Colasante, Cesar, MD

Dr. Colasante is a professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at SUNY Upstate and part of the Syracuse VA Medical Center SCI/D Department. He completed his residency and fellowship at SUNY Upstate Medical Center.

He is recognized for his work applying minimally invasive electrical rectal stimulation to promote bowel emptying in individuals with spinal cord injury — the first published demonstration of this approach — and for his contributions to the design and prototyping of patient-specific 3D-printed devices for neurogenic bowel management.

Dr. Colasante is also the holder of a patent for methods and devices for intraoperative viewing of patient 3D surface images, and has presented novel device concepts at national meetings, contributing to the advancement of personalized medicine in rehabilitation and gastroenterology.

Dr. Colasante is board certified by ABPMR (American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation); SCIM (by ABPMR – Spinal Cord Injury Medicine); ABWMS (American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery).

He is committed to multidisciplinary collaboration bridging technology and clinical care to improve independence and dignity for veterans with neurogenic bowel dysfunction, and his research goals are to improve independence and quality of life for patients with SCI.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

• Minimally invasive electrical stimulation for neurogenic bowel management after SCI
• 3D printing and patient-specific device design for neurogenic dysfunction
• Intraoperative 3D imaging and surgical navigation technology
• Neuromodulation approaches for pelvic and autonomic dysfunction in SCI
• Translational rehabilitation technology for veterans
• Robotic devices to aid with activities of daily living

MAJOR PROJECTS & FUNDING

• Minimally invasive electrical rectal stimulation for bowel emptying in SCI — clinical implementation and data collection contributing to the first published case report of this approach (Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2023)
• Patent: Methods and devices for intraoperative viewing of patient 3D surface images — contributed to design, development, and prototype testing of the intraoperative 3D imaging system
• 3D-printed patient-specific devices for neurogenic bowel — design and prototyping of customized devices in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams of engineers, clinicians, and patients at the VA

HONORS & RECOGNITION

• AAPM&R Innovator and Influencer Award, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2026
• AAPM&R Innovator and Influencer Honoree, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2025
• Clinical Excellence Award, Paralyzed Veterans of America, 2024
• In the news: Three-Year Old Boy Believed to be Youngest Recipient of 3D Prosthetic
• Podcast:  Association of Academic Physiatrist Tech, Episode 1
• Presentation: Mentor for Central New York Biotech Accelerator
• Lecture: NYPMR
• Patent: Methods and devices for intraoperative viewing of patient 3D surface images