Bios

James Abbas received his doctoral degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1992 and did post-doctoral work at Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia. He was a faculty member in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering at The Catholic University of America and then at the Center for Biomedical Engineering and at the Dept. of Physiocal Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Kentucky. His research efforts have been in design of rehabilitation engineering systems, with an emphasis on neuromuscular stimulation systems as assistive devices and as therapeutic techniques. Dr. Abbas' active research program, which involves extensive evaluation and testing using human subjects with disabilities, is at the interface between biomedical engineering and rehabilitation medicine. Much of his recent work has been directed at developing and assessing posture control systems that use electrical stimulation to assist individuals with spinal cord injury.

Marco Santello, Ph.D.

Marco Santello received his Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham (UK) in 1995 and did post-doctoral work at the Department of Neuroscience of the University of Minnesota. His research efforts have been in the control of the hand for object grasping and manipulation, with an emphasis on the coordination of finger motion during reach-to-grasp and the coordination of grip forces during multi-digit grasping. Dr. Santello's active research program, which involves evaluation of grasping performance in healthy human subjects and special populations, is at the interface between neuroscience and biomedical engineering. Recent projects have included the effect of hand dominance, object properties and task constraints on grip force coordination patterns, and the evaluation of grip force coordination in Parkinson's Disease patients.

Ranu Jung, Ph.D.

Ranu Jung received her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve Univ. in 1991 and then joined the research faculty in the Dept. of Medicine. From 1993-95, she was an Individual NIH National Research Service Award Fellow at the Univ. of Maryland, College Park. She joined Univ. of Kentucky in 1993 and in 2001 was Assoc. Prof. of Biomedical and Elect. & Comp. Eng. She has been active in K-12 outreach and undergraduate education through mentorship of highschool students, NSF REU programs, and as Counselor of the Society of Women Engineers student section at Univ. of Kentucky (1996-2002). She has helped organize regional and national conferences. In her research she is examining rehabilitation therapy in locomotor recovery in rodent models of SCI and developing functional neuromuscular stimulation systems and neural interfaces. She is interested in the dynamics of brain-spinal cord interaction in sensorimotor control. Her research combines experimental approaches with computational modeling and nonlinear signal processing.

Michael Carhart, Ph.D.

Michael Carhart received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in Bioengineering and became a research scientist at ASU. Currently, Dr. Carhart performs research in the areas of musculoskeletal biomechanics, dynamic modeling, normal and pathological gait, and postural control. He joined the ASU/Good Samaritan spinal cord research team in 2001, and has taken a leading role in evaluating the effects of partial weight bearing therapy and epidural spinal cord stimulation for the restoration of walking following incomplete spinal cord injury. Dr. Carhart has also developed sophisticated whole-body dynamic musculoskeletal models for investigating gait and stepping, and is active in the development and refinement of instrumentation and software for quantifying human movement and its underlying mechanics.

Jiping He, Ph.D.

Jiping He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from University of Maryland, College Park, MD, in 1988. He joined Arizona State University in 1994 and is now a Professor and the Director of IGERT program on Neural and Musculoskeletal Adaptation. He is also the leader on Advanced Neural Implant and Control program and in charge of developing a research program on brain control and neural interfaces in AzBioDesign Institute of ASU. His primary research interests include the application of advanced control to the modeling and analysis of neuromuscular control of posture, neural prosthetic systems, development of advanced neural implant devices for brain-machine interface for neural rehabilitation, restoration of ambulation for patients with CNS impairment, and application of robots and virtual reality research to rehabilitation and prosthetics.

Dennis L. Young, PhD

Dennis Young received his doctorate in statistics from Purdue University in 1970. He was assistant professor of mathematical sciences at New Mexico State University (1970-75) before joining the Department of Mathematics at Arizona State University in 1975. His research includes theoretical work in multivariate statistical analysis, and applied statistical work in areas ranging from electrical engineering and biology to archaelogy and education. He has served as Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Mathematics and Director of the interdisciplinary Master of Science in Statistics program. He is actively involved in ASU's IGERT program on Neural and Musculoskeletal Adaptations in Form and Function as a course instructor and statistical consultant. He teaches a wide variety of applied and theoretical statistics courses and serves as a consultant to numerous students and faculty across a diverse collection of disciplines.

Yamaguchi, G.T.

Gary T. Yamaguchi studied physics at Occidental College and engineering design at the California Institute of Technology, and received undergraduate degrees from both institutions. He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a master's degree in mechanical engineering, and worked on magnetic fusion energy at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before returning to graduate school at Stanford University, receiving the Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1989. He has taught biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, and engineering design at Arizona State University for 14 years. He has authored numerous publications, including the book, Dynamic Modeling of Musculoskeletal Motion - A Vectorized Approach for Biomechanical Analysis in Three Dimensions, published by Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Bradfor Kirkman-Liff, Ph.D.

