The 2003 / 2004 fiscal year was a continued period of change at the Palo Alto RR&D Center. Our transition for the Center of Excellence on Mobility to Bone and Joint Rehabilitation is substantially complete. Virtually all of our research funding and activities are now focused on skeletal disease, treatment, and rehabilitation. Our new hires from last fiscal year, a Clinical Studies Coordinator and a Statistician, have increased our clinical impact. Examples include a study of novel footwear, designed to arrest the progression of osteoarthritis, and preliminary studies of the impact of "Lokomat" gait training on stroke rehabilitation and bone loss. In the area of capital improvements, our micro-CT scanner purchased last fiscal year has become a highly utilized Core facility and is typically reserved several days in advance. This Fiscal Year we purchased a dedicated peripheral CT scanner capable of imaging extremities from mid-thigh and smaller at three times the resolution of a clinical scanner. Additionally, we have begun planning of a seismic building upgrade and improvements, which will add 8,000 square feet and a second floor to the original building 51 floor plan. As a short-term, quantitative measure of the attainment of Center goals in basic and applied research, during the 12-month period from October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004, Center investigators were involved in the dissemination of information in the following forums:
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