Penn Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

08/25/2025

Penn PM&R pool party!
Thanks to Dr. Frank Caldera for hosting us at his beautiful home!

08/21/2025

08/15/2025

Congratulations to Laura Dusenshine, LPN, recipient of the 2025 Dunbar Award!

The Dunbar Award is given annually to the employee in our department who best assists patients to achieve fuller lives.

Laura has been with the department since 2023 and has made a big impact on improving patient care, physician efficiency, and team morale.  She was nominated by co-workers, faculty, and managers for going above and beyond to help our patients. Thanks for all you do Laura!

08/11/2025

Resident grand rounds this month will be presented by Dr. Samuel Oduwole on the topic of "The Evidence of Exercise for Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain"

07/30/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Yejia Zhang and her research team on her recently awarded VA MERIT grant - a major accomplishment and a success for her and her colleagues in pursuing cutting edge science!

This is a four-year grant entitled: "Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 (TNFR1) in intervertebral disc inflammation and treatments"

07/21/2025

Dr. Vasudevan was recently featured in Runner's World discussing "peak week" during marathon training.

Link to article: https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a65403324/peak-week-marathon-training-tips/

07/02/2025

Resident grand rounds this month will be presented by Dr. Anthony Ascoli on the topic of "The Masters Athete: Exercise Considerations for the Senior Population"

06/12/2025

Resident grand rounds this month will be presented by Dr. Katelyn Langford on the topic of "Menstrual Cycle Effects on Athletic Performance"

06/03/2025

Presenting Research Day 2025! "Spotlighting the power of scholarly work and research exploration"
Hosted by Penn PM&R and GSPP Rehabilitation

A special thanks to Dr. Steven Kirshblum (CMO, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation) for his captivating keynote address!

Our graduating residents presented their research projects:

-Dr. Erica Blanchard "Platelet Rich Plasma for Adhesive Capsulitis: A Systemic Review"

-Dr. Mike DeCapua "Investigation of No Show Rates in Spine Clinic"

-Dr. Mackinzie McDaniel "Evaluation of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound on Stress Fractures to Reduce the Time to Return to Sport or Activity in the Physically Active Population: A Systemic Review"

-Dr. Neil Patel "Intra-Articular Ketorolac vs Corticosteroids for Knee Osteoarthritis"

-Dr. Palak Patel "Closing the Loop: Standardizing Communication During Emergency-to-Rehab Handoffs to Improve Patient Safety"

-Dr. David Weinberg "Performance Differences in Elite NBA and WNBA Players Based Upon Whether the Dominant or Non-Dominant Achilles Tendon Was Ruptured"

05/30/2025

Congratulations to our scrappy sand volleyball team for placing 2nd in the Heyday Athletic intermediate league!

05/12/2025

Resident grand rounds this month will be presented by Dr. Deirdre O'Hanlon on the topic of "Cryoneurolysis for Spasticity Management"

04/29/2025

Dr. Vasudevan was recently featured on 6abc Action News discussing preparations for the Broad Street Run, taking place this Sunday, May 4, 2025.

Dr. V is the Medical Director for the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run and is the Co-Director of the Penn Medicine Running and Endurance Sports Program.

Video link:
https://6abc.com/post/doctor-offers-training-tips-ahead-independence-blue-cross-broad-street-run/16223758/