Pioneering research by UHN's Dr. Kristin Musselman is designed to get spinal cord injured patients mobile

Episode Description

Dr. Kristin Musselman is a pioneer in research designed to get patients with partial spinal cord injury up and walking again. She joins UHN's 'Behind the Breakthrough' podcast to talk about her latest research, how it relies heavily on patient input, and the satisfaction of seeing those same patients try new strategies to regain mobility and maintain their balance.

"We are working with those patients from the beginning to learn about what they feel are the major issues and how they think the problem could be resolved, which is crucial," explains Dr. Musselman, "And then of course being able to actually implement the training and work with the patients to see what gains they're able to make….is a very rewarding experience as well."

Dr. Musselman also tackles the barriers to rehab access for spinal cord injured patients, and the important role mentors have played in her award winning career.

About Dr. Kristin Musselman

Dr. Kristin Musselman joined UHN's Toronto Rehabilitation Institute in 2014. She is a physical therapist with the Neural Engineering and Therapeutics Team and the Mobility Team, as well as a research scientist at Toronto Rehab's KITE Research Institute. Dr. Musselman completed a BSc (Life Sciences) and BScPT at Queen's University, followed by a MSc (Neurosciences) and PhD (Rehabilitation Science) at the University of Alberta. She went on to a CIHR Post-doctoral Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute from 2010-2013.

Dr. Musselman's research aims to optimize the rehabilitation and measurement of walking, balance and upper limb movements following damage to the nervous system. She and her colleagues have developed novel assessment and training tools for individuals with spinal cord injury and pediatric populations. Her current research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, and the Rick Hansen Institute.