INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast

When Thea Flaum suddenly found herself caring for a family member with a spinal cord injury (SCI), she quickly discovered a lack of resources and support for the loved ones faced by this unexpected challenge. To address this gap, she created FacingDisability.com, a comprehensive platform offering valuable information on everything from medical care to a video series featuring the firsthand experiences and insights from people livin...

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we're discussing the value of rebalancing long-term services and supports (LTSS) — away from institutional care and toward community-based services.

We are joined by Courtney Priebe, MPH, a policy associate at ADvancing States, an organization that works to design, improve and support state systems that provide LTSS for older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers. Courtney ...

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we’re diving into the powerful role of peer mentoring in supporting employment for people with disabilities.

In rehabilitation, peer mentors are individuals who provide guidance and perspective to others who may be recovering from an illness or injury or living with a chronic condition or disability. The critical, ongoing support of a peer mentor helps others navigate life after injury, offer...

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we discuss the Occupational Therapy & Disability Studies Network, an academic and professional community created to integrate contributions from disability studies into occupational therapy education.

Our guests are two of the founding members of the network. Danbi Lee, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, is an associate professor of occupational therapy in the University of Washington department of rehabil...

At some point in life, nearly everyone will become a caregiver, need one, or rely on a family member for care. Supporting this critically important population is essential to maintaining the health, stability and well-being of our communities.

Our guest is Conor Callahan, MSW. Conor is the author of a new policy brief, "Supporting America's 53 Million Family Caregivers," funded by a grant to the Center for Rehabilitati...

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we explore how occupational therapy graduate students at the University of Illinois Chicago contribute to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Rehabilitation Measures Database. The database is the go-to resource of more than 580 rehabilitation measures, reviewed and summarized by educators and allied health students.

Our guests are Sabrin Rizk, PhD, OTR/L, assistant professor of occupational therap...

On this episode we talk about a free, online "microlesson-based" training program for direct service professionals (DSPs) on how to use a communication skill known as motivational interviewing to enhance person-centered delivery of home and community-based services (HCBS). 

Our guests are Linda Ehrlich Jones, PhD, RN, associate director of the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and Bob ...

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we’ll be talking about loneliness and spinal cord injury.

My guests are Sherri LaVela, PhD, MPH, a research health scientist, and Marissa Wirth, lead social science program coordinator, both in the Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. LaVela is also a research professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern Universit...

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast, Elissa Larkin, CCC-SLP, HEC-C, a research speech-language pathologist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab's Center for Aphasia Research and Treatment, shares insight into an online training course aimed at helping service industry employees improve communication with customers who have communication disabilities. Learn more about the course and find out how you c...

On this episode, we will hear about the results of a national survey of people with disabilities about the facilitators and barriers they face in getting a job and staying employed. Our guests are Emily Dinelli, L/CPO, a research assistant and Angelika Kudla, LCMHCA, a senior project manager both in the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Emily and Angelika are lead authors on a pair of recentpap...

MENTOR is a free, virtual exercise, mindfulness and nutrition program for people experiencing mobility challenges. The 8-week program is from the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD).

Our guests for the episode are Jim Rimmer, PhD, NCHPAD Director, and Tim Behrens, a MENTOR participant who says the program was a "turning point" for him after complications from COVID-19, including stroke and long COVI...

This episode of INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast focuses on sexuality and spinal cord injury (SCI). Our guest is Nicole Sharf, MA, a clinical psychology graduate student in The Chicago School and graduate research assistant at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab where she works on a project to support the mental health of people with SCI.

Listen to learn how SCI can impact sexual health and what people with SCI can do t...

On our latest episode of INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast, we learn how a new, $2.5 million, 5-year grant will support research to enhance accessible and inclusive air travel for people with physical disabilities as well as older adults.

Our guests are Shu Cole, PhD, professor of Health and Wellness Design at the Indiana University School of Public Health--Bloomington, and Jacqueline Kish, PhD, OTR/L, a post-...

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast, we focus on vocational rehabilitation to recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month this October.

Our guests are Jennifer Barthel, a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Sabrina, her client.

After experiencing a stroke that impacted her memory and ability to keep pace at work, ultimately resulting in her being la...

On our latest episode of INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast, we talk about the Clinical Research Registry at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab with our guest, Carolyn Ostrowski, Clinical Research Registry coordinator.

Get involved in our cutting-edge research: By becoming a member of the Clinical Research Registry, you have the opportunity to become a participant in current and future research studies at Shirley Rya...

On our latest episode of INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast, our guest is Mike Whelan, an advisory committee member for the Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Mike shares his personal experience with spinal cord injury (SCI) and his inpatient rehabilitation journey.

This episode is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Re...

What is disability data justice? How are people with disabilities counted? Why do we need accurate data about people with disabilities? Our guests for this episode are Bonnie Swenor, PhD, the founder and Director of the Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center, and Kate Caldwell, PhD, Director of Research and Policy at the Center for Racial and Disability Justice in the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Both Dr. Swenor ...

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast, we talk about cutting-edge research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab that could help people with spinal cord injury regain some motor function.

Our guest is Monica Perez, PT, PhD, Scientific Chair, Arms + Hands Lab at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Her innovative protocol uses noninvasive neurostimulation combined with physical therapy to strengthen connections between...

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast, we explore how inpatient rehabilitation length of stay can affect outcomes in people with spinal cord injury.

Our guests are:

• Anne Deutsch, PhD, RN, a clinical research scientist in the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. She is a principal investigator on a new grant that looks at how inpatient rehabilitation lengt...