Including the voices of people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) throughout the entire research cycle will make research more relevant, inclusive, meaningful, and useful.

My research focuses on translational investigations and bridging the gap between basic science, clinical science, and the public community living with SCI. A large area of my research has focused on obtaining the perspective of people living with SCI on various aspects of research, including functional priorities, acceptable benefits and risks, preferences for neuroprosthetics, and exercise participation. For this impactful body of research, I was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.  

I also have expertise in SCI outcome measures, multi-center clinical studies, and FDA-regulated cell transplantation clinical trials. In Cleveland, I am continuing my research in clinical trials for SCI and further developing efforts addressing issues important to people living with SCI with an emphasis on translational research to deploy treatments to the clinic. I am currently the Director of the Northeast Ohio Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System of Care and leading a Department of Defense study addressing bowel dysfunction after SCI. I was also a co-founder and the inaugural President of the North American Spinal Cord Injury Consortium.

Publications (Select)

Entire publication list can be found here.

  • Widerström-Noga E, Anderson KD, Perez S, Martinez-Arizala A, Cambridge JM. Subgroup perspectives on chronic pain and its management after spinal cord injury. J Pain. 2018 Jul 26. pii: S1526-5900(18)30354-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2018.07.003. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30056113.
  • Jones LAT, Bryden A, Wheeler TL, Tansey KE, Anderson KD, Beattie MS, Blight A, Curt A, Field-Fote E, Guest JD, Hseih J, Jakeman LB, Kalsi-Ryan S, Krisa L, Lammertse DP, Leiby B, Marino R, Schwab JM, Scivoletto G, Tulsky DS, Wirth E, Zariffa J, Kleitman N, Mulcahey MJ, Steeves JD. Considerations and recommendations for selection and utilization of upper extremity clinical outcome assessments in human spinal cord injury trials. Spinal cord. 2018; 56(5):414-425. PubMed [journal] PMID: 29284795, PMCID: PMC5951792
  • Levi AD, Okonkwo DO, Park P, Jenkins AL 3rd, Kurpad SN, Parr AM, Ganju A, Aarabi B, Kim D, Casha S, Fehlings MG, Harrop JS,Anderson KD, Gage A, Hsieh J, Huhn S, Curt A, Guzman R. Emerging Safety of Intramedullary Transplantation of Human Neural Stem Cells in Chronic Cervical and Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury. Neurosurgery. 2018; 82(4):562-575. PubMed [journal] PMID: 2854143
  • Gant KL, Nagle KG, Cowan RE, Field-Fote EC, Nash MS, Kressler J, Thomas CK, Castellanos M, Widerström-Noga E, Anderson KDBody System Effects of a Multi-Modal Training Program Targeting Chronic, Motor Complete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury. Journal of neurotrauma. 2018; 35(3):411-423. PubMed [journal] PMID: 28795657

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Investigator
Cleveland FES Center

Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Case Western Reserve University School Of Medicine

Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
MetroHealth Center for Rehabilitation Research

CONTACT INFORMATION

Program Contact
Kim Anderson

Contact Email
kxa304@case.edu

STAFF INFORMATION

Program Manager
Megan Hammond Nechols
mhammond1@metrohealth.org

Clinical Research Coordinators
Dan Nwosu
dnwosu@metrohealth.org

Ashley Callaway
acallaway@metrohealth.org

Research Assistant
Don Johnston
djohnston@metrohealth.org