Event

PhD Dissertation Defense: Giovanni Oppizzi

Monday, May 19, 2025
9:00 a.m.
AJC 4104 (4th floor conference room) 
Rachel Chang
301 405 8268
rachel53@umd.edu

Title: Accurate assessment and impairment-specific training with novel robotic devices for acute/sub-acute stroke rehabilitation

Committee members:

Dr. Li-Qun Zhang, Chair

Dr. Kyung Koh

Dr. Sang Wook Lee

Dr. Peter Lum

Dr. Yang Tao

Dr. Ryan Sochol, Dean's Representative

Abstract:

Stroke is the main cause of adult disability in the US, with nearly 800,000 cases yearly. With the rate of new cases increasing, there is a growing need for an efficient rehabilitation strategy. Robotic guided therapy has been employed ever more frequently in recent years. Although promising results have been achieved, there is more improvement needed to make robotic rehabilitation the new standard of care. We believe that significant gains could be achieved by initiating therapy during the acute and subacute phase, when the natural repair mechanism in the human brain is most effective. This has not been possible as of yet, due to the lack of adequate devices. In this work we’ll first present the profound changes that stroke induces in the upper extremities, looking at passive, active and somatosensory properties. We’ll then discuss the development of a new device, the FlexiArm SL, an arm exoskeleton designed for acute and subacute stroke rehabilitation. Finally we’ll present a new facilitated neurorehabilitation strategy for acute and subacute patients post stroke based on our novel occlusion/reperfusion enhanced therapy.