Gustafson, Ken, PhD

With over 25 years as a Principal Investigator at the Cleveland VA FES Center, Dr. Kenneth Gustafson is recognized for his expertise in neural engineering, pelvic neurophysiology, and the development of implantable neural prostheses for individuals with spinal cord injury.

His work has produced 9 patents, 3 licenses, and the formation of 3 companies focused on restoring bladder and pelvic function in veterans and others with neurological disease or injury.

Dr. Gustafson is also a leading authority in fascicular neuroanatomy for neural interfacing, with over 25 years of multi-species investigations informing electrode design and clinical translation. He is committed to supporting VA investigators through his role as Director of the national VA Translational Education and Mentoring (TEAM) Center.

Dr. Gustafson’s work related to bladder dysfunction aims to understand the complex interactions involved in the systems-level neural organization and control of bladder and urethral function. The team has used this information to develop neural prostheses or rehabilitative techniques that interface with the nervous system and restore genito-urinary function at the earliest opportunity.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Restoration of respiratory muscle function in subjects with spinal cord injury:

• Neural prostheses for bladder and pelvic function restoration in spinal cord injury
• Afferent neural stimulation to inhibit and excite bladder function
• Fascicular neuroanatomy for peripheral nerve electrode design and clinical translation
• Bowel and colorectal neuromodulation via electrical stimulation
• Closed-loop neural prostheses using organ activity as a control source
• Basic neurophysiology studies to discover and characterize the neural pathways involved in bladder and urethral function
• Teaching and training in fundamentals of neural stimulation for neuromodulation applications

MAJOR PROJECTS & FUNDING

• Bladder pacemaker development — neural prostheses to restore bladder function in veterans with spinal cord injury; resulted in 9 patents, 3 licenses, and 3 company formations
• Genital nerve stimulation for neurogenic detrusor overactivity — at-home feasibility studies and meta-analyses demonstrating increased bladder capacity after SCI
• Minimally invasive electrical rectal stimulation — promoting bowel emptying in individuals with spinal cord injury
• Fascicular anatomy studies — 25+ years of multi-species investigations informing electrode design and human nerve interfacing

HONORS & RECOGNITION

• Chair, NIH Review Panel: Neurotechnology and Vision (NV), Small Business: Clinical Neurophysiology, Devices, Neuroprosthetics and Biosensors, 2023–2025
• 9 patents related to afferent neural stimulation and bladder prostheses
• 3 technology licenses and 3 company formations from research program