Cleveland FES Center

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Cleveland FES Center

The Center focuses on the application of electrical currents to either generate or suppress activity in the nervous system.

This technique is known as functional electrical stimulation (FES) The Cleveland FES Center is a consortium of five nationally recognized institutions: Department of Veteran Affairs, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute. Through the support of these partners, the Cleveland FES Center is able to provide a continuum of advancement. VISION STATEMENT

The vision of the Cleveland FES Center is to merge cutting edge research and creative engineering into the clinical environment to create comprehensive options for patients and their families, and the clinicians who care for them. The FES Center will be a fertile environment in which researchers, engineers, and clinicians work in collaboration to develop technological solutions that improve the quality of life of individuals with neuromuscular impairments through the use of functional electrical stimulation. To bring these options to those who need them, the FES Center enables the transfer of this technology into clinical deployment. The four pillars of the FES Center Vision are:

-Fundamental studies to discover new knowledge
-Enabling technologies for clinical application or the discovery of knowledge
-Clinical research that applies this knowledge and technology to individuals with neuromuscular impairments
-Transfer of knowledge and technology to the clinical community and to industry

01/15/2026

We've had a team representing the FES Center and the Advanced Platform Technology Center attending the Amputee Coalition National Conference this week in Las Vegas. Together we're proud to share information about ongoing research into prosthetic technology and contributions to the limb loss and limb difference community. The event runs through today.

01/13/2026

Congratulations to FES member and PhD student Jonah Mudge! Society for Neuroscience

Jonah Mudge, a doctoral candidate in Assistant Professor Emily Graczyk’s lab, won the Society for Neuroscience’s 2025 Trainee Professional Development Award.

The award recognizes students and scholars "who demonstrate scientific merit and excellence in research."

https://bit.ly/45vYqgU

01/09/2026

Earlier this week we hosted two amazing speakers and a great crowd at the Fairmount for our inaugural First Tuesday Seminar of 2026!

Case Western Reserve University, Department of Biomedical Engineering doctoral students Brianna Hutchison and Emily (Cam) Conlin presented their research on sensory motor grasp and the use of brain computer interfaces plus implant technology to help restore hand grasp after spinal cord injury. Both are part of the ReHAB team ("Reconnecting the Hand and Arm to the Brain").

Many thanks to our speakers and attendees! Please mark your calendars for the First Tuesday in February-- our next First Tuesday Seminar.

01/08/2026

Next Thursday Jan. 15 we are excited to welcome Julius Dewald PhD, Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine as the inaugural speaker for our Neural Prosthesis Spring 2026 Seminar Series!

Dr. Dewald's talk is "Evidence for an increased reliance on contralesional corticoreticulospinal pathways: maladaptive plasticity following a unilateral brain injury?" The objective is to discuss possible neural mechanisms linked to the loss of independent joint control or limb synergies and spasticity in the paretic arm/hand following a unilateral brain injury, such as stroke.

Please join us to hear from Dr. Dewald and this insightful presentation! save the date and access event details at https://www.addevent.com/event/KN26052589

12/30/2025

2025 was a fulfilling, exciting year for us! Want to know more about what our members and staff accomplished? Then stream our recent State of FES Center annual meeting, posted to our YouTube channel here:

November 5, 2025

12/23/2025

Here's to a year of insights, research, rehabilitation and collaboration. Happy Holidays to you and yours from all of us at the Cleveland FES Center!

12/19/2025

A fascinating visit and Neural Prosthesis Seminar yesterday, with guest speaker Rob Franklin PhD, Senior VP of Brain Computer Interfaces at Blackrock Neurotech!

Dr. Franklin spoke about the history of BCIs and talked about forward momentum in this field. Stay tuned for the video replay on our YouTube.

Thank you, Dr. Franklin, for visiting and another Thank you goes to Center Executive Committee Member, Case Western Reserve University Professor and Center Investigator Bolu Ajiboye PhD for hosting!

