John-Ross Rizzo

John-Ross (JR) Rizzo, M.D., M.S.C.I., is an American physician-scientist known for his significant contributions to the field of healthcare and rehabilitation. He holds the prestigious Melamid Professorship in Rehabilitation (Disability) Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center.[1] Dr. Rizzo has made remarkable strides in the areas of disability inclusion, innovation, and equity within the medical community. At NYU Langone Medical Center, Dr. Rizzo serves as the first Health System Director of Disability Inclusion, a role that reflects his commitment to promoting accessibility and inclusivity within healthcare. Additionally, he holds the position of Vice Chair of Innovation and Equity for the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. Rizzo's impact extends beyond traditional medical boundaries, as he holds cross-appointments in multiple departments. His affiliations include the Department of Neurology, where he contributes to the advancement of neurological sciences, as well as the Departments of Biomedical & Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at New York University Tandon School of Engineering. Within Tandon, he also contributes to the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and plays a vital role as the Associate Director of Healthcare for the NYU Wireless Center.[2] Dr. Rizzo has published 125 peer-reviewed publications, contributed to 12 textbooks, and co-authored many conference proceedings.[3][4] He has been funded by 5 federal agencies and lead/co-lead grants that, in total, well exceed $10M.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

John-Ross Rizzo
NationalityAmerican
Alma materNew York University
EmployerNYU Langone Medical Center
Known forAssistive technology, Eye–hand coordination
WebsiteJohnRoss Rizzo-NYU School of Medicine, RizzoLab

Dr. Rizzo is the founding director of the Visuomotor Integration Laboratory (VMIL).[11] Within this innovative research space, his team explores the intricate dynamics of eye-hand coordination and its relevance to neurological conditions. He also leads the REACTIV Laboratory (Rehabilitation Engineering Alliance and Center Transforming Low Vision), a testament to his dedication to addressing the challenges faced by individuals with visual impairments.[12] Leveraging his own personal experiences with vision loss, he and his team focus on developing low- and high-tech assistive technologies, with a special emphasis on wearables.

In addition to his academic and research pursuits, Dr. Rizzo was appointed in 2023 by Governor Kathy Hochul to the Board of Directors of the The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).[13] This role underscores his commitment to fostering accessibility and inclusivity within the transportation sector, ensuring that individuals with disabilities have equitable access to public transportation systems.

Early life and education

As a young boy, he was diagnosed with Choroideremia, a congenital, X-linked, recessive disease of the retina and choroid, associated with nyctalopia and degenerative peripheral vision. It has deeply influenced his thinking about functional dependencies and his professional goals.

Rizzo completed his undergraduate degree at New York University magna cum laude with an honors thesis in neural science and a double minor in chemistry and psychology. He was a Dean's Scholar and also conferred the Founders Day Award. He completed his medical school training on an academic scholarship at New York Medical College Alpha Omega Alpha (Iota Chapter) Honors and placed in top contention for his medical student research in neuro-ophthalmology under the tutelage of Prof. Sansar Sharma. His residency was completed at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, where he completed a Chief Year and was selected for multiple leadership positions. His fellowship was completed in clinical research through the Physician Scientist Training Program at New York University School of Medicine’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) under a grant from the NIH (NCATS) in partnership with Rusk and the NYU Center for Neural Science / Dept. of Psychology under Prof.Michael S. Landy.

Career

Since 2013 he has been a faculty member working on and creating teams that focus on a number of cutting-edge research foci: the Visuomotor Integration Laboratory (VMIL), focused on eye-hand coordination, as it relates to acquired brain injury (ABI), the REACTIV Laboratory (Rehabilitation Engineering Alliance and Center Transforming Low Vision), focuses on advanced wearables for the sensory deprived.[14]

His quest is to better understand how eye control intersects with hand control during eye-hand coordination after acquired brain injury (ABI) and what role vision and eye movements play in hand-focused motor recovery. As a secondary mission, he has and will continue to focus on leveraging technology in novel applications to better objectify accepted clinical measures, to assist in instrumenting the medical ecosystem to improve medical science, and to create innovative assistive technologies to help foster functional independence.

Awards

Rizzo has won awards for his work in disability research, particularly focused on the intersection of ocular motor and manual motor control and on assistive technology. He was awarded the Crain’s 40 under 40 award in New York Business for his medical devices, including his wearable technology.[15] In 2016, he was conferred the title of “Healthcare Re-writer” by Forbes and KPMG” (having conceptualized or worked on technologies that have the potential to massively transform healthcare).[16] Dr. Rizzo has also been featured in a number of lay articles and also featured in videos and press releases. In 2018, he was a highlighted speaker in NYU's TEDx “Re-Vision” Series.[17] in which he explains his life story and how he made turned his disability into a super power through the use of assistive technology and advanced wearables.[18] In 2018, ACRM recognized John-Ross Rizzo, for contributions to the field made during his early career work and he received the Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award.[19] He was inducted into the Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame that honors those who are making a significant difference in the lives of youth and adults with disabilities through mentoring and to raise awareness about the importance of mentoring for individuals with disabilities(Class2019).[20]He also had the honor of being a recipient of the Rusk Leadership & Innovation Award.[21]

Grants and research

Broadly, Rizzo focuses on the best innovation practices to support novel technologies in clinical applications. He has worked to quantitatively characterize accepted clinical measures and to instrument the medical ecosystem to create algorithmic approaches to care routines.

His research mission is broadly divided into two scientific domains.

