Dr. Miguel Escalón is an Assistant Professor and Attending Physician in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Mount Sinai since 2014. He is the Director of Critical Care Rehabilitation at Mount Sinai and the Associate Residency Program Director of the PM&R residency program. He was voted teacher of the year by the residents during his first year as an attending physician. He specialized in cellular and molecular biology at The University of Chicago before obtaining his medical degree and a Master’s in public health from the University of Illinois. After medical school, he completed a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at The Alliance Program of the Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas at Houston. Following residency, he completed a Spinal Cord Injury fellowship at Mount Sinai in NYC in 2014. He is a board member of Wheeling Forward, a non-profit organization dedicated to bettering the lives of persons with disabilities. In this interview, Dr. Escalon provides background on Wheeling Forward, post-stroke spasticity management, the use of robotic exoskeletons, stem cell implantation, and the role of technology in helping to improve care among other exciting topics.
Dr. Mia Palazzo is the Program Manager of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and the Sports Performance Center at NYU Langone’s Center for Musculoskeletal Care. Her areas of specialty and interest include concussion related neck pain, mechanical spine disorders, and running related injuries. As Program Manager of the Sports Performance Center, Mia has been an integral part of the development and implementation of the internationally known Running Lab at NYU Langone. Mia is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedics through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. She also is certified by the McKenzie Institute in the Mechanical Diagnosis and Treatment of the Spine. She earned her Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Long Island University and went on to receive her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Temple University. In this interview, Dr. Palazzo discusses the Running Lab, the role of the neck in concussion patients, whiplash injuries, and broader market trends in the field of physical therapy.
Dr. Michael D'Agati is a Clinical Specialist at The Center for Musculoskeletal Care at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Clinical Instructor, at NYU’s School of Medicine. The Rusk Institute has given him advanced skills and research awards and two substantial grants to support his research. He is the current Chairperson of the NYU Rusk Physical Therapy Research Committee. He is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedics through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist through Maitland Australian Physiotherapy Seminars. Dr. D’Agati graduated Summa Cum Laude with his clinical doctorate in physical therapy from NYU. In 2013, he won the Clinical Educator of the Year Award from The New England Consortium of Academic Coordinators of Clinical Education. He currently is a Ph.D. candidate at Rutgers University, pursuing a second doctorate leading to a teaching and research career. In this interview, Dr. D'Agati reviews the literature supporting orthopedic manual therapy, factors determining what interventions may be most appropriate for patients, prevention, and low technology approaches.
Tina Tan is the Supervisor, Pediatric Speech/Swallowing Services, at Tisch Hospital and Ambulatory Care Center. Her particular area of interest and role at Rusk is in providing diagnosis and management of pediatric feeding and swallowing impairments. She has a special interest in the feeding and swallowing skills of medically complex infants and swallowing impairments in children with aero-digestive disorders. She and her pediatric speech pathology colleagues participate in the Interdisciplinary Nutrition and Feeding Program and the GUARDS (Gastrointestinal, Upper Airway, Respiratory Disease and Sleep) Program. Her bachelor’s degree in communication disorders is from the Honors College at Southern Connecticut State University and her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology is from Emerson College. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing & Swallowing Disorders. In this interview, Tina discusses what sorts of medically complex issues lead to feeding and swallowing problems in children as well as management considerations when providing care.
Megan Rochford is a certified aging in place specialist who is the barrier free design clinical specialist at Rusk Rehabilitation. She has over 10 years’ experience as an occupational therapist, working in inpatient rehabilitation, sub-acute rehabilitation, and outpatient therapy. Within the Barrier Free Design program, she works with children and their families as well as adults, in the New York City metropolitan area, with varying medical conditions, to modify their home environments. The goal is to provide individualized design solutions to promote safety, independence and decrease burden of care. She has both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Occupational Therapy from the University of Scranton. She frequently presents to disease-specific organizations and provides community lectures on Aging in Place through NYU Langone Medical Center. In this interview, Megan provides personal stories of some of her most challenging cases as well as the daily decisions that must be made to maximize patient care and to ensure safety.