Abstract
Member News
Mayowa Owolabi, MB, BS, Dr. med. magna cum laude (Berlin), MWACP, FMCP, Cert. Epid. & Glob. Health (IPRI-Dundee), is the World Federation for Neurorehabilitation (WFNR) and American Academy of Neurology member honored for his outstanding contributions to neurorehabilitation. He is a member who has extensive international training to share with his country, Nigeria. He received his doctor of medicine degree at Charité University of Medicine, Berlin, Germany; Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany; and Free University, Berlin, Germany. He also studied epidemiology and global health at University of Dundee, Scotland, UK.
He is a senior lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, in the Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology. He is actively engaged with the WFNR as the secretary of the specialist interest group on development of clinical pathways. He also is the pioneer regional vice president (East, West, and Central Africa) working with the WFNR to establish the First Neurorehabilitation Center in East, West, and Central Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa). Dr Owolabi is additionally involved with the Nigerian Society of Neurological Sciences as the secretary of the strategic planning committee. He is active in a number of organizations internationally, in Africa, and at University of Ibadan. He is a reviewer for 11 journals, several with international reach. Dr Owolabi is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2008 American Academy of Neurology International Scholarship Award and 2 MacArthur Foundation Research Grants.
Dr Owolabi has approximately 80 scientific publications. His research focuses on his developing a quality of life questionnaire for stroke patients that is not limited to patients in Nigeria. The questionnaire extends to international care and is validated for international use. The questionnaire is the Health-Related Quality of Life in Stroke Patients (HRQOLISP). The questionnaire was developed in compliance with the World Health Organization guidelines for generation of HRQOL questionnaires: Owolabi MO. Psychometric properties of the HRQOLISP-40: a novel, shortened multiculturally valid holistic stroke measure. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2010;24(9):814-825. doi:10.1177/1545968310369113. Dr Owolabi is prospectively evaluating the HRQOLISP. He also developed the Stroke Levity Scale, which is a simple, brief, valid, and reliable method of assessing stroke severity. He proposed the cervical vertigo tetrad to explain vertigo in patients with vascular risk factors and cervical spondylosis. He is engaged in developing a Nigerian Stroke Registry. Dr Owolabi proposed the stroke quadrangle comprising integrated surveillance, prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation as a means of taming the escalating but neglected stroke epidemic in Africa.
Dr Owolabi is fulfilling an important need in providing critical neurorehabilitation care and research for the patients in Sub-Saharan African. The philosophy of the Neurorehabilitation Center he founded is to provide “excellent holistic care, abundant life, and boundless love with extraordinary intuition, creative innovations, and good integrity.” His drive to improve the quality of life and care is enormously praiseworthy. We are fortunate to have Dr Owolabi as a member of the neurorehabilitation community.
Meetings of Interest
ASNR Satellite of the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting: The New Science of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation
Washington, DC
November 11, 2011
XX World Congress of Neurology
Marrakesh, Morocco
November 12-17, 2011
XIX World Congress on Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders
Shanghai, China
December 11-14, 2011
2012 Brain Injury Summit—A Meeting of the Minds
Beaver Creek, Colorado
January 9-11, 2012
International Stroke Conference 2012
New Orleans, Louisiana
January 31-February 3, 2012
my.americanheart.org/professional/Sessions/ InternationalStrokeConference/International-Stroke-Conference_UCM_316901_SubHomePage.jsp
APTA-American Physical Therapy Association’s CSM 2012
Chicago, Illinois
February 8-12, 2012
9th World Congress on Brain Injury
Edinburgh, Scotland
March 21-25, 2012
7th World Congress for NeuroRehabilitation
Melbourne, Australia
May 15-19, 2012
Spineweek. Third Combined Congress of the Different Spine Societies
Rai Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 27-June 1, 2012
22nd Meeting of the European Neurological Society
Prague, Czech Republic
June 9-12, 2012
8th World Stroke Congress
Brasilia, Brazil
October 10-13, 2012
Neurorehabilitation Fellowships
The following listings are current as of December 2010:
Steven A. Sparr, MD, (718) 920-6402,
Harvey S. Levin, PhD, (713) 798-7566,
Michael Alexander, MD, (617) 667-4074,
Douglas I. Katz, MD,
Michael J. Reding, MD, (914) 597-2470,
Leonardo G. Cohen, MD, (301) 496-9782,
Anna Barrett, MD, (973) 324-3569
Bruce Dobkin, MD, (310) 206-6500
Bruce Rubin, MD, (305) 243-6223,
Maurizio Corbetta, MD, (314) 747-0426 or (414) 362-7620,
Research Resources
International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM)
One of the main objectives of the ISPRM is to improve research. Please fill out this survey for your institution. The goal is to have a map of centers that have similar fields of interest, technology, and research possibilities.
Go to http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=IIMJKI_c4882733
ClinicalTrials.gov
National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Veterans Administration Research
Neuroscience Database Gateway
National Research Council of Canada
Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange
cirrie.buffalo.edu/index.html
Brain Maps
brainmaps.org
REHABDATA-Connection National Rehabilitation Information Center
The Internet Stroke Center
Evidence-Based Review of Brain Injury Rehabilitation
Evidence-Based Review of Stroke Rehabilitation
Neuro-Cognitive Rehabilitation Research Network
UCLA Neurologic Rehabilitation and Research Program
neurorehab.neurology.ucla.edu
Center for Experimental Rehabilitation Training