Cleveland FES Center

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!

12/01/2025

More media coverage of our researchers' work! Today on Cleveland.com, a story sharing findings from doctoral candidate Prajakta Joshi, associate medical director Aasef Shaikh, and additional team members about the link between exercise and its role in rewiring connections in the brain for people with Parkinson's disease. Check it out: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/12/uh-va-study-exercise-may-create-new-brain-pathways-in-parkinsons-patients.html

University Hospitals Cleveland VA Medical Center Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland researchers used innovative balloon game to motivate participants through cycling sessions that showed measurable changes in neural connections.

11/25/2025

Earlier this month, we had a large contingent of students and members at Society for Neuroscience , and we're thrilled to share more photos from this annual don't-miss event. Photo props and gratitude to Preethi Bhat for snapping and sharing these!

By our review, FES Center members and students presented 23 posters and one Nanosymposium. Topics ranged from restoring sensation and movement to nerve stim mapping, targeting, making predictions, integration, perceived joint position, post-stroke modulation, exercise interventions, Parkinson's Disease studies, and optogenic stimulation.

We were also proud to be a Silver sponsor of this year's BCI Society Social!

Enjoy these photos from .

11/18/2025

FES Center team members are in San Diego this week through Wednesday at Neuroscience 2025! We're at booth #3612 in the San Diego Convention Center. If you're there, please stop by and chat with our team members to find out about the research our investigators are leading to use functional electrical stimulation for multiple applications, including pain relief, rehab and functional recovery after stroke, spinal cord injury, amputation and Parkinson's disease.

11/14/2025

It was an honor to host Nick Ramsey PhD from Radboud University and in the Netherlands who presented yesterday at our November NP Seminar! Thank you also to event host Bolu Ajiboye PhD who coordinated Dr. Ramsey's visit.

Dr. Ramsey shared an excellent overview of the brain computer interface, its history, academic and commercial research considerations, and how his teams have studied its use for ALS and other applications. We'll post the video replay on our Youtube soon!

11/13/2025

A great turnout for our annual State of the FES Center event last week! Executive Director Robert Kirsch PhD shared research highlights of the past year with a look to the future; and Executive Committee members Aasef Shaikh MD, PhD and Bolu Ajiboye PhD presented new approaches the FES Center hopes to adopt. Stay tuned for the video replay on our Youtube channel soon!