by Leigh MacMillan
Gerard Francisco, MD, renowned for his clinical expertise and research in the field of brain injury, stroke rehabilitation and spasticity management, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, March 28.
His lecture, “Rehabilitation: The Science of Function and Enablement,” will begin at 4 p.m. in 208 Light Hall.
Francisco is professor and chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He also serves as Chief Medical Officer and director of the NeuroRecovery Research Center at TIRR Memorial Hermann, one of the top three rehabilitation hospitals in the country, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
Francisco will discuss how rehabilitation uses an interdisciplinary and holistic methodology to reverse disability through a systematic process of enablement. His recent research projects focus on the integration of technology in enhancing recovery, including nerve stimulation for post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation and lower limb wearable exoskeletons for stroke, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.
Francisco is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is immediate past president of the Association of Academic Physiatrists and a director of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
For a complete schedule of the Flexner Discovery Lecture series and archived video of previous lectures, go to mc.vanderbilt.edu/discoveryseries.