Kessler Foundation researcher honored for excellence in physical medicine and rehabilitation

Mooyeon Oh-Park, M.D., of Kessler Foundation was named 2013 "Teacher of the Year" in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. This award is given each year to a faculty member who demonstrated outstanding knowledge in physical medicine and rehabilitation as well as dedication and skills in teaching.

"When someone asks me, 'what wakes you up in the morning?' I can confidently say 'my students.' Teaching is always bidirectional in enhancing our knowledge and wisdom -- at the end of the day, I learn the most from my students," said Dr. Oh-Park of her teaching experience.

In addition to her faculty appointment at Rutgers, Dr. Oh-Park is the Assistant Director of Stroke Rehabilitation Research at Kessler Foundation. Dr. Oh-Park also taught at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, where she was named "Teacher of the Year" in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010.

At Kessler Foundation, she studies functional recovery after stroke, which depends on multiple domains including cognition, visual perception, movement strategies, and biomechanics. Dr. Oh-Park looks at how each domain affects the others in terms of recovery of mobility and well-being. Her work emphasizes patient-oriented care and community education.

Dr. Oh-Park was also recently counted among the invited experts who lectured in symposia at the 20th International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics held in Seoul, South Korea in June of this year.

The symposium, titled "The Interplay between Cognition and Mobility: Implications for Disability and Falls in Aging Population," addressed the role of rehabilitation in maintaining mobility in aging patients. Dr. Oh-Park's presentation gave an overview of cognition and physical impairment in disability model and falls and screening tools for high-risk groups.

Source: Kessler Foundation