Venu Akuthota, MD
Professor, Chair, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
CU Medicine Endowed Chair
University of Colorado
Welcome
We have discovered the next miracle in medicine -- and it is you. The fields of Rehabilitation believe in using your whole body to improve your human performance. The department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado
(which we affectionately call "CU PM&R") is at the forefront of using team science, regenerative medicine, and exercise treatments. It is uniquely situated in the state-of-the-art CU Anschutz Medical Campus, the first campus in the nation to be built from the ground up to bring research, education, and patient care into one visionary collaboration. Like the Rocky Mountains that provide a backdrop of our institutions, CU PM&R is on the rise! We combine the disciplines of rehabilitation medicine, physical therapy, psychology, speech/language therapy, and rehabilitation sciences into a singular department. The following video stories reinforce the mission of the department: "Growing the Value of Rehab."
The stories
of CU PM&R are countless, but here are a few. Joyce Olsezek, MD, a pediatric rehabilitation medicine physician at Children's Hospital Colorado, made an emotional appearance on the Dr. Oz Show describing medical miracles. She was part of the
CHCO team that rehabilitated severely brain-injured high schoolers to later walk across the stage at his high school graduation. The miracle of rehabilitation was clearly evident in this story.
PM&R News
THEY WON THE GOLD!
Team USA 2021 World Wheelchair-B-Curling Championship
Recent News
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Dementia toolkit for clinicians underscores urgency of early diagnosis - Clinical Daily News - McKnight's Long Term Care NewsOpens in a new window
Mar 31, 2021A primary care toolkit for brain health assessment and dementia diagnosis has gotten a much-needed update as more research points to the potential for better outcomes with earlier diagnoses, says the Gerontological Society of America.Opens in a new window Full story
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Sharing Emerging Experiences Regarding Innovations in Telerehabilitation
May 3, 2021Dr. Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley, Professor and Director of the Rehabilitation Science PhD Program, recently provided an educational session at the national LeaRRn conference titled Shaping the Future of Telerehabilitation through Research. Dr. Stevens-Lapsley provided the audience with a detailed overview of the RESTORE labs existing project Multicomponent Telerehabilitation for Medically Complex Older Veterans.Full story
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Reducing rural healthcare workforce disparities through novel education and training approaches
Apr 9, 2021Members of the RESTORE team (Katherine Seidler, Katie Butera, and Lauren Hinrichs) under the lead of Dr. Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley in the Rehabilitation Science Program have developed a project informed by best practice in both education research and implementation science to expand education and training access to rural rehabilitation providers providing care for rural Veterans.Full story
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The Veterans Affairs Patient Safety Center of Inquiry—Suicide Prevention Collaborative: Creating Novel Approaches to Suicide Prevention Among Veterans Receiving Community ServicesOpens in a new window
Nov 1, 2020While the US Department of Veterans Affairs has made significant strides to prevent veteran suicide, efforts have largely targeted veterans actively engaged in and eligible for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care, which is consistent with the VHA mission.Opens in a new window Full story
2021 Gersten Day Keynote/Dennis J Matthews Lecturship Presentation by Dr. Walter Frontera
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New Telerehab Program Empowers Veterans at homeOpens in a new window
Jun 16, 2021Chronic pain was something Army Veteran Magdalen Jean-Baptiste believed she’d experience for the rest of her life. That was until one day when a box arrived at her doorstep packed with an iPad, a Fitbit and more. She was now ready to start a 12-week session with the Medically Complex Telerehabilitation program (MCTelerehab) offered through VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS).Opens in a new window Full story -
Dorothy Briggs Memorial Scientific Inquiry Award
Jun 18, 2021Congratulations to former CU Rehabilitation Sciences PhD student, Allison Gustavson who received the prestigious Dorothy Briggs Memorial Scientific Inquiry Award for exemplary work led by a student. The manuscript is published in the Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal (PTJ).Full story
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AB Nexus Award
May 20, 2021Drs. Andrew C. Smith, PT, DPT, PhD and Andrew Q. Tan, PhD, were awarded an AB (CU Anschutz-Boulder) Nexus Research Collaboration Grant Award. Together they will team up on a project: “Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts sensory and motor pathways, resulting in lifelong mobility impairments and loss of functional independence.” This study will characterize how breathing modest bouts of low oxygen (acute intermittent hypoxia; AIH) may enhance the excitability of spared pathways to the lower limb as well as augment motor adaptation in humans with SCI.”Full story
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An update on efforts by VA to prevent veteran suicidesOpens in a new window
May 14, 2021The prevention of veteran suicides has been an ongoing and high priority for the Veterans Affairs Department. Efforts go far beyond hotlines and other operational measures, and extend into research. Both research and operational support and have a locus at VA’s Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center in Aurora, Colorado. For an update, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the Center’s director, Dr. Lisa Brenner.Opens in a new window Full story
CAMPUS STATUS
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES
&
RESOURCES
CU Anschutz is operating a hybrid model of remote and on-campus activity.
Limited return to campus is underway. All that can be done remotely is being done remotely.
On-campus safety and screening protocols are in effect. These protocols apply even to those who have been vaccinated.
Learn More
Physical Therapy Program
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (SOM)
CU Anschutz
Academic Office One
12631 East 17th Avenue
Rm 1201G
Aurora, CO 80045
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