Courtesy of LMU Shannon Strader, an osteopathic medical student at LMU-DCOM poses in front of the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago.

HARROGATE, Tenn. Shannon Strader, a first-year medical student at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, is one of 12 students from across the nation selected to participate in the summer externship program at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago.

Strader will spend eight-weeks this summer working in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab which has been ranked as the top rehabilitation hospital in America since 1991 by U.S. News and World Report. During the program, students spend two, four-week rotations on separate inpatient rehabilitation services and have the opportunity to observe and participate in related clinical activities. By the end of the externship, each student is expected to write a research paper and present their project to the extern group and invited departmental faculty.

Since my twin sister, Lauryn, passed away from Cerebral Palsy (CP) I have always wanted to research CP. It is what has inspired me to become a doctor and to be an advocate for families confronting CP, Strader said.

Strader attended the University of WisconsinMadison for her undergraduate studies specifically to do research at James A. Thomson Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center. James A. Thomson is an American developmental biologist known as the father of stem cells for being the first person to derive a human embryonic stem cell.

Naturally, as soon I became a medical student I wanted to apply to externship programs dealing specifically with CP research, Strader said. The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab was my first choice, because they are the top rehabilitation facility in the country. People from all over the world come to the AbilityLab to receive care. Im lucky to learn from the best minds in the field.

The summer externship program is sponsored by the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of Northwestern University Medical School. Students from both allopathic and osteopathic accredited medical schools across the United States apply for the program. Additionally, each student selected is awarded a $3,000 stipend for participating in the program.

The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), is the global leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment. The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab expands and accelerates leadership in the field that began at RIC in 1953 its care and research designated the No. 1 Rehabilitation Hospital in America by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1991. Upon opening in March 2017, the $550 million, 1.2-million-square-foot Shirley Ryan AbilityLab became the first-ever translational research hospital in which clinicians, scientists, innovators and technologists work together in the same space, surrounding patients, discovering new approaches and applying (or translating) research real time. Applied research focuses particularly in the areas of neuroscience, bionic medicine, musculoskeletal medicine and technology transfer. This unique model enables patients to have 24/7 access to the brightest minds, the latest research and the best opportunity for recovery. For more information, go to http://www.sralab.org.

Courtesy of LMU Shannon Strader, an osteopathic medical student at LMU-DCOM poses in front of the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago.

http://www.middlesborodailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_shannon-strader-web.jpgCourtesy of LMU Shannon Strader, an osteopathic medical student at LMU-DCOM poses in front of the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago.

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LMU-DCOM student selected for research project - The Middlesboro Daily News