THE BURKE REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
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Richard Sgaglio
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital
(914) 597-2491 – Office
(914) 471-7070 – Cell
rsgaglio@burke.org
Jorina Fontelera
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital
(914) 597-2877 – Office
(914) 609-5451 – Cell
jfontelera@burke.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“BURKE MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE LAUNCHES NEW ROBOTICS CLINIC
TO HELP PATIENTS REGAIN NEUROLOGICAL FUNCTION”
WHITE PLAINS, NY – April 8, 2013 – In keeping with The Burke mission to help reduce disability
from illness or injury, The Burke Medical Research Institute has launched a new Restorative
Neurology Clinic to assist patients who have suffered a neurological condition such as stroke, spinal
cord injury or other disorder that causes paralysis or weakness in the upper extremities of the body
regain function. The new clinic will feature robotic assisted therapy for patients with decreased range
of motion caused by neurological illness or injury and those in particular whose progress has stalled.
The new clinic is based on findings of years of study in collaboration with medical professionals and
prestigious medical that shows that patients experienced an average of 20% improvement in upper
limb recovery regardless of severity of impairment or length of time since the onset of the illness or
injury.
There will be two types of Robots available in the clinic, the Planar Robot which was designed
and built at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and provides customized, goal directed robot
assisted therapy directed at the hand and wrist. The other robot is the Wrist Robot that helps
strengthen the wrist and forearm. Both robots were designed specifically for Burke and gently assist
the patient in movement, they do not move for the patient; rather help the patient move on their own.
According to Dylan Edwards, Ph.D. Director, Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation and Human
Motor Control Laboratory Burke Medical Research Institute, “The Restorative Neurology Clinic takes
our therapy and services to the next level. Burke is already recognized as a leader in this type of
research and has been for many years. The new clinic will bring to any patient the robot assisted
therapy that previously was only available to those involved in research trials.”
THE BURKE REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
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The Restorative Neurology Clinic will be offering 6-week intensive workshops for individuals
who do not qualify for current research programs and who have arm or hand weakness as a result of a
neurological illness or injury. The first workshops will begin in April and will be on-going throughout
the year. This is a self-pay clinic but patients will be provided with a detailed receipt for possible
insurance reimbursement.
Founded in 1978 as the medical research affiliate of the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, the
Burke Medical Research Institute is one of the only free-standing rehabilitation research facilities with
dedicated programs in basic research (understanding how the normal brain functions and how it is
affected by disease), translational research (understanding how to bring basic research to the patient
bedside), and clinical research (testing of new therapies in patients). These research endeavors are
funded by private donations and through highly competitive grants awarded by the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) and private and public foundations.
For more information or to obtain an enrollment packet, please call Avrielle Ryman, MA,
OTR/L, Clinical Robotics Research Coordinator at (914) 597-2111 or email robotics@burke.org.
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785 MAMARONECK AVENUE, WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK 10605 914-597-2500
WWW.BURKE.ORG