Bradford Kirkman-Liff received his Ph.D. from the Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has been a faculty member in the School of Health Administration and Policy, College of Business, Arizona State University since 1981. Since 1994 he has been a faculty member of the Arizona College of Public Health. He currently teaches on the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, healthcare information systems and negotiation in the ASU MBA program, and the core graduate course on the health care management and organization of the U.S. health system in the Arizona School of Public Health MPH program. He has received several research grants to study access to care in the U.S.A. This work has included research on access to preventive services including prenatal care and cancer screening for women enrolled in managed care plans. Throughout his career, Professor Kirkman-Liff has used focus groups to explore a variety of issues in health care and has extensive experience in survey design and administration.

Stephen M. Phillips, PhD

Stephen Phillips received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1988. From 1988-2002 he served on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University in the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. From 1995-2002 he also served as director of the Center for Automation and Intelligent Systems Research. In 2002 he joined the faculty of Arizona State University as Professor of Electrical Engineering. His research is concentrated in the areas of MEMS, Microsystems and control of dynamic systems. His contributions range from theoretical concerns to a broad variety of applications, including: feedback control of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), MEMS based wireless communications, biologically-inspired robotics, functional electrical stimulation of paralyzed muscle and microfabrication techniques for MEMS sensors and actuators. He will focus on wireless communications and hardware system integration issues in the RERC-SQOR.

Wayne T. Willis, PhD

Wayne Willis received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1986 and did post-doctoral work at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco from 1986-89. He has been a faculty member in the Dept. of Kinesiology at Arizona State University since 1989. His research area, the aerobic energy metabolism of skeletal muscle, is focused on the energetics of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Dr. Willis is currently funded by the National Science Foundation's Integrative Animal Biology Program to study the mechanisms responsible for the control of oxidative flux in fast (type IIb) and slow (type I) myocytes. In the past two years his laboratory, the Biochemistry Laboratory located in the Exercise and Sport Research Institute, ASU, has taken an active role in the study of human locomotion in both spinal cord injured (SCI) and able-bodied populations. This work, in collaboration with Drs. Richard Herman, Jiping He, and Michael Carhart, is based on a recently proposed model of locomotory control.

Thomas Sugar, PhD

Thomas Sugar received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Mechanical Engineering in 1999. Prior to receiving his Ph.D., he worked in industry for W.L. Gore and Associates as a project engineer designing test equipment and machinery for use in the footwear industry. Currently he is an Assistant Professor in the Design group of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Arizona State University. His current research includes spatial navigational principles, studying multiple mobile robot coordination, and force-controlled devices that can compliantly interact with humans and objects, by varying the spring rate. He has designed novel compliant actuators, exoskeletons, and an omni-directional perturbation platform. Prior to joining, Arizona State University, he also developed a coordinated system of multiple robots that can autonomously, transport and lift objects in a planar environment with obstacles.

Sandeep Gupta, Ph.D.

Sandeep Gupta received his Ph.D. degree in computer and information science from The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Arizona State University. He has previously served as a faculty at Duke University, Ohio University, and Colorado State University. His research interests include wireless networks, mobile and pervasive computing, middleware, and embedded sensor networks. Dr. Gupta has given tutorials on Mobile IP, Mobile ATM, and Mobile Databases. He was program chair for Int'l workshop on Group Communication and a program co-chair for Int'l Workshop on Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing, and Int'l Workshop on Pervasive Computing. He has co-guest edited special issues of IEEE Personal Communication Magazine (on Pervasive Computing), IEEE Transactions on Computers (on Mobile Computing and Databases) and ACM/Baltzer Monet (on Pervasive Computing).

Leon D. Iasemidis, Ph.D.

Leon Iasemidis received his Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, in 1991. He was the Director of the Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory and Founder of the Brain Dynamics Laboratory at the Malcolm Randal VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL. In 2000 he joined Arizona State University as an Associate Professor and became the Director and Founder of the ASU Brain Dynamics Laboratory. Dr. Iasemidis is recognized as an expert in the dynamics of epileptic seizures, and his research and publications have stimulated an international interest in the prediction and control of epileptic seizures, and understanding of the mechanisms of epileptogenesis. His research interests are in the areas of biomedical and genomic signal processing, complex systems theory and nonlinear dynamics, neurophysiology, monitoring and analysis of the electrical and magnetic activity of the brain in epilepsy and other brain dynamical disorders, intervention and control of the CNS, neuroplasticity, rehabilitation, and neuroprosthesis.

