Advanced Platform Technology Center
Rahila Ansari, MD, MS
Dr. Rahila Ansari is a Neurologist at LSCVAMC and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at CWRU. Dr. Ansari is dedicated to translating engineering solutions into the clinical setting to help restore function to patients with neurological deficits. After graduate school in biomedical and polymer engineering, she obtained her medical degree from CWRU School of Medicine. Dr. Ansari completed her residency at John Hopkins Hospital, where she was a Neurology Chief Resident. Following fellowship training in Neuromuscular Diseases at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, she became faculty at the school of medicine. Her research on orthotics for patients with inclusion body myositis has been highlighted by the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) as a keynote lecture at the annual meeting, and as a spotlight article in their journal, the O&P Almanac.
Due to the interdisciplinary nature of Dr. Ansari’s work, she has formed multiple interdepartmental and cross-institutional collaborations with basic scientists and engineers, including other APTC Investigators, with a common goal of more rapidly translating technology into clinical applications. Some of her projects include:
- “Smart” Prosthetic Liner - Aim is to develop a real-time pressure sensing liner with an auto-adjusting socket to be fitted into a prosthetic limb. Goal is to improve patient comfort and prevent the development of skin breakdown.
- Portable Gait Lab - Aim is to develop a wearable and wireless gait lab to quantify body kinetics in. The portable nature of this system allows for dynamic assessment to be made in “real-life” situations.
- Development of Orthoses for Patients with IBM - Goal is to custom design and develop lightweight stance-controlled-like devices that augment quadriceps strength in patients with inclusion body myositis.
- Nerve Cuff Projects - My focus is on short and long-term nerve health, evaluating for nerve cuff stability and performing electrodiagnostic studies. List of projects include:
- Automatic Control of Standing Balance with Functional Neuromuscular Stimulation
- A Neuroprosthesis for Seated Posture and Balance - Long Term Performance of Implanted Neuroprosthesis after Paralysis from SCI
- Verifying Operations of New Peripheral Nerve Interfaces
- A Neuroprosthesis for Prolonged Standing after SCI using Multi-Contact Peripheral Nerve Electrodes
- Restoring Natural Sensation to Lower Limb Amputees
