Cardinal Hill Endowed Professor Named
Media Contact: , (859) 257-1754, x252
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 21, 2008) − Dr. Lumy Sawaki has joined the University of Kentucky's Department of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation as the newly appointed Cardinal Hill Endowed Scholar in Spinal Cord and
Stroke Rehabilitation.
Sawaki's appointment completes the three Cardinal Hill endowed faculty positions in neurorehabilitation as she joins Dr. Joe Springer and Dr. Walter High. For the past three years, the department has maintained a top 20 national ranking in National Institutes of Health funding among physical medicine and rehabilitation departments, and officials say, the addition of Sawaki will strengthen this position.
"I am delighted to be appointed the Endowed Scholar in Spinal Cord and Stroke Rehabilitation at Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital," said Sawaki. "I feel deeply honored to serve two extraordinary institutions such as University of Kentucky and Cardinal Hill. This appointment provides me the platform for continuing the search for better treatments for patients who sustained stroke or spinal cord injury. This is a momentous opportunity to build a strong, solid and dynamic collaborative team to advance the field of neurorehabilitation."
Sawaki brings with her a tremendous research foundation that focuses on stroke and spinal cord rehabilitation. She has received grant awards from the American Heart Association, the Dana Foundation and the NIH. She has a special interest in neuroplasticity and in the development of novel rehabilitative strategies to enhance functional motor recovery after stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury. Using techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetoencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, her goal is to explore and refine pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to be applied in the clinical setting.
"The addition of Dr. Sawaki will make a tremendous impact on the future of neurorehabilitation research at UK and Cardinal Hill," said Springer, vice chair for research physical medicine and rehabilitation. "The expertise she brings to our existing research program is highly innovative and will synergize well with the ongoing efforts we have established between the university and Cardinal Hill. It is clear that the addition of Dr. Sawaki will help move this partnership to the next level, and the support of the two institutions towards reaching our combined future goals cannot be overemphasized."
Sawaki received her medical degree in 1991 from the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, where she also completed her medical residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation. She received her Ph.D. in clinical neurophysiology in 1999 from Kobe University in Japan. In 1999, Sawaki came to the United States to complete a three and a half year postdoctoral fellowship at the NIH with Dr. Leonardo Cohen, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In 2002, she became a faculty member in the department of neurology at Wake Forest.
Sawaki received a prestigious graduate research scholarship from the Ministry of Education of Japan and was awarded the Presidential Award from the American Society of Neurorehabilitation in 2000. More recently, she received the Research Excellence Award from Wake Forest.
"On behalf of the board and management team, we are very pleased to welcome Dr. Sawaki to our research team," said Kerry Gillihan, president and CEO of Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital. "She will no doubt add a high degree of expertise as we seek new and effective treatment regimens for patients with neurological injury and impairment."
The endowed professorships in neurorehabilitation were made possible through a $2 million grant from Cardinal Hill to UK, along with $2 million in matching funds from the Kentucky Research Challenge Trust Fund.
Sawaki will operate a newly renovated lab on site at Cardinal Hill.Sawaki's appointment completes the three Cardinal Hill endowed faculty positions in neurorehabilitation as she joins Dr. Joe Springer and Dr. Walter High. For the past three years, the department has maintained a top 20 national ranking in National Institutes of Health funding among physical medicine and rehabilitation departments, and officials say, the addition of Sawaki will strengthen this position.
"I am delighted to be appointed the Endowed Scholar in Spinal Cord and Stroke Rehabilitation at Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital," said Sawaki. "I feel deeply honored to serve two extraordinary institutions such as University of Kentucky and Cardinal Hill. This appointment provides me the platform for continuing the search for better treatments for patients who sustained stroke or spinal cord injury. This is a momentous opportunity to build a strong, solid and dynamic collaborative team to advance the field of neurorehabilitation."
Sawaki brings with her a tremendous research foundation that focuses on stroke and spinal cord rehabilitation. She has received grant awards from the American Heart Association, the Dana Foundation and the NIH. She has a special interest in neuroplasticity and in the development of novel rehabilitative strategies to enhance functional motor recovery after stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury. Using techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetoencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, her goal is to explore and refine pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to be applied in the clinical setting.
"The addition of Dr. Sawaki will make a tremendous impact on the future of neurorehabilitation research at UK and Cardinal Hill," said Springer, vice chair for research physical medicine and rehabilitation. "The expertise she brings to our existing research program is highly innovative and will synergize well with the ongoing efforts we have established between the university and Cardinal Hill. It is clear that the addition of Dr. Sawaki will help move this partnership to the next level, and the support of the two institutions towards reaching our combined future goals cannot be overemphasized."
Sawaki received her medical degree in 1991 from the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, where she also completed her medical residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation. She received her Ph.D. in clinical neurophysiology in 1999 from Kobe University in Japan. In 1999, Sawaki came to the United States to complete a three and a half year postdoctoral fellowship at the NIH with Dr. Leonardo Cohen, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In 2002, she became a faculty member in the department of neurology at Wake Forest.
Sawaki received a prestigious graduate research scholarship from the Ministry of Education of Japan and was awarded the Presidential Award from the American Society of Neurorehabilitation in 2000. More recently, she received the Research Excellence Award from Wake Forest.
"On behalf of the board and management team, we are very pleased to welcome Dr. Sawaki to our research team," said Kerry Gillihan, president and CEO of Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital. "She will no doubt add a high degree of expertise as we seek new and effective treatment regimens for patients with neurological injury and impairment."
The endowed professorships in neurorehabilitation were made possible through a $2 million grant from Cardinal Hill to UK, along with $2 million in matching funds from the Kentucky Research Challenge Trust Fund.