12/17/2025

Today at MetroHealthMetroHealth Old Brooklyn Medical Center and Center for Rehabilitation Research, FES Center Researcher and Surgeon Dr. Michael Keith presented the group with a commemorative framed The Plain Dealer article from 1989, discussing the creation and funding of the Cleveland FES Center at the Research & Development - US Department of Veterans Affairs and housed at Cleveland VA Medical Center.

The framing, originally gifted to Dr. Keith and FES Founding Director Hunter Peckham from a research participant, will be on display in the Kevin Kilgore wing of MetroHealth Old Brooklyn Campus.

The article announces the initial funding of the Center and the collaboration between researchers at MetroHealth, Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland VAMC, making the Center a national leader in the research and development of functional electrical stimulation and its goal to help rehabilitate people with spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions.

Thank you, Dr. Keith for sharing this beautiful tribute!

12/15/2025

Bravo to FES Center Founding Director Hunter Peckham PhD, who has been inducted into the MetroHealth Medical Hall of Honor for 2025!

Dr. Peckham developed the first implantable FES system with Michael Keith MD in 1986. He has also received Lifetime achievement awards from the North American Neuromodulation Society and the American Spinal Injury Association.

Many Congratulations, Hunter!

12/12/2025

Our next Neural Prosthesis Seminar is coming up: Thursday, Dec. 18 featuring guest speaker Rob Franklin, SVP of brain computer interfaces with Blackrock Neurotech!

Come join us and hear Dr. Franklin's talk titled "Empowered by Thought." We hope to see you there!

Save to your calendar and access all details here: https://www.addevent.com/event/Tv26052587

12/08/2025

New YouTube Video Alert! Our October Neural Prosthesis Seminar featured David Borton, Interim Director of the Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine (I-BEAM) at Brown University; Associate Professor of Engineering and Brain Science at Brown University; Associate Professor of Neurosurgery-Department of Neurosurgery at Rhode Island Hospital; and Biomedical Engineer at VA Providence Healthcare System.

Dr. Borton presented on his lab's work to create an advanced “electronic bridge” to restore the flow of information between disconnected regions of the nervous system. And you can watch the video replay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFEPtuBSHqk

12/04/2025

We were so thrilled to collaborate with the Advanced Platform Technology Center on our December First Tuesday Seminar!

Five researchers who recently joined our Centers presented some of their research to a great crowd at the Fairmount this week. Many thanks go out to our gracious presenters for sharing a bit about current and future directions in their research:

Jisung Yuk PhD from the FES Center
Abhinav (Abhi) Acharya PhD from the APT Center
C. Eric Heidorn PhD from the APT Center
Susan Linder PT, DPT, PhD from the APT Center
Michael Rosenbaum MD from the APT Center

Our thanks also to everyone who joined to hear from and meet these investigators!

Address

10701 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH
44106

Telephone

(216) 231-3257

Website

http://fescenter.org/, https://twitter.com/ClevelandFES, http://www.linkedin.com/company/cleveland-functional-electrical

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Our Story

The Cleveland FES Center is a consortium of five nationally recognized institutions: Department of Veteran Affairs, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute. Through the support of these partners, the Cleveland FES Center is able to provide a continuum of advancement. VISION STATEMENT The vision of the Cleveland FES Center is to merge cutting edge research and creative engineering into the clinical environment to create comprehensive options for patients and their families, and the clinicians who care for them. The FES Center will be a fertile environment in which researchers, engineers, and clinicians work in collaboration to develop technological solutions that improve the quality of life of individuals with neuromuscular impairments through the use of functional electrical stimulation. To bring these options to those who need them, the FES Center enables the transfer of this technology into clinical deployment. The four pillars of the FES Center Vision are: • Fundamental studies to discover new knowledge • Enabling technologies for clinical application or the discovery of knowledge • Clinical research that applies this knowledge and technology to individuals with neuromuscular impairments • Transfer of knowledge and technology to the clinical community and to industry