profiles in research ANDREW SMITH, PT, DPT, PHD

The CU Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the CU Physical Therapy Program are fortunate to count Dr. Andrew Smith as one of our own. A prolific researcher in spinal cord injury, Dr. Smith has received numerous grants and awards in 2022 including the APTA Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Spinal Cord Injury SIG Research Award, a Boettcher Foundation Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Award, an NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development K01 award, and the 2022 American Spinal Injury Association Translational Research or Human Neuroscience Studies in Spinal Cord Injury (TRoHNS) Award. He was also named a 2022 Jayanthi Lectureship Recipient by the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals.

In layman’s terms, tell us about the specific research you are doing?

This is an exciting time for spinal cord injury (SCI) research. Spinal cord stimulation can restore voluntary movement to individuals even with severe cases of SCI. My research aims to understand why it works and who will best respond to it.

What are your ultimate goals as it relates to your various research projects?

My two major goals are to: 1) discover optimal ways of applying spinal cord imaging to guide and improve clinical management of individuals who sustained a SCI; 2) bring epidural spinal cord stimulation to people with severe SCI here in Denver.

Who are you working with for your various investigations?

Our lab at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, the SCI Imaging Research Lab (SCIRL) includes our PhD student, Dr. Wesley Thornton. We collaborate with multiple sites, including the Denver VA SCI Center and Craig Hospital, and more recently with CU Anschutz Neurosurgery. I also want to recognize my K01 mentors including Dr. Stevens-Lapsley (my primary mentor), along with Dr. Rejc (University of Louisville), Drs. Berliner and Tefertiller (Craig Hospital), and my colleague Dr. Weber (Stanford).

What does receiving these awards mean to you personally?

I am so grateful. It has been such a solid feeling of validation that our work is important, and the financial support for the development of Dr. Thornton and me is vital.

What is your favorite part about being a researcher within the CU Department of PM&R and the CU Physical Therapy Program?

The level of support and mentorship from the leadership has been remarkable thanks to folks like Drs. Akuthota, Brenner, Harris-Love, and Stevens-Lapsley. The pre-award and post-award teams certainly make life easier on me as well.

Has anything surprised you this year as you have embarked on your various research endeavors?

It was not a surprise, but more of an unwelcome reminder that there is a lot of rejection in research – I continue to work through numerous grant rejections and manuscript rejections despite some successes. We must develop a thick skin and keep moving forward.

What advice would you give to aspiring or new researchers in the field?

Allow yourself to be inspired. Draw inspiration from your patients. Savor those joyful interactions with them and stay curious as to how to improve their condition.