Vincent B. Pizziconi, Ph.D.

Vincent Pizziconi has over twenty five years of experience in biomedical engineering research and education. He has contributed over 80 publications to the medical device, diagnostic, and biotechnology literature in the areas of biomaterials and artificial organs, biosensors, molecular, cellular and tissue bioengineering, biohybrid microdevices, biosystems at the nanoscale, and bionanotechnology and engineering education. He has developed and taught BME senior capstone design since its inception in the mid 1980's. He is also involved in numerous multidisciplinary research initiatives and research training, programs, as well as, K-12 education outreach projects. This includes several, large multidisciplinary graduate research training programs between the life and physical sciences and engineering in emerging areas of molecular, cell, and tissue engineering, optical biomolecular devices, and nanoscience and technology. Education research/innovation efforts include active and cooperative learning, interdisciplinary undergraduate education, women in engineering programs, Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) programs, and novel distance learning technologies.

Richard Herman, M.D.

Richard Herman, M.D. has been the Director of the Clinical Neurobiology and Bioengineering Laboratories at the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center (BGSMC) and Research Professor in the Departments of Bioengineering and Kinesiology at the Arizona State University (ASU) since 1987. The Laboratories, situated in the Rehabilitation Institute at the BGSMC, have focused on Dr. Herman's interests in functional neurobiology and disability which include the design and development of instruments for assessment and treatment of spasticity, postural disorders, motion impairment, and vestibular dysfunction. More recently, Dr. Herman's research has emphasized facilitation of walking in wheelchair-dependent SCI subjects following treatment by Partial Weight Bearing Therapy and Epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation, the role of metabolic control systems in the determination of preferred walking speeds, and the assessment of microcirculatory blood among pre- and post-diabetics and SCI subjects.

Zlatko Matjacic

Zlatko Matjacic received his D.S. from the Faculty of Eletrical Engineering in Ljubljana, Slovenia in Biomedical Engineering in 1998. Soon after he became an assistant professor for the Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction at Aalborg University in Aalborg, Denmark. Then in 2001 Dr. Matjacic accepted his current position as Assistant Director of Research at the Institute for Rehabilitation in Ljuljana, Slovenia. In 2001 he also helped to found and direct the NeuroReTrain ApS. Dr. Matjacic's research interests focus around neurorehabiliation through the design and implementation of prosthetics, electrical stimulation, and postural control. His current research focuses primarily on gait relearning in neurologically impaired patients and the voluntary control of paraplegics while standing.

Ron Boninger

Mr. Boninger received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University and also received a Masters in Management degree from Northwestern's J.L. Kellogg School of Management. Mr. Boninger joined Three Rivers full time in August of 2002. He is responsible for all asptects of business growth, financial operations, market entry of new medical rehabilitation products, and strategic commercializing, marketing, and manufacturing technology-driven products. Previousely Mr. Boninger was President of Mosaic Printed Circuits, LLC, a manufacturer of printed circuit boards. As President his duties included developing the business systems, quality programs, manugacturing technology, products, personnel, and financing required to achieve growth. During his stay at Mosaic Printed Circuits, the company had a significant increase in number of employers and in annual sales.

Amir-Hossein Seif-Naraghi

Amir Seif-Naraghi received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 1987 in Electrical Engineering and then became a Research Associate for the Department of Electrical Engineering at Arizona State University. In 1987 he bacame a Clinical and Research Consultant for the Samaritan Rehabilitation Institute in Clinical and Neurobiology and Bioengineering. In 1990 he was promoted to Engineering, Research, Diagnostics, and Information Systems Manager in the same department. Then in 1994 he became the Codirector of ASU/SRI Faculty for Neuromotor Control Research and in 1995 also accepted the Directorhsip of Research and Clinical Education for Mobility Research. Dr. Seif-Naraghi's research is primarily concerned with the musculoskeletal system. He has published various articles on this subject concerning spastic musculature, fast arm movements, and task specific linearization of muscular movements.

Kristine Csavina

Kristine Csavina received her bachlors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton in 1992. She worked at NASA Lewis Research Center (1992-1997) as a test engineer in various aeronautical facilities. She then returned to graduate school in 1997 and will earn her Ph.D. in bioengineering in December of 2003 from Arizona State Univeristy. While working on her degree, Ms. Csavina became active with various outreach programs both within the department and the college of engineering. She has helped coordinate summer activites for the WISE program since 1998 and has initiated a first-year student seminar series for bioengineering students to learn more about their department and the field they are entering. She has also mentored two high schools for three years. She recently partnered with Charla Triplett to start Xenia, L.L.C, a company that focuses on engineering career education for K-12 and higher education.

