Segal receives grant for aging-related research

Original Source Neil Segal, M.D., assistant professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation in the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, has received a five-year, $1.18 million grant from the Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging Research Program. Segal was one of only 13 physicians honored with Beeson grants this year. Established in 1995, the Beeson program provides faculty development awards to outstanding junior and mid-career faculty committed to academic careers in aging related research, training and practice. The program is funded by several organizations including the John A. Hartford Foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies, the Starr Foundation and the National Institute on Aging. With this grant, Segal aims to advance treatment of knee osteoarthritis and to reduce disablement in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. In particular, this research will focus on the effects of two rehabilitation interventions on mobility limitations, knee-specific disability, thigh muscle composition, impairments in leg power and quality of life, in a study that will begin in August. The results of this work may lead to more effective rehabilitation and may determine which older adults with painful or stiff knee osteoarthritis will be most likely to benefit from particular rehabilitative interventions. Segal joined the UI faculty in 2004. He received a medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn., and completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. For more information on the Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging Research Programs, visit http://www.beeson.org/index.cfm. STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa Health Science Relations, 5135 Westlawn, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1178