# RR&D Research Career Scientist Application

> **NIH VA IK6** · LOUIS STOKES CLEVELAND VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Dr. Kirsch has been a VA RR&D research for 28 years, and a VA RR&D Research Career Scientist since
2007. He has a very active research program and is a leader in both rehabilitation research and academia. His
personal research activities focus on restoring shoulder, arm, and hand movements to individuals with
extensive paralysis due to spinal cord injury (SCI). SCI is a devastating condition that often causes significant
disability and loss of independence. Veterans are historically over-represented in the SCI population, and the
incidence of SCI in more recent military engagements remains high. As a result, the VA Rehabilitation
Research and Development Service has prioritized SCI research, and Dr. Kirsch’s research directly aligns with
this priority. His research specifically focuses on restoring arm/hand movement to individuals with high cervical
(C1-C4) SCI, a condition referred to as high tetraplegia, who have extensive paralysis below the neck. Such
individuals are typically dependent on others for most aspects of care and activities of daily living. Dr. Kirsch
has developed state-of-the-art (1) functional electrical stimulation (FES) systems for powering and coordinating
arm and hand movements in people with high tetraplegia, (2) human brain-computer interfaces that allow users
to intuitively command FES-powered arm movements, and (3) musculoskeletal models of the human shoulder
and elbow that are modified to reflect the specific characteristics of individuals with SCI or other disabilities,
and then used in simulation to explore the feasibility of an intervention (e.g., FES) and to optimize system
design for clinical deployment, substantially decreasing experimental trial-and-error. Dr. Kirsch’s research work
is well-funded, his publication record over the past five years has been very strong (quality and quantity), and
he is a sought-after speaker for seminars and conferences.
 Dr. Kirsch has also undertaken a number of leadership roles in rehabilitation research. He has been the
Executive Director of the VA RR&D-supported FES Center since January 2012. The FES Center is a global
leader in neurostimulation/neuromodulation research that addresses the unmet rehabilitation needs of
Veterans and civilians with neurological disorders. Specifically, the FES Center has 86 investigators (43
scientists/engineers and 43 clinicians) and almost 200 total personnel who perform and facilitate cutting edge
research across 5 different rehabilitation research thrusts: (1) Movement Restoration, (2) Pain Mitigation, (3)
Autonomic Restoration, (4) Brain Health, and (5) Translation and Clinical Dissemination. In addition, Dr. Kirsch
is a leader in translational research, being a co-PI of the of a new VA center entitled the “VA Translational
Education and Mentoring (VA-TEAM) Center” that is focused on educating and mentoring the VA’s most
promising translational research projects across the US., as well as the PI of the Case-Coulter Translational
Research Par...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11141576
- **Project number:** 5IK6RX004284-03
- **Recipient organization:** LOUIS STOKES CLEVELAND VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert F. Kirsch
- **Activity code:** IK6 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11141576

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11141576, RR&D Research Career Scientist Application (5IK6RX004284-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11141576. Licensed CC0.

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