Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute brings together expert researchers, clinicians, staff, and trainees to advance neurorehabilitation assessment and treatment for a range of neurological conditions. Our close collaborations with clinicians at Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation and Jefferson Health are particularly valuable for developing innovative research projects that address real-world clinical needs. We’re pleased to highlight one of our clinical collaborators, Syed Qadri, MD, in this interview. Dr. Qadri is a board-certified physiatrist working with Dylan Edwards, PhD, in our Human Motor Recovery Laboratory.
1) Can you tell us more about your academic and clinical background?
I’m the son of a physicist and a teacher, so I grew up constantly exposed to science—including participation in lots of science-related extracurricular activities and different internships in high school. I majored in Biochemistry and Neuroscience at the University of Virginia and conducted research related to cardiac ganglion physiology while there. When I graduated, I knew I wanted to pursue my interest in neuroscience research, so I worked at the NIH for several years in a synaptic physiology laboratory before pursuing graduate school at the University of Southern California. While working at the medical center there, I became exposed to the clinical field of physiatry, a field that blended my background and interest in neuroscience with direct patient care. I decided to change gears and pursue clinical work. I went to medical school with the goal of becoming a physiatrist, but I never quite shook the research bug. I took part in stroke rehabilitation research during both medical school and residency. A brain injury fellowship at Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation was a natural next step for both my clinical specialization and development of a research career.
2) What made you want to get involved in research?
I’ve been involved in research of some kind for nearly my entire adult life. It feels nearly second nature to me. Science runs in the family (like I said, my father was a physicist and my brother is a research chemist), so in some ways I’ve been “doomed by heredity.” However, I love the idea of pushing fields forward and asking (and trying one’s best to answer) challenging and interesting questions.
3) Can you share details about the research you are working on at the Institute and your role?
Currently, I’m working on a project looking at the use of different non-invasive brain stimulation techniques to probe neuroplasticity in patients who’ve experienced a TBI (traumatic brain injury). We know that in individuals who’ve had a brain injury or stroke, most recovery happens in the first 6 months post-injury. I hope that by understanding how the brain is able to re-wire itself in this critical window of recovery after a TBI, we can design better rehabilitation interventions to maximize therapeutic gains.
4) How does your clinical experience guide your approach to research, and how does your research experience shape how you engage with patients in the clinic?
That’s a great question—and I think they’re both incredibly complementary. My clinical experiences help inform not only my specific research questions but also how I should be asking these questions—in a way that is sensitive to patients and their families’ needs. In turn, my research experiences make me aware of how many difficulties patients still face when they leave acute rehabilitation facilities. This motivates me to be as considerate and receptive a clinician as possible.
5) Can you tell us more about the impact or potential impact of your work?
My specific projects fall under my longer-term goal of helping improve plasticity in patients with various types of brain injury to help facilitate neurorecovery. If we’re able to gain an objective view into neuroplasticity post-TBI, this will lay the groundwork for a better understanding of how different medications, brain stimulation techniques, and other rehabilitation protocols influence the trajectory of patients’ recoveries.
6) What has it been like working with the team at the Institute?
Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute is such a fantastic place filled with not only incredibly bright and curious minds, but a very fruitful place for collaboration. One of my strongest motivating factors for coming to Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation for a Brain Injury fellowship was the opportunity to engage in cross-talk between scientists and clinicians. I’ve found the relationship between the rehab hospital and research institute to be a fertile ground for research ideas.
7) What is something that you have learned or hope to learn in your role at the Institute?
As a future clinician-scientist, I want to continue to develop my skills in creative experimental design and data analysis, which are obviously critical skills for a successful scientific career. An important aspect of being both a clinician and investigator is being a good science communicator, and I believe that my role at the Institute is helping me hone this expertise.
8) What are your long-term career goals?
My long-term goal is to become a full-fledged, independent clinician-scientist in the fields of brain injury and stroke rehabilitation. This takes not only a significant amount of hard work, but a great deal of support from mentors and colleagues, which is why I feel so lucky to be here.