History and Overview

In previous years, the Rehabilitation Research and Development Center made seminal contributions in the areas of assistive technology, robotics applications to rehabilitation, neuromuscular biomechanics, and musculoskeletal biomechanics. From 1978 to 2000, the Center was focused on issues of improving mobility for disabled veterans.

In 2001, the Center shifted its focus to increase translational research and improve the clinical impact of its research. Under the leadership of Christopher R. Jacobs, PhD, the Center adopted a focus on orthopaedic issues and in 2005, completed a transitional plan to become the Bone and Joint Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence. Center resources have been invested in initiating clinical trials in the areas of bone loss and osteoarthritis. The net result is that the Bone and Joint RR&D Center has become a premier facility to conduct translational research into orthopaedic disease and novel rehabilitative treatment strategies.

The Center has endeavors to enhance the research pipeline by adding in vivo small animal research to the Center’s investigative armamentarium. Success in funding allowed the Center to plan for additional investment in growth of our clinical trials capabilities. Many of the studies conducted by the Center have been used to assess new technologies, explore strategies for improving health outcomes, and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of services and therapies.