.

A new free online curriculum, LEARN, aims to help close that gap by providing Long COVID education for healthcare professionals.

The program was developed by UW Medicine's Anita Chopra, MD, in collaboration with Hector Bonilla, MD, and Linda Geng, MD, PhD, of Stanford University.

Read more through RECOVER:

A free online curriculum called LEARN prepares future healthcare providers to care for people with Long COVID. Built by doctors and students at 2 RECOVER study sites, LEARN bridges a gap some medical trainees see in their training.