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COVID-19 Updates from NIH and Implications for Rehabilitation Research
Presented by: Alison Nenos Cernich, Ph.D., ABPP-CN
Theresa Hayes Cruz, Ph.D.
Deputy Director
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH
Theresa Hayes Cruz, Ph.D.
Director
National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, NIH
Credit
CE:1.5
Description
The COVID-19 pandemic has required a response from the biomedical research enterprise as never before. In this workshop, participants will hear about NIH programs designed to understand the SARS-CoV-2 virus and to develop diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines to combat the pandemic. Attendees will learn about initiatives targeted to address the health disparities of COVID-19 and focus attention on vulnerable populations. Current data suggests that both patients who have recovered from severe illness as well as those with mild cases may require rehabilitation services. Attendees will learn about NIH programs created to address the post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. In 2021, NIH revised and updated the Research Plan on Rehabilitation; participants will learn about the process, themes, and research objectives of the Plan. NIH has also continued to work on key projects and programs impacting rehabilitation research and key populations of individuals with disabilities; participants will learn about these programs and initiatives, including efforts to establish common data elements for neurorehabilitation and limb loss, as well as other efforts to establish the evidence base for specific interventions. The biomedical and behavioral research community was and continues to be deeply impacted by the pandemic; attendees will learn about ways NIH has offered flexibility and assistance to current grantees and applicants.
After the session, participants will be able to:
Theresa Hayes Cruz, Ph.D., is the Director of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) at NIH. Through basic, translational, and clinical research, NCMRR fosters the development of scientific knowledge needed to enhance the health, productivity, independence, and quality-of-life of people with physical disabilities. In addition to her duties at NCMRR, Dr. Cruz is a team lead in the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative where she co-manages a grant portfolio in the areas of neurotechnology development, validation, and translation for applications in neuroscience, neurophysiology, movement disorders, pain, neuromodulation, and other interfaces with the nervous system. In 2015, Dr. Cruz performed a research detail at the Functional and Applied Biomechanics Laboratory in the Rehabilitation Medicine Department of the NIH Clinical Center. In late 2016, she returned fulltime to NCMRR. Dr. Cruz received her bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering with highest honors from the School of Engineering at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She received her master's and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University. Her previous research at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago focused on motor control and gait impairments of the lower limb following stroke.
After the session, participants will be able to:
1. List three major NIH programs designed to combat COVID-19.
2. Identify three resources for support for NIH investigators impacted by COVID-19.
3. Describe two opportunities for rehabilitation research for COVID-19.
4. Discuss the six themes of the revised NIH Research Plan for Rehabilitation.
Target Audience: Neuropsychologists and trainees
Instructional Level: Intermediate
Dr. Alison Cernich is the Deputy Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health. As Deputy Director, Dr. Cernich assists the Director in work to support the Institute’s mission to lead research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all. Prior to this position, Dr. Cernich was the Director of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) at NICHD. As NCMRR Director, she also played a major role in developing the congressionally mandated NIH Rehabilitation Research Plan in 2018, an effort that included coordination with 17 ICs and several external stakeholders. She served on multiple interagency strategic planning committees and government oversight committees for research initiatives in the federal government relevant to disability and rehabilitation research. She is a board-certified neuropsychologist by training and is the lead or contributing author on multiple peer-reviewed articles and conference presentations, with an emphasis on traumatic brain injury and computerized neuropsychological assessment.
Dr. Alison Cernich is the Deputy Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health. As Deputy Director, Dr. Cernich assists the Director in work to support the Institute’s mission to lead research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all. Prior to this position, Dr. Cernich was the Director of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) at NICHD. As NCMRR Director, she also played a major role in developing the congressionally mandated NIH Rehabilitation Research Plan in 2018, an effort that included coordination with 17 ICs and several external stakeholders. She served on multiple interagency strategic planning committees and government oversight committees for research initiatives in the federal government relevant to disability and rehabilitation research. She is a board-certified neuropsychologist by training and is the lead or contributing author on multiple peer-reviewed articles and conference presentations, with an emphasis on traumatic brain injury and computerized neuropsychological assessment.
Theresa Hayes Cruz, Ph.D., is the Director of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) at NIH. Through basic, translational, and clinical research, NCMRR fosters the development of scientific knowledge needed to enhance the health, productivity, independence, and quality-of-life of people with physical disabilities. In addition to her duties at NCMRR, Dr. Cruz is a team lead in the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative where she co-manages a grant portfolio in the areas of neurotechnology development, validation, and translation for applications in neuroscience, neurophysiology, movement disorders, pain, neuromodulation, and other interfaces with the nervous system. In 2015, Dr. Cruz performed a research detail at the Functional and Applied Biomechanics Laboratory in the Rehabilitation Medicine Department of the NIH Clinical Center. In late 2016, she returned fulltime to NCMRR. Dr. Cruz received her bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering with highest honors from the School of Engineering at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She received her master's and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University. Her previous research at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago focused on motor control and gait impairments of the lower limb following stroke.