Penn Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

10/28/2025

Congratulations on the podium presentation at , Dr. Juan Polanco!

Functional Electrical Stimulation Combined With Antigravity Treadmill Aids Distal Reinnervation and Motor Strength Recovery in Chronic Lumbar Radiculopathy Post-Laminectomy: A Case Report

Authors: Anthony Ascoli, M.D.; Juan Polanco, M.D.; Kevin Michels PT, D.P.T, NCS; Michael DeCapua M.D.; David Lenrow M.D, J.D.; Malathy Srinivasan, M.D.

10/23/2025

Thanks Penn Medicine Academy for hosting our Faculty Retreat!

It was great seeing everyone and sharing updates from across the department.

Let's go Penn Rehab!

10/15/2025

Resident grand rounds this month will be presented by Dr. Alec Warren on the topic of "Evaluation and Management of Ankle Sprains and Long-Term Sequelae of Recurrent Sprains"

09/23/2025

Another milestone in the Botswana-UPenn Partnership - our first resident rotator, Dr. CJ Carcuffe, completed a month-long experience in Botswana!

Clinical time was spent at Princess Marina Hospital and seminars were held at Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (both in Gaborone). Many thanks to Dr. Mike Kebaetse for putting everything together!

Seminar speakers from Penn:
-Neurorehab - Dr. Michelle Johnson, Dr. Yejia Zhang, Dr. CJ Carcuffe
-Sports Medicine - Dr. John Vasudevan

09/12/2025

Penn Rehab and at the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (ASCIP) annual conference this year in Philly!

To quote Dr. Ben Abramoff (Director of Spinal Cord Injury Services at Penn Rehab): "we achieved several goals, including increasing awareness and recognition of spinal cord injury programs and research at Penn Medicine and GSPP, developing potential research partnerships, learning clinical information that we can bring back to our patients, and fostering an even greater passion in our team for caring for this vulnerable population."

Congratulations on a successful conference!

09/04/2025

Resident grand rounds this month will be presented by Dr. Connor Tom on the topic of "Managing Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms"

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/