Jefferson Health and LVHN Celebrate Innovation and Research in Rehabilitation

On Nov. 4, more than 100 rehabilitation professionals and partners gathered at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest for the fourth annual “Rehabilitation: Innovation and Research Event.” This celebration, hosted by LVHN Rehabilitation Services, recognized groundbreaking research, clinical advancements and collaborative efforts that made a significant impact during the past fiscal year.

This year’s program featured:

• Poster presentations showcasing FY25 research and quality improvement projects
• Networking opportunities for professionals committed to advancing rehabilitation across the continuum
• A keynote address from Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
• An awards ceremony honoring excellence in innovation and research
• Awards included Clinical Innovator of the Year, Quality Improvement or Research Project of the Year and the inaugural RISE Award.

Attendees included leaders and clinicians from rehabilitation and ambulatory services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and cardiac rehabilitation, as well as local university partners and students. Colleagues represented every setting – acute care, inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient services.

“This year we are thrilled to welcome keynote speakers from Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute,” says Kasey Hutter, Team Lead, Rehabilitation Operations at LVHN. “Events like this strengthen collaboration with our Jefferson Health partners and help us discover new ways to elevate patient care.”

The event emphasized three core themes:

• Building partnerships for the future – Collaborating with Jefferson Rehabilitation to advance patient-centered care
• Driving innovation for better outcomes – Translating research into transformative interventions
• Commitment to community – Promoting equity, access and compassionate care

Outpatient occupational therapist Jillian Ralph earned this honor for her pioneering work on sleep hygiene in pediatric rehabilitation – an often-overlooked factor in recovery. Ralph developed standardized protocols, tools and education sessions for colleagues, and partnered with physicians in the Sleep Center and the Concussion Clinic to integrate this approach.

Her initiative resulted in a 1,200% increase in pediatric referrals, dramatically improving quality of life for children and families.

This year’s award went to the project “Family Training in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Center (IRC) and Community Discharge.”

The study demonstrated that completing two family training sessions per patient improves discharge-to-home rates. These findings will guide culture change across all IRCs, emphasizing family involvement for optimal outcomes.

Introduced this year, the RISE Award honors inspirational support and empowerment in rehabilitation. Congratulations to the Inpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation Team for their extraordinary care of a young boy recovering from severe burns during an extended hospitalization.

The keynote, “30+ Years of Innovation and Neurorehabilitation Research Excellence,” was delivered by experts from Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute:

• Dylan Edwards, PhD
• Amanda Rabinowitz, PhD
• Sharon Antonucci, PhD

They shared the institute’s history and current research initiatives driving progress in their fields of study which is highly focused on neurorehabilitation.

Congratulations to all honorees for their outstanding contributions to advancing rehabilitation care!