Research Project
10155547
Project Summary?Collabotating Institutions The proposed Center for Smart use of Technologies to Assess Real-world Outcomes (C-STAR) will serve as a national resource to help investigators employ technologies to measure and interpret data relevant to sensorimotor and cognitive function in the lab, clinic, and real world. This will be accomplished by leveraging our broad expertise in the clinical, social, and technical sciences. The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (SRAlab) is the focal point of this expertise as it is where many of our clinicians and scientists, together with our many patients, are collocated; however, C-STAR participants will also benefit from expertise that extends far beyond the SRAlab. We will leverage our many external collaborations to facilitate our Center's mission and maximize our impact. The majority of our external collaborations are with Northwestern University, which has a long record of research and leadership in the movement, rehabilitation, and cognitive sciences. SRAlab clinicians and scientists regularly partner with faculty from Northwestern University Schools of Engineering, Medicine, and Communication, and many of our personnel hold appointments at both institutions. In addition, the translational nature of our research has led to partnerships with companies that are developing instruments for assessing and augmenting sensorimotor and cognitive function. Our collaboration plan draws on these existing connections to expand the opportunities and expertise that C-STAR can provide to the rehabilitation research community. The goals of these collaborations are to: (1) coalesce local expertise to meet challenges in design, implementation, and interpretation of measures of sensorimotor and cognitive deficits. This will be accomplished by combining expertise from colleagues in both insitutions (SRAlab and NU) and (2) develop a network of companies that can help C-STAR participants translate ideas to practice. Expertise within C-STAR will be organized into four Cores: Engineering, Clinical, Outcomes, and Implementation Science and Community Engagement. These cores represent not only our expertise but also the domains of knowledge we believe are critical for deploying the smart (i.e., appropriate, accurate, and clinically meaningful) use of technology for assessments in the real world. We will leverage existing collaborations with colleagues at Northwestern University with wide-ranging, deep experience across all Cores, providing expertise and mentorship to C-STAR participants who apply for pilot funding or participate in collaborative research or sabbaticals, and contributing to C-STAR didactic resources on use of technology in rehabilitation. Our industry contacts provide us with established conduits for translational science, and we will leverage these connections to provide advice and opportunities to C-STAR participants for commercialization of technologies developed, tested, or validated by our participants. In summary, we believe that the C-STAR collaborations will be a major asset to our program and its participants. Our connections to Northwestern University and to industry expand our pool of expertise and broaden the network of scientists and engineers working on challenges related to the smart use of technology in rehabilitation.
