In the last 3 decades, the field of neurological rehabilitation has made significant advances understanding the mechanisms of motor recovery following stroke. The development of functional imaging, noninvasive brain stimulation techniques and sophisticated movement analysis has allowed a more accurate description of how people recover upper extremity motor function. This in turn led to the development of interventions that target these mechanisms. In this lecture, I will describe some physiological processes underlying motor recovery following stroke as well as discern subtle behavioral components that constitute overall motor function of the upper extremity. Relying on this knowledge, I will discuss potential interventions that we could consider to facilitate recovery processes following stroke. Finally, I will present preliminary experiences testing some of these interventions.

Dr. Celnik is the Lawrence Cardinal Shehan Professor and Director of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the Physiatrist-in-Chief in the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is also the Co-Director of the Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute, the Director of the Human Brain Physiology and Stimulation Laboratory, and leads the Noninvasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) Program at the Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Celnik also holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience.

A native of Argentina, Dr. Celnik received his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine. He completed his residency in neurology in Argentina, a fellowship in neurological rehabilitation at the University of Maryland and research fellowships in the labs of Dr. Mark Hallett and Dr. Leonardo G. Cohen at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2003, he completed PM&R residency training at Johns Hopkins, where he remained since as a faculty member in the Department of PM&R. In 2011, Dr Celnik became the Vice Chair for research and in 2016, after a national search, he was appointed Director of the Department of PMR at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Celnik has an extensive publication track record with more than 120 peer review publications in high regarded scientific journals and more than 10 chapters and books. He has been continuously funded since 2003 for his research in motor learning, mechanisms of motor recovery following stroke and brain machine interface studies.

Dr. Celnik is internationally-recognized for his expertise and research in neurologic rehabilitation, particularly with stroke and traumatic brain injury. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the “The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)”, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. In 2021, Dr. Celnik was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine.