Plenary speakers deliver 45 minute lectures during the mornings of the scientific SSNR program. The lectures will span broad surveys of recent major developments in the neurorehabilitation field.
More content coming soon, please subscribe to our SSNR mailing list to be alerted on updates.
Jonathan R. Wolpaw, M.D.
National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies
Albany Stratton VA Medical Center and State University of New York
Albany, New York, USA
Title: Neurorehabilitation in the 21st Century: New Science, New Strategies, New Expectations
Abstract: TBD
Dr. Wolpaw is a neurologist who has devoted nearly 50 years to basic and clinical research. His group developed operant conditioning of spinal reflexes as a model for defining the plasticity underlying learning, and went on to show that this conditioning can improve walking in animals and people with spinal cord injuries. This work introduced the new therapeutic method of targeted neuroplasticity. His group also guided development of brain-computer interface (BCI) principles and methods and is exploring BCI use to improve neurorehabilitation. Most recently, in response to the growing appreciation of the lifelong plasticity of the CNS, he led formulation of a new paradigm for understanding how useful behaviors are acquired and maintained through life, a paradigm based on the new concepts of heksors and the negotiated equilibrium of CNS properties that heksors create. His group has been supported throughout by NIH, the VA, and private foundations; their work has been recognized by many national and international awards.
Yiwen Wang
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Title: Dynamic Audio induced Coadaptive Learning for Motor Brain Machine Interfaces
Abstract: TBD
Yiwen Wang received B.S. and M.S. degrees from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui, China respectively. She received a Ph.D. degree from University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. She joined as an associate professor at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. She is now an associate professor with substantiation at the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Her research interests are in neural decoding of brain-machine interfaces, adaptive signal processing, computational neuroscience, and neuromorphic engineering. She serves as the Chair of the IEEE EMBS Neural Engineering Tech Committee, the chair of the IEEE BRAIN publication subcommittee, and the board member of Brain Computer Interfaces Society. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Brain Newsletter. She also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Neural Engineering, and is the associate editor of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (Brain-Computer Interfaces), an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, and an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Engineering. She was recognized as IEEE EMBS distinguished lecturer in 2022, and received IEEE EMBS distinguished service award in 2023. She holds two US patents and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Robert Riener
ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Title: Using robotic beds to improve sleep-related and other disorders
Abstract: TBD
Robert Riener studied Mechanical Engineering at TU München, Germany, and University of Maryland, USA. He received a Dr.-Ing. degree in Engineering from the TU München in 1997. After postdoctoral work at Politecnico di Milano and TU München he became assistant professor at ETH Zurich and Spinal Cord Injury Center of the University Hospital Balgrist (“double-professorship”) in 2003; since 2010 he has been full professor for Sensory-Motor Systems at ETH Zurich, and since 2016 also full professor at the medical faculty of the University of Zurich. He was guest professor at USC Los Angeles, SJTU Shanghai, and SSSA Pisa. Riener has published more than 500 peer-reviewed journal and conference articles, 36 books and book chapters and filed 28 patents. Riener is the initiator and organizer of the CYBATHLON, which was honored with the European Excellence Award, the Yahoo Sports Technology Award and two REIMAGINE Education Awards. In 2018 Riener obtained the honorary doctoral degree from the University of Basel. Since 2019, Riener is AAAS Leshner Leadership Fellow and since 2022 he is the president of the ICORR (International Consortium of Rehabilitation Robotics).