Tripplett, C.

Charla Triplett received her B.S. in Microbiology from the Washington State Univ. in 1992, and her M.S. in Bioengineering from Oregon State Univ. in 1999. She has worked in research and education in science and engineering for over ten years. Her more recent activities include running the Bioengineering Internship Program at Arizona State University and starting her own consulting business. She has an established reputation in the career development area of Biomedical Engineering with strong ties to academic institutions and professional societies. Ms. Triplett became active with various outreach programs teaching summer K-12 students and mentoring high school students, which lead to a desire to work in engineering outreach with girls and women. She is currently persuing her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Arizona State Univeristy, with a focus on gender issues in engineering education. She has also partnered with Ms. Kristine Csavina to start Xenia LLC, a company focused on outreach.

Daniel M. Lieberman, M.D.

Daniel Lieberman received his medical liscense from the Univ. of Arizona in 1991. He subsequently became a fellow at the Surgical Neurology Branch, National Instutite of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health where his research was primarily based on CNS Implantation. In 1995 he began an internship at the University of California, San Francisco in the department of General Surgery and continued there for his residency in the Department of Neurological Surgery. By 1999, Dr. Lieberman was the Chief Resident in the Department of Neurological Surgery. Then, in July of 2000, Dr. Lieberman opened up his own private practice in Neurosurgery in Phoenix, AZ, where he currently is now. In the past, his research has included various studies with both humans and animals, including publications on Parkinson's disease, intracranial pressure, disease prediction, and the effects of gliosis on dopamine metabolism.

Padma R. Mahant, M.D.

Padma Mahant received his M.D. degree from The Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1995. Upon finishing his residency at the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital he then became a Neurologist at the Scottsdale Headache and Pain Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. Then in 2001 he accepted his current positions at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. Dr. Mahant is considered a specialist in the area of movement disorders. He has published valuable information on Parkinson's Disease where he analyzed the dynamic scaling of the size of graphic movements of diseased patients. He has also looked at possible treatments for Parkinson's through different stimulation techniques. In the past he has also completed research that relates movement disorders with normal aging. His current research at Good Samaritan continues to analyze the treatment of Parkinson's Disease through stimulation and also on the risk factors of Blapharospasm.

Gail F. Koshland, PhD., PT

After working in rehabilitation hospitals in New York, Gail Koshland pursued clinical research in nursing homes before returning to graduate school. Dr Koshland received her Ph.D. from University of California, Los Angeles in 1988. She then began an investigation of multijoint arm movement in humans through a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona. Dr Koshland began a faculty position at the University of Arizona in 1992 and established a laboratory which explores the rules by which the nervous system activates muscles at three joints of the arm during reaching movements, including techniques of EMG, kinematic, and kinetic analyses. Her work has contributed not only to normal control of movement, but the assessment of complex movement in patient populations. Dr. Koshland also continues to teach neuroscience and physiology at the University of Arizona medical school and at the Physical Therapy School at Northern Arizona University.

Becky Farley, PhD., PT

Becky Farley has extensive experience (20 years) in treatment and clinical research in the rehabilitation field, covering both pediatrics and adult neurological diseases. Dr. Farley's more recent focus on patients with Parkinson's disease started with her NIH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona which was a collaborative project between Dr. Sherman, a neurologist MD-PhD and Dr Koshland a PT-PhD on mechanisms and measurements of bradykinesia. In addition, Dr. Farley is known throughout the state of Arizona for her presentations on pediatrics and Parkinson's disease. She has recently received an NIH grant to compare a novel physical therapy exercise treatment with traditional approach for use with Parkinson's patients. She has established other collaborative projects with Lorraine Ramig, University of Colorado, Bolder, CO, coordinating limb rehabilitation with speech and hearing rehabilitation for patients with Parkinson's disease.

John Caviness, M.D.

John Caviness received his medical degree from Indiana University and performed residency training for Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Caviness completed a clinical electrophysiology and electroencephalography fellowship at the Mayo Clinic and he attended a movement disorder clinical and movement physiology fellowship at Queen's Square, London, England, under Professor C.D. Marsden. He is currently an associate professor of Neurology at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale with involvement in clinical, education, and research duties. His clinical practice involves movement disorders, electrophysiology of movement disorders, and interpretation of electroencephalography. Dr. Caviness is the creator and main operator of the Clinical Movement Neurophysiology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale research and physiology research in Parkinson's disease, chorea, and dystonia.