AACPDM Research Grant

Pedal-with-Pete®

Pedal-with-Pete is a philanthropic organization, dedicated to raising funds for research to improve the quality of life for persons with cerebral palsy. In 2010, Pedal-with-Pete generously funded a $25,000 grant through AACPDM to Joelle Mast, MD, and her team of researchers, for a project entitled “Collaborative Study of Robotic Assisted Therapy in Children”

The goal of this project is to establish a research collaborative dedicated to the evaluation of cutting-edge treatments for the improvement of motor function in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and other brain injuries. Robot-assisted therapy is a highly innovative, rehabilitative treatment which has already been shown to be effective in adult stroke patients for the improvement of upper extremity motor function. Pilot studies with children with CP have been very promising.

The multicenter research project will be done collaboratively by the following four prestigious research organizations:

• Blythedale Children’s Hospital, Valhalla, NY
• Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, IN
• Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, CA
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA