The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab & Northwestern Memorial (known as the Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System) has been chosen by NIDILRR as one of 14 SCI Model System Centers.

a man on a motorized scooter is with a woman with a cane on a sidewalk facing away from their viewer

The Electrodiagnostic Laboratory performs nerve and muscle diagnostic testing that include the electromyogram (EMG) and nerve conduction study (NCS).

We develop and execute industry-sponsored research in prosthetics, orthotics, rehabilitation robotics, and adaptive technologies.

We focus on executive function and social cognition, their representations in the brain, and ways to improve these functions in patients with brain damage.

We record electrical activity from single motor units as well as muscle during voluntary and reflex contractions in patients with neurological disorders.

This lab uses a combination of molecular, biochemical, and electrophysiological assays to study axon regeneration and motor neuron disease with a priority on human preclinical models such as iPSC-neurons.

This lab focuses on outcome studies, measuring the long-term impact of medical rehabilitation in patients with disabilities.

In this Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) Site Specific Project, our research team will conduct a proof-of-concept project in which we use Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design to test an intervention to enhance adherence to exercise guidelines in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) by using smartphone technology, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) monitoring, and e-coaching.