Dr. Oh-Park Discusses Long-term Vision for PM&R Research & Innovation at Burke Rehabilitation
We recently met with Dr. Oh-Park, Chief Physician, Research & Innovation, to discuss her vision for PM&R Research & Innovation at Burke Rehabilitation®. Read more below.
What core principles guide the PM&R Research & Innovation strategy across Burke?
The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Research & Innovation strategy at Burke is grounded in a clear vision: to be a premier destination where cutting-edge rehabilitation science and excellence in patient care are fully integrated across inpatient and outpatient settings. As an award-winning, 150-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital with a medically diverse patient population and expanding outpatient network, Burke is uniquely positioned to embed research into everyday clinical care for its medically complex patients.
At the core of this strategy is a commitment to scientifically rigorous, clinically integrated research that directly improves patients’ function and independence. Studies are deliberately designed around meaningful functional outcomes and increased mobility, including arm and hand use, gait and balance, speech and cognition, and community reintegration. Our findings through advanced research translate to real-world benefits that patients and caregivers can see and feel.
Additionally, Burke prioritizes hospital-based research and technologies that are scalable and sustainable in real-world practice. This means developing interventions, care pathways, and digital tools that can integrate seamlessly into our multidisciplinary teams’ existing workflows, and solutions that can be extended across our 15 outpatient therapy sites and into patients’ homes, ensuring that the benefits of innovation are accessible far beyond research labs. Together, these efforts position Burke at the forefront of rehabilitation science, transforming everyday impact, and shaping the future of recovery for patients, families, and communities alike.
How is Burke advancing neuromodulation and precision rehabilitation for medically complex patients?
Neuromodulation is a major pillar of our precision rehabilitation strategy at Burke, with multiple device-based trials currently embedded within stroke and neurorehabilitation care. Burke serves as a pivotal site for the EMAGINE 2.0 trial using BrainQ’s Q-Therapeutic BQ 3.0 system, a multicenter double-blind, randomized study that tests whether a frequency-tuned electromagnetic field can enhance recovery and reduce disability in adults with subacute ischemic stroke.
Additionally, Burke leads an investigator-initiated BrainQ 3.0 trial in chronic stroke survivors to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of this neuromodulation system for upper extremity impairments in outpatient care. Burke also participates in the Vivistim trial, collecting real-world data on an FDA approved vagus nerve stimulation system paired with therapy for chronic stroke-related arm and hand deficits.
Burke strategically uses academic and industry sponsored collaborations on research studies and to offer clinical trials. Burke works on a New York University-led trial using low-intensity transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to support language recovery after a stroke. Together, these studies reflect a broader precision rehabilitation approach at Burke: matching the right neuromodulation technology to the right patient at the right phase of recovery, guided by carefully measured functional outcomes.
This precision approach extends beyond neurorehabilitation. In cancer rehabilitation and prehabilitation, Burke also applies similar principles, tailoring interventions to the unique needs and treatment trajectories of each patient. Structured exercise, tele-rehabilitation, and lifestyle-based programs are being integrated across the cancer continuum across, from diagnosis and active treatment through survivorship, while research evaluates their impact on function, symptom management, and long-term quality of life. These initiatives reflect our commitment to harnessing technology, multidisciplinary expertise, and data-driven research to optimize recovery for all patients.
How do partnerships, caregivers, and lifestyle medicine shape the long‑term research vision at Burke?
Partnerships are central to our long-term vision to be recognized as a global leader that fully embeds science and research in clinical care. In 2025, Burke became the first inpatient rehabilitation facility-based recruitment site for the Anticoagulation for Stroke Prevention and Recovery after Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ASPIRE) trial within the National Institutes of Health StrokeNet Collaborative. The ASPIRE trial assesses the effects of different medications in preventing future strokes, alongside studies focused on sleep apnea in stroke survivors, social determinants of health, and transplant oncology rehabilitation.
Burke also collaborates with technology startups to rigorously evaluate AI-driven, digital tools using the same rigorous criteria applied to drugs and clinical trials. We participated in a CatchU mobile fall-risk tool study, which compared app-based balance assessments to gold-standard laboratory measures of balance and multisensory integration. This study exemplifies our approach: evaluating technology for validity, usability, and impact on clinical decision-making before broader adoption. Burke also integrates a range of AI and digital tools, including CatchU, and CoFRIDA, a robotic arm that helps patients with difficulty moving or speaking create art, as part of its broader assistive robotics initiatives for rehabilitation in stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and chronic pain. This translates to whole-person, data-driven care that patients can access and understand. By pairing these with community-based interventions, Burke keeps patients engaged in rehabilitation long after discharge, supporting sustained recovery and independence.
Through patient‑centered innovation, rigorous science, strong collaborations, and sustainable care models, Burke seeks to deliver stronger outcomes not only for individual patients, but also for their caregivers and communities across the tri-state area and beyond.
