Kessler Foundation Inc

RESEARCH CENTER: Kessler Foundation researchers improve the quality of life for people with physical and cognitive disabilities through rehabilitation research in its ten (10) specialized Centers under the leadership of noted research directors: Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research; Neuropsychology & Neuroscience research; Employment and Disability Research; Spinal Cord Injury Research; Stroke Rehabilitation Research; Traumatic Brain Injury Research; Outcomes and Assessment Research; Autism Research; Tim & Caroline Reynolds Center for spinal stimulation and Rocco Ortenzio Neuroimaging Center. While the staff of each center has expertise in particular areas, collaboration among Foundation researchers as well as with collaborators from around the US and the world, enhances progress toward finding ways to overcome the obstacles faced by people with disabilities caused by brain injury, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and other chronic neurological and orthopedic conditions. The Foundation has the distinction of having the only 3T MRI scanner solely devoted to rehabilitation research in the United States. Since 1998, the Foundation has invested $161 million in research, in addition to $150 million for research funded by federal, state and private sources. In 2023, the Foundation received over $22 million in new federal, state, and private grants and contracts. Two federal Model System grants establish Kessler Foundation as a center of excellence for both traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) research. Model Systems are comprehensive networks that promote independent and collaborative research that will improve the national standard of care for individuals with these devastating injuries. Model Systems are funded by large, multi-year grants sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research. Kessler Foundation is one of only six centers in the united states to have dual model systems: Northern New Jersey SCI System and Northern New Jersey TBI System. These model systems are collaborative efforts with Rutgers University-NJ Medical School and Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. In 2018, the Board of Trustees approved a strategic area of research in the field of transcutaneous and epidural stimulation to improve function for people with spinal cord injuries. In early 2020, the Foundation completed construction of the Tim & Caroline Reynolds Center, a 11,000 square foot science building to house staff, laboratories and state-of-the-art equipment.