Ali Rezai, MD, is director of Ohio State’s Center for Neuromodulation. A board certified neurosurgeon, he has been involved in pioneering the use of brain pacemakers for treating Parkinson’s disease, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and traumatic brain injury. His current research focuses on developing neuromodulation therapies to treat migraine headaches, asthma, addictions, Alzheimer’s, obesity, post-traumatic stress disorders and autism. He first joined the Neurosurgical faculty at New York University Medical Center, becoming the director of the Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery until January 2000, when he joined the faculty at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Rezai was the director of the Center for Neurological Restoration, as well as the Jane and Lee Seidman Chair in Functional Neurosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic until August 2009, when he joined the faculty at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Marcie Bockbrader earned her PhD in Psychological and Brain Science from Indiana University, her medical degree from the Ohio State University, and continued at Ohio State for specialty training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). In 2013, she joined the faculty at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio and is currently an Assistant Professor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Research Physiatrist for the OSU Neurological Institute, Attending Neurorehabilitation Physician at Dodd Hall Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital, and Residency Research Director for PM&R. Her areas of expertise include rehabilitation after brain or spinal cord injury, application of brain stimulation to promote neurorecovery, and translational research to improve function and quality of life of patients with disabilities. She has been named one of the best doctors in America in Castle and Connolly’s Guide to America’s Top Doctors for 2015.

Dr. Bockbrader has worked closely with Ian and the Battelle neural bypass research and development team to translate decoded brain signals into functional movements of Ian’s arms and hands. Learn more at the session: Hacking the Brain to Treat Paralysis.