Health outcomes after amputation aren’t the same for everyone — and racial disparities remain a critical issue. Understanding what drives these differences is key to directing resources, improving care and advancing equity.

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, our guest is Emily Dinelli, PhD, CPO. She is a certified prosthetist orthotist and former graduate student researcher with the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where she focused on employment and outcomes for people with physical disabilities.

Her research explores how unmet needs — such as access to healthcare, resources and support — are linked to comorbidities, complications and mortality among Black individuals who have had an amputation. She also studies how a more coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to care can help address those gaps.

Find the podcast on ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ and browse the podcast archive for past episodes.

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we shine the spotlight on an important and rapidly evolving field in healthcare: cancer rehabilitation.

Following a cancer diagnosis, patients often develop neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and other impairments caused by the disease and its aggressive treatments. In fact, more than 8 million cancer survivors experience functional limitations. Fortunately, cancer rehabilitation can help patients maintain and/or restore their function and quality of life.

To learn more, we speak with two special guests:

Samman Shahpar, MD, is section chief of cancer rehabilitation at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. He has dedicated his career to changing the culture of cancer care and has extensive experience in assessing and treating cancer survivors of all diagnoses.

Ishan Roy, MD, PhD, is an attending physician and research scientist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. He specializes in cancer rehabilitation and the study of cachexia — a muscle-wasting syndrome that affects nearly half of all patients with cancer and contributes to weight and muscle loss, weakness and fatigue.

Find the podcast on ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ and browse the podcast archive for past episodes.

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we explore assistive technology with a focus on wheelchair breakdowns, repairs and real-world considerations for people who rely on wheelchairs.

Our guests are Lynn Worobey, PhD, DPT, ATP, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh and principal investigator of the multi-center Equity and Assistive Technology for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (EQuATe) project, and Lee Tempest, a research coordinator on the EQuATe project and a longtime wheelchair user.

The conversation highlights gaps in preventive maintenance, training and insurance coverage and makes a compelling case for shifting from a reactive to a proactive system of wheelchair service provision. The episode also explores how EQuATe data are informing right-to-repair legislation and policy efforts aimed at improving equity in assistive technology.

Find the podcast on ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ and browse the podcast archive for past episodes.

This podcast is supported by grants 90DPK0007, 90RTGE0004, 90SIMS0015, 90DPHF0012 from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is at the forefront of advancing the study of “osseointegration,” a novel surgical technique in the field of prosthetics in which a metal rod is surgically implanted into the bone of the residual limb, allowing for a direct connection to the prosthesis. For patients with limb loss, the procedure offers numerous benefits, from improved comfort, control and balance to an enhanced quality of life.

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we talk with Levi Hargrove, PhD, scientific chair of The Regenstein Foundation Center for Bionic Medicine at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, about his research in osseointegration and bionic medicine. He shares insights about developing technologies for prosthetic limbs that integrate robotics, neural control and direct skeletal attachment to restore movement and independence for patients. 

Learn more about a clinical trial of osseointegration for people with upper limb loss.

INside the OUTcomes is supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (grants 90DPKT0007, 90RTGE0004, 90SIMS0015, 90DPHF0012).

What happens when people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) use storytelling to share their lived experiences? Can telling their own stories spark connection, confidence and even hope? In this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we explore how the simple, creative act of storytelling can have a profound impact.

Join us as we step inside Tellin’ Tales of Parkinson’s Disease, a unique storytelling project of the Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders program at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Led by Tekki Lomnicki — founder and artistic director of Tellin’ Tales Theatre — the program helps participants turn personal experiences into meaningful stories that build community.

Listeners will hear from Tekki, along with Marty Maibuecher, a participant in the PD storytelling group, and Eric Espinoza, program and outreach coordinator, who leads the hospital's PD support groups.

This podcast is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (grants 90DPKT0007, 90RTGE0004, 90SIMS0015, 90DPHF0012).  

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we talk with Viraj, 29, about living independently in Utrecht, the Netherlands, after a spinal cord injury. Viraj shares his journey from a life-changing accident in India to intensive rehabilitation and returning to work in Utrecht, highlighting the unique support system that allows him to live independently in fully accessible housing.

Find the podcast on ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ and browse the podcast archive for past episodes.

For more than 50 years, the National Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Database has been the cornerstone of spinal cord injury (SCI) research in the United States. Since 1973, it has captured detailed information from thousands of people with traumatic SCI, helping researchers track long-term outcomes, improve rehabilitation care and guide new discoveries. In this episode, we explore how the database works, what makes it unique and how its insights continue to shape the future of SCI care and recovery.

Our guests are:

• Anne Deutsch, PhD, RN, research scientist, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and co-principal investigator, Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System
• Yuying Chen, MD, PhD, director, National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Jennifer Coker, PhD, MPH, co-director, National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Trevor Dyson-Hudson, MD, co-director of the Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System at the Kessler Foundation

This special episode is co-hosted with David McMillan, PhD, host of the American Spinal Injury Association podcast, SCI Science Perspectives.

Find the podcast on ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ and browse the podcast archive for past episodes.

This podcast is supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (grants 90DPKT0007, 90RTGE0004, 90SIMS0015, 90DPHF0012).

#spinalcordinjury #rehabilitationresearch

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we’re discussing the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) and its role in translating complex health information into accessible and useful resources for people living with spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and burn injury.

Our guest is Cindy Cai, PhD, a researcher at the American Institutes for Research and the principal investigator and project director of the MSKTC. The MSKTC works with model systems researchers — including researchers in the Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab — to create easy-to-understand resources about SCI, TBI and burn injury for patients, families and caregivers.

Transcripts are available.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube.

This podcast is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. (Grants 90DPKT0007, 90RTGE0004, 90SIMS0015, 90DPHF0012).  

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we're exploring the challenges people with disabilities face when it comes to air travel, and opportunities to enhance accessibility.

Mike Whelan, one of our guests, is a member of several Shirley Ryan AbilityLab spinal cord injury research advisory councils and counts himself as a "million miler" -- logging more than a million miles in the air as he travels the world with his manual wheelchair. Our other guest, Eric Lipp, is a former Shirley Ryan AbilityLab patient who turned a frustrating experience into a mission to make travel, transportation and tourism more accessible for all. Eric is the founder and executive director of the Open Doors Organization, a nonprofit that trains transportation staff, leads accessibility advocacy, and collaborates with scientists at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Indiana University on research to improve air travel for people with disabilities.

This podcast is supported by grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.

When Thea Flaum suddenly found herself caring for a family member with a spinal cord injury (SCI), she quickly discovered a lack of resources and support for the loved ones faced by this unexpected challenge. To address this gap, she created FacingDisability.com, a comprehensive platform offering valuable information on everything from medical care to a video series featuring the firsthand experiences and insights from people living with SCI.

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, learn about Thea’s journey and how she created one of the most extensive, free resources for families of people with SCI. Also, hear about her new podcast, “I Was A Wheelchair Kid,” aimed at children and teens with SCI. 

Transcripts for all episodes are available here.

INside the OUTcomes is supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (grants 90DPKT0007, 90RTGE0004, 90SIMS0015 and 90DPHF0012).