A Tradition of Neural Innovation

The Cleveland FES center was established in 1991 as a consortium of institutional partners brought together with a common goal.

Together, the partners have worked to translate the concepts of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) into clinical applications that potentially can change the lives of people with disabilities. Initially, three nationally recognized Cleveland institutions partnered to establish the Center: Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center (CVAMC), Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), and MetroHealth Medical Center (MHMC).

In 2015, University Hospitals (UH) joined the consortium, and in 2017 the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute joined as well, growing the consortium to 5 institutions. 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. As with projects at the Cleveland VA, research and activities at Syracuse VA center on a range of health and wellness conditions of importance to Veterans.

The core mission of the Cleveland FES Center, then and now, is to translate the fundamental knowledge of FES—the application of electrical currents to either generate or suppress activity in the nervous system—into clinical practice.

Since our founding, we have ceaselessly worked toward these goals by facilitating and integrating the innovative efforts of scientists, engineers, and clinicians from across our array of institutional partners, as they imagine new and useful systems that enhance independence and quality of life for people with disabilities.

For over three decades, researchers and clinicians of the Cleveland FES Center have been the leaders in the development of the science and technology of neural activation through implanted FES and its clinical application.