The first domain is motor control and behavioral science in brain injury. He seeks to understand how eye control intersects with hand control during eye-hand coordination after acquired brain injury (ABI) and what role vision and eye movements play in motor recovery. His Team was instrumental in characterizing eye-hand dyscoordination in stroke and has worked to translate these findings to other patient populations.[22] The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, among other foundations and governmental sponsors.[22][23][24]

His second domain is assistive technologies. Given his penchant for technology and vision, he coupled his interests and began designing mobility solutions for the visually impaired. While the white cane is still the mainstay with regards to mobility solutions for those with vision loss, it is outdated. Dr.Rizzo and his Team have developed a new mechanical white cane that hybridizes the conventional cane with an adaptive mobility device called "DragonFly". The DragonFly leverages a disparate navigation strategy that avoids the swinging and inefficiencies of current cane use, avoiding frequent musculoskeletal injuries and mitigating falls.[25] He and his team have also developed a new advanced wearable platform that can be considered a sensory augmentative aid with omnidirectional spatial perception. This device maps the environment in three dimensions through the use of distance and ranging sensors, along with sensor fusion, and then selectively re-displays the information via a torso-mounted haptic interface, vibrating the obstacles in the user’s immediate vicinity onto their abdomen spatiotopically. Audio output is also leveraged through a bone conduction headset that also contains a microphone for voice control. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, among other foundations, corporate sponsors, and governmental agencies.[26][27][28]

Selected bibliography
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "Post-stroke Oculomotor Abnormalities evident during Objective Eye Tracking but Not under Clinical Assessment." STROKE. Vol. 46. TWO COMMERCE SQ, 2001 MARKET ST, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103 USA: LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS, 2015.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "Objectifying eye movements during rapid number naming: methodology for assessment of normative data for the King–Devick test." Journal of the neurological sciences 362 (2016): 232-239.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "Sensor fusion for ecologically valid obstacle identification: Building a comprehensive assistive technology platform for the visually impaired." 2017 7th International Conference on Modeling, Simulation, and Applied Optimization (ICMSAO). IEEE, 2017.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "The intersection between ocular and manual motor control: eye–hand coordination in acquired brain injury." Frontiers in neurology 8 (2017): 227.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "Disrupted saccade control in chronic cerebral injury: upper motor neuron-like disinhibition in the ocular motor system." Frontiers in neurology 8 (2017): 12.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "eye control Deficits coupled to hand control Deficits: eye–hand incoordination in chronic cerebral injury." Frontiers in neurology 8 (2017): 330.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "A new primary mobility tool for the visually impaired: A white cane—adaptive mobility device hybrid." Assistive technology 30.5 (2018): 219-225.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "The effect of linguistic background on rapid number naming: implications for native versus non-native English speakers on sideline-focused concussion assessments." Brain injury 32.13-14 (2018): 1690-1699.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "Eye-hand re-coordination: A pilot investigation of gaze and reach biofeedback in chronic stroke." Progress in brain research. Vol. 249. Elsevier, 2019. 361-374.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, Sabrina Paganoni, and Thiru M. Annaswamy. "The “Nuts and Bolts” of Evidence-Based Physiatry: Core Competencies for Trainees and Clinicians." American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation 98.10 (2019): 942-943.
  • Rizzo, John-Ross, et al. "Efficiently Recording the Eye-Hand Coordination to Incoordination Spectrum." Journal of Visualized Experiments 145 (2019): e58885.

References
  1. "JohnRoss Rizzo". med.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  2. "NYU WIRELESS | NYU Tandon School of Engineering". engineering.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  3. "JR (John-Ross) Rizzo". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  4. "My Bibliography - NCBI". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  5. "NSF Award Search: Award # 1952180 - SCC-IRG Track 2: Transportation Gaps and Disability-Related Unemployment: Smarter Cities and Wearables combating Commuting Challenges for the Visually Impaired". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. "NSF Award Search: Award # 2236097 - NSF Convergence Accelerator Track H: Smart Wearables for Expanding Workplace Access for People with Blindness and Low Vision". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  7. "VIS4ION-Thailand (Visually Impaired Smart Service System for Spatial Intelligence and Onboard Navigation) - Resub - 1 - Fogarty International Center @ NIH". Fogarty International Center. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  8. Rizzo, John. "Eye-Hand Coordination in Elderly Stroke Victims: A Functional Visuomotor Rehab St". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. Gardezi, Maaz; Clay, David; Rizzo, Donna; Zia, Asim; McMaine, John. "FW-HTF-RL: Testing a Responsible Innovation Approach for Integrating Precision Agriculture (PA) Technologies with Future Farm Workers and W ork". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. Atashzar, S. Farokh; Rizzo, John Ross. "NSF/FDA SIR: Objective Assessment of Recovery during Post Stroke NeuroRehabilitation Therapy using Brain-Muscle Connectivity Network". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. "Eye–Hand Coordination Rehabilitation Research". NYU Langone Health. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  12. "Assistive Technology Rehabilitation Research". NYU Langone Health. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  13. "John-Ross "JR" Rizzo Joins MTA Board as MTA Board Finance Committee Chair Neal Zuckerman Is Reconfirmed". MTA. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  14. "VMIL & TTML - Rusk Rehabilitation". Med.nyu.edu. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  15. "40 Under 40 - John Ross Rizzo". Crain's New York Business. 6 July 2018.
  16. Melin, Anders. "Hope In Sight For Visually Impaired". Forbes.com.
  17. "TEDxNYU: Re-Vision". Tedxnyu