Restoring abilities, independence and lives - Allina Health

Sister Kenny Research Center makes strides
in patient-centered technologies
Sister Elizabeth Kenny was a pioneer and innovator whose quest for excellence served as
a guiding principle in the establishment of the Sister Kenny Research Center. Sister Kenny
Foundation has been a constant partner with the Research Center as it has steadily expanded
its capacity with facilities and equipment, conducted and published research, and raised its
international profile as a leader in the rehabilitation research field.
The Foundation continues to be a significant champion of Research Center resources and
initiatives, helping improve patient care as well as rehabilitation interventions and technologies
developed by Sister Kenny clinicians.
Mary Radomski, PhD, OTR/L, occupational therapist, leads several initiatives as a clinical
scientist. In 2010, she conducted a foundation-funded study of stroke survivors that analyzed and
assessed factors contributing to their adherence to after-care rehabilitation recommendations.
“With our findings, we hope to build a basis for future processes that will improve patient outcomes
and minimize the risk of repeat hospitalizations,” she explained.
Working with funding from the Foundation and the U.S. Surgeon General, Radomski and
Assistant Scientist Maggie Weightman, PhD, PT, are designing rehabilitation assessments to
evaluate critical vulnerabilities of military personnel that would interfere with their successful
return to duty following a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury. Radomski and Weightman are
leading the team to develop a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Toolkit that documents occupational
and physical therapy best practices for soldiers.
Radomski, a 32-year employee of Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute (SKRI), is grateful to
the Foundation for its generous support of research. “When you invest in research, you advance
far beyond the status quo,” she noted. “It sends a positive message to patients that the Institute is
always looking for the next best thing to help them.”
Research Center Director Lars Oddsson, PhD, concurs. “We really encourage clinicians to
engage in research and publish their findings. Foundation funding is critical to protect the time
necessary for researchers to prepare their publications. Publishing research findings is a long
and tedious, but necessary, process,” Oddsson explained. As a result of Foundation funding,
the Research Center has seen an increase in the number of articles published in peer-reviewed
publications, which is an important step in creating a culture of research and innovation, while
elevating its reputation at an international level.
The onsite Research Center creates a climate of richer engagement among team members and
gives the SKRI an academic touch that excites and empowers employees.
Philanthropy also ramps up technology development and translation initiatives such as
RxFunction, Inc., a technology company within the Research Center. The onsite Research Center
ensures that patients benefit from the use of evidence-based practices. “What it means for patients
is that there is continual development of procedures, treatments and technologies,” said Oddsson,
adding that patients are an essential member of the research team as the ultimate “end user.”
“The Research Center helps create a richer environment in which to work,” added Physicianin-chief
Karl Sandin, MD, MPH. “There is a qualitative excitement you can’t measure that makes
working at the Institute professionally satisfying — the Research Center is a key part of that.”
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