The Cleveland FES Center is a consortium of six nationally recognized institutions: Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Syracuse VA Medical Center – Spinal Cord Injury/Disorders Center, MetroHealth System, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute.

With the support of these partners, the Cleveland FES Center is able to be at the forefront of academic and clinical research, furthering the advancement of neural technology into clinical standards of care. The Cleveland FES Center strives to create an inquisitive and collaborative environment from which researchers, engineers and clinicians work in a unique alliance to develop innovative, patient-centric solutions that improve the quality of life of individuals with neurological or other muscular skeletal impairments. Through the use of neurostimulation and neuromodulation research and applications, the Cleveland FES Center leads the translation of this technology into clinical deployment.

The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center (LSCVAMC) provides clinical care to veterans with complications due to spinal cord injuries, head injuries, or stroke, among other illnesses. Along with significant support of individual research projects, the Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC provides the core infrastructure to further this veteran relevant mission.

Researchers at the Syracuse VA Medical Center – Spinal Cord Injury/Disorders (SCI/D) Center officially joined the Cleveland FES Center in 2024, particularly in connection with research focusing on spinal cord injury and returning functional independence. Research and development programs underway at the Syracuse VA Medical Center – SCI/D Center comprise traditional scientific research, numerous clinical studies and trials. Projects and activities center on a range of health and wellness conditions of importance to Veterans.

The Cleveland FES Center’s inclusion at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in the School of Engineering and the School of Medicine enables access to leading academic, clinical and engineering expertise, facilities and a rich learning environment all resulting in a dynamic element for FES research and development.

Integration into the accomplished Rehabilitation Services of MetroHealth Medical Center (MHMC) enables valuable access to patient care and clinical expertise in Orthopaedics & Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosciences & Neurosurgery, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC) joined the FES Center as a consortium member in 2015. It is the primary medical affiliate of CWRU, and has strong clinical interactions with the LSCVAMC. The UHC Neurological Institute has major capabilities in neurosurgery, neurology, epilepsy, and psychiatry that complement and expand the expertise available from the LSCVAMC and MHMC.

Cleveland Clinic’s Neurological Institute includes more than 300 medical, surgical and research specialists dedicated to the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders. The multidisciplinary institute offers a disease-specific, patient-focused approach to care. U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” survey consistently has ranked the neurology and neurosurgery programs among the top 10 in the nation and best in Ohio.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center providing clinical and hospital care and is a leader in research, education and health information. The doctors who founded Cleveland Clinic, drawing from military medicine, believed in diverse specialists working and thinking as a unit. This kind of cooperation, efficiency and shared vision has fostered excellence in patient care, research and education. These principles endure today at Cleveland Clinic.