Dr. Steven Flanagan (center), flanked by Rusk colleagues Dr. Jeffrey Cohen and Dr. Jung Ahn. (Photo by John Abbott)

"There’s No Place Better"

Q&A with Steven Flanagan, MD, Chairman of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Medical Director of the Rusk Institute

You’ve been chairman of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine for a little over a year. What are your impressions of the Rusk Institute and its people?
I’ve been impressed with the tremendous amount of talent at Rusk and at NYU Langone Medical Center overall. We have what is probably the only inpatient cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program in the city with such close collaboration with a Division of Cardiology. We have the only acute inpatient pediatric rehabilitation program in the metropolitan area, with two physiatrists who are also trained in pediatrics. Beyond our physicians and nurses, we have a terrific group of therapists, social workers, and support staff. It’s become clear to me why Rusk is rated number one in New York State.

What does it take to be the best?
From a clinical perspective, there’s no place better than Rusk. I’m always encouraging our staff to get out there and tell—show—what we’re doing and how good we are. That said, I’d like a more seamless continuum of patient care, from the point of entry to lifelong follow-up. I’m also looking to enhance our research program. We’ve just recruited Tamara Bushnik, PhD, a renowned brain and spinal cord injury researcher, and we’re negotiating with three other world-class scientists. They contacted us, which means there’s a buzz out there.

What drew you to traumatic brain injury as a specialty?
I was thinking of going into psychiatry or neurology until one night on call in my third year of medical school. Someone pulled out a reference book and read the entry on rehabilitation medicine—I’d never even heard of it—and how it included neurology, psychiatry, internal medicine, and most appealingly, long-term follow-up for people with disabilities. I thought, “Wow!” Then, I spent a day during my winter break at the Kessler Institute in New Jersey, where I followed a physician who did spinal cord injury medicine. I was hooked.

How was the choice received by your advisors and fellow students?
Some of them thought I was nuts. “Why would you want to deal with patients that had cognitive and behavioral problems?” they said. But it fit my personality. I like developing long-term relationships with patients. You’re also getting cases that other people have given up on. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing, say, a young adult come in with a severe traumatic brain injury, perhaps even in a nonfunctioning state, and then watch that person not only walk out, but go on to become a very productive citizen. Even for those patients who don’t achieve such dramatic results, there are so many ways of measuring success. That’s why I like going to work every day.

What would you say to a bicyclist who doesn’t wear a helmet?
“Here’s my card.” Not only can wearing a helmet save your life, but it can severely decrease the amount of injury you sustain in an accident. When little kids see adults riding without a helmet, they’re more likely to say, “Mommy, Daddy—he’s not wearing a helmet. Why should I?” It’s your moral obligation.

How are you reaching out to other departments to advance the science of rehabilitation medicine?
Any disease that afflicts humans can cause a disability, so we’re always interacting with other departments. The collaborative network here is amazing. Whenever I’ve reached out to any chair or department head, I’ve got nothing but a warm, immediate response. Dean Grossman’s charge is that we’re one Medical Center. To be truly world-class, we have to work together.

What have you learned about the human spirit from your work?
Imagine being perfectly healthy one moment and devastatingly injured the next. Yet, very few people give up. Even families, not knowing what the future will bring, hold it together, participate in therapy, and help their loved one make incredible improvements. Despite lingering disabilities, many patients not only survive, but thrive. The spirit of these people is inspirational.