David Reinkensmeyer
University of California, Irvine, USA
Lee Miller
Northwestern University, USA
Laura Marchal-Crespo
Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
University of Bern, Switzerland
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Laura Marchal-Crespo is an Associate Professor at the Department of Cognitive Robotics, Faculty 3mE. She is also associated with Erasmus MC (Rotterdam) and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bern (Switzerland). Her research focuses on the general areas of human-machine interaction and biological learning and, in particular, the use of robotic devices and immersive virtual reality for the assessment and rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injuries such as stroke. Webpage: www.mlnlab.nl
Gail Forrest
Kessler Foundation, USA
Simona Ferrante
The Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy
Dario Farina
Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Title: TBD
In collaboration with Oskar Aszmann and Antonio Bicchi
Abstract: TBD
Professor Farina has been Full Professor at Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark, (until 2010) and at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, Germany, where he founded and directed the Institute of Neurorehabilitation Systems (2010-2016) until he moved to Imperial College London as Chair in Neurorehabilitation Engineering. His research focuses on biomedical signal processing, neurorehabilitation technology, and neural control of movement. Within these areas, he has (co)-authored approximately 400 papers in peer-reviewed Journals and >500 conference abstract and papers. He has been the President of the International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology (ISEK) (2012-2014) and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the official Journal of this Society, the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. He is also currently an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering and the Journal of Physiology, and previously covered editorial roles in several other Journals.
Scott Delp
University of Stanford, USA
Christian Cipriani
The Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy
Antonio Bicchi
University of Pisa, Italy
Title: TBD
In collaboration with Dario Farina and Oskar Aszmann
Antonio Bicchi is a scientist interested in robotics and intelligent machines for human use. He received his Ph.D. from the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, and was a postdoctoral fellow at MIT AI Lab, before becoming the first Professor of Robotics at the University of Pisa. In 2009 he founded the Soft Robotics Laboratory at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa. Since 2013 he cooperates with Arizona State University as adjunct Professor. He has coordinated many international projects, including four grants from the European Research Council (ERC).
He has authored over 500 scientific papers cited more than 25,000 times. His main contributions are in the field of analysis of grasping and manipulation, the design of soft and variable stiffness hands and limbs, and their control for both robotics and prosthetic applications. He supervised over 70 doctoral students and more than 20 postdocs, most of whom are now professors in universities and international research centers, or have launched their own spin-off companies. His students have received prestigious awards, including four first prizes and two nominations for the best Ph.D. Thesis on Robotics and Haptics subjects. He is a Fellow of IEEE since 2005, and the recipient of the 2018 Saridis Leadership Award.
Oskar C. Aszmann
Medical University of Vienna, Austria
Title: TBD
In collaboration with Dario Farina and Antonio Bicchi
Prof. Oskar C. Aszmann, born in Vienna, Austria. After a two year excursion into philosophy and biology Dr. Aszmann finished Medical School at the medical faculty of the University of Vienna (1994). He then went on to the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland where he learned the trade of peripheral nerve surgery from Prof. Lee Dellon and the basic science of peripheral nerve regeneration from Prof. Thomas Brushart. In 1998 he joined the Division of Plastic Surgery in Vienna where he was promoted the position of Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Since 2006 he has entered a close collaboration with the company Otto Bock to explore the possibilities and limits of bionic reconstruction which has led to the establishment of a partly private/government funded Center for Extremity Reconstruction and Rehabilitation in 2012. This Center is being headed by Prof. Aszmann and has at its core interest the reconstruction and rehabilitation of patients with impaired extremity function. This goal is accomplished with a wide variety of surgical techniques of neuromuscular reconstruction alone or in combination with complex mechatronic devices. 2020 he has been given the position of Full Professor at the newly founded Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
His research focuses on all aspects of reconstructive surgery, both from a clinical but also from a basic research perspective. This has precipitated in different textbook chapters and is being published both in top journals of his field but also larger audience periodicals such as The Lancet and Science, various Nature Group Periodicals and very recently The New England Journal of Medicine. For his accomplishments in this field and his care for patients with complex extremity injuries he was awarded by the Royal Society of Medicine, London twice and received the Hans Anderl Award- the most prestigious research prize awarded by the European Association for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for continued excellence in Plastic Surgery Research, the prestigious Houska Award for excellency in public-private partnership and most recently the Christian Doppler Prize for Research and Innovation in September 2020. He serves in the board of directors of several national und international scientific societies and is in the editorial board of several international Journals.
He has received numerous national and international research grants among these, from the Austrian Research Agency (FWF), the Christian Doppler Research Foundation and the European Research Council (ERC) with a sum total of more than 8 Mio€.
