Congratulations to FES Center Executive Committee Member Christopher Pulliam PhD and colleague James Liao MD who have been awarded NIH/NIBIB R21 Trailblazer Funding for “Feasibility of a Novel Freezing of Gait Detection Framework for Adaptive Cueing in Parkinson’s Disease.”
The three-year project begins in 2026 and aims to enable older adults with Parkinson’s Disease to walk safely and independently despite freezing of gait. This sudden inability to walk is a leading cause of falls and loss of independence.
The project will explore two complementary approaches to detecting freezing episodes more accurately: generative artificial intelligence and wearable eye-tracking sensors. Better detection could support on-demand cueing to help people resume walking, reducing falls and improving daily mobility and quality of life.
Besides his role as an Investigator/Executive Committee Member with the Cleveland FES Center, Dr. Pulliam is also Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University.
Dr. Liao is a Neurologist and Researcher with the Cleveland Clinic specializing in movement disorders and is also Assistant Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.
Congratulations to these Co-PIs on this new funding and project!
