UPPER SAUCON TWP. — Lehigh University and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation will join forces to build bridges.
The mission: Create a more successful connection between rehabilitation applications and improvement for individuals with a range of injuries and conditions.
“This partnership gives us the window into individuals and the clinicians that are assisting them.”Lehigh University Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Nathan Urban
The collaboration was announced at a news conference at Good Shepherd on Friday, during National Rehabilitation Awareness Week.
“This partnership gives us the window into individuals and the clinicians that are assisting them,” Lehigh University Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Nathan Urban said.
“These joining positions with Good Shepherd will help us to advance this critical work by providing deep connections for Lehigh faculty with clinicians and patients.”
The partnership was formalized in August 2024 at which time a 10-year vision was set.
It included interdisciplinary research collaborations, joint faculty appointments to bridge academic research and clinical practice and a jointly funded seed program to support new research.
The partnership combines Lehigh’s research excellence with Good Shepherd’s hands-on clinical expertise and century-plus track record of caring for people with disabilities.
Examples of projects
“This partnership will transform lives and strengthen our community,” Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Chief Executive Officer Michael Spigel said.
Early examples of key projects include:
- Partnering on a wayfinding app that uses robotic mapping technologies to develop digital indoor maps that improve accessibility for people with disabilities
- Studying wearable technology that helps people with dysphagia, a swallowing disorder affecting more than 9 million adults annually
- Conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment to understand the needs of children and adults with autism and other neurodivergent conditions in the Greater Lehigh Valley
- Re-engineering a recreational therapy table gaming system that offers a source of joy and connection for residents of Good Shepherd Home/Bethlehem, a long-term care home for people with severe disabilities, to play and interact from their wheelchairs
- Identifying barriers to ensure adolescents in the Lehigh Valley continue to access augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC, devices as they transition out of high school.
Leadership appointments
Led by Lehigh’s College of Health, the collaboration is redefining how academic and clinical institutions work together to improve the lived experience of those with disabilities, officials said.
Among the first steps of the partnership is the joint appointments of Dr. Juan Carlos Aceros and Dr. Shirin Madarshahian, Lehigh faculty members and research scientists.
Aceros focuses on developing technology to support people with mobility and communication challenges to improve their independence.
Among the devices to assist those with challenges are Go Baby Go toy cars for children with limited mobility.
The vehicles, which consist of supportive seating, push-button switches and other adaptations, are available in a range of sizes. The car enables independent movement and participation in social activities.
“The car allows the children to move through space and is modified so they can use the abilities they have to operate it,” Aceros said.
“It could be a child with cerebral palsy or spina bifida or any type of neurodevelopmental condition.”
'Offer innovative solutions'
Madarshahian’s primary research is in designing personalized, non-invasive stimulation strategies.
Her focus is on how the nervous system responds to therapies for individuals with different degrees of challenges.
“This collaboration provides a unique opportunity for our faculty and students to address real-world health challenges and make a tangible impact on the lives of people with disabilities in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.”Beth Dolan, dean of Lehigh University's College of Health
“We need to find the right recipe for which stimulation waveform is working perfectly for this particular individual,” she said.
“We need to find which intensity of stimulation will provide more muscle responses in that particular individual.”
The partnership is a major milestone for the College of Health and Lehigh as the university expands its research impact in health and healthcare.
“By joining forces with Good Shepherd, we’re able to recruit outstanding faculty whose work relies on clinical environments and will, in turn, offer innovative solutions applicable to clinical practice,” Dean of Lehigh's College of Health Beth Dolan said.
“This collaboration provides a unique opportunity for our faculty and students to address real-world health challenges and make a tangible impact on the lives of people with disabilities in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.”
