Cleveland FES Center

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Cleveland FES Center

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The Center focuses on the application of electrical currents to either generate or suppress activity in the nervous system.

This technique is known as functional electrical stimulation (FES) The Cleveland FES Center is a consortium of five nationally recognized institutions: Department of Veteran Affairs, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute. Through the support of these partners, the Cleveland FES Center is able to provide a continuum of advancement. VISION STATEMENT

The vision of the Cleveland FES Center is to merge cutting edge research and creative engineering into the clinical environment to create comprehensive options for patients and their families, and the clinicians who care for them. The FES Center will be a fertile environment in which researchers, engineers, and clinicians work in collaboration to develop technological solutions that improve the quality of life of individuals with neuromuscular impairments through the use of functional electrical stimulation. To bring these options to those who need them, the FES Center enables the transfer of this technology into clinical deployment. The four pillars of the FES Center Vision are:

-Fundamental studies to discover new knowledge
-Enabling technologies for clinical application or the discovery of knowledge
-Clinical research that applies this knowledge and technology to individuals with neuromuscular impairments
-Transfer of knowledge and technology to the clinical community and to industry

10/27/2026

Sending Congratulations to Case Western Reserve University, Department of Biomedical Engineering PhD Candidate Cedric Levi, who has been selected as a recipient of the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) 2027 Early Career Travel Grant!

Levi's advisor is FES Center Investigator & Distinguished CWRU Professor Dominique M. Durand PhD.

The NANS award support's Levi's presentation at the Annual Meeting set for Jan. 21-24 in Las Vegas. Levi will present a poster featuring his research on neuromodulatory interventions for epileptic activity.

Many Congrats to Levi! https://case.edu/nec/node/1167

10/19/2026

Surgeon and FES Member Raymond Onders MD presented at our first Neural Prosthesis Seminar of the academic year last week, and this opening presentation did not disappoint!

Dr. Onders is Chair of Surgical Innovation at University Hospitals. Among those innovations: studying the use of temporary diaphragm pacing, which uses FES, to help people get off of mechanical ventilators sooner and faster, potentially avoiding the onset of respiratory illness and/or atrophy of diaphragm muscles. It's a revolutionary idea that holds great potential across medical applications and that Onders has investigated for decades. The video replay will be on our YouTube soon, so watch for it!

10/16/2026

Many thanks to Jayme Knutson PhD, Madaline Witort and Jisung Yuk PhD for representing the Center at ACRM - American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine 103rd Annual Fall Conference and Expo!

On Wednesday, Dr. Knutson, Director of PM&R Research at MetroHealth, presented his poster, "Contralaterally Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation for Recovery of Hand Function after Stroke: A Multi-site Randomized Controlled Trial."

Simranjeet Benipal MD also from MetroHealth PM&R presented the poster "The Use of Pragmatic Screening Criteria to Evaluate Risk of Cardiac Decompensation in Inpatient Rehabilitation," co-authored by FES members Victoria Whitehair MD and Dennis Bourbeau PhD.

Another excellent conference focusing on innovations in rehabilitation research!

10/14/2026

Our members are representing at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine this week in Washington. If you're attending, please come by and see us at Booth #104!

The wait is almost over. Washington, DC, here we come!

Get ready for five days of learning, collaboration, innovation, and meaningful connections at the ACRM 103rd Annual FALL Conference & EXPO!

Join the global rehabilitation community as we come together to share knowledge, explore new possibilities, and shape the future of rehabilitation.

October 12–16, 2026
Washington Hilton, Washington, DC

Your next big connection starts at . Join us!

Learn more: ACRM.org/2026

10/08/2026

Thanks to all our members who came out to the Fairmount on Tuesday afternoon to hear James Sulzer PhD, our First Tuesday presenter, share his work, experience and perspectives related to incorporating lived experience into rehabilitation research.

Dr. Sulzer shared how and why he began this work, stemming from personal experience. Today, he has amassed a number of tools and approaches to highlight the benefits of including lived experience in research and when it's most vital to do so.

This was another insightful First Tuesday seminar, and we send our thanks to Dr. Sulzer for presenting!

10/06/2026

Improved bowel function is a priority for individuals who have experienced spinal cord injury. One study now underway by FES researchers is testing at-home electrical stimulation to see if it could improve bowel function. Learn more: https://fescenter.org/research-and-participants/clinical-trials/spinal-cord-injury-programs/pelvic-health/at-home-genital-nerve-stimulation/

10/02/2026

Last month we were thrilled to partner with and sponsor the Cleveland NeuroDesign team as they coached a new cohort of students in the Cleveland NeuroDesign Entrepreneurs Workshop!

This fast-track program created with support from Case Western Reserve University teaches early career biomedical engineers, neuroscience professionals and clinicians how to take a neuroscience innovation from idea through to commercialization, all in a weekend.

Congrats to the students and faculty who make this program so unique and so special. This workshop continues to grow: Next year's sessions take place in Europe and Cleveland and applications will open in the coming months.

10/01/2026

We will kick off a new season of Neural Prosthesis Seminars on Oct. 15! Please join us for a talk by Raymond Onders MD, Professor of Surgery at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He is also the Walter and Margaret Remen Chair of Surgical Innovation at University Hospitals.

Dr. Onders' talk will focus on New Applications for Temporary Diaphragm Pacing. Please join us in person or online! https://evt.to/x4h267pkgwrj

09/28/2026

The Northstar SCI website will be gaining an AI retrieval tool in the coming months! Congratulations to Investigators Anne Bryden PhD, OTR/L; Eric Schearer PhD; and team who recently were awarded funding from the Atlas Program at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, through the CTSC-Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative of Northern Ohio. Read on for details: https://fescenter.org/bryder-schearer-atlas-funding-award/

09/24/2026

Many Congratulations to student researchers Ibada Chowdary and Manya Raina, who worked with Aasef Shaikh MD, Phd over the summer learning about the lab's Parkinson's Disease Research. Both Chowdary and Raina have received honors related to this work. Read on for details: https://fescenter.org/student-researchers-parkinsons-achievements/

Address

10701 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH
44106

Telephone

(216) 231-3257

Website

http://fescenter.org/, https://twitter.com/ClevelandFES, http://www.linkedin.com/company/cleveland-functional-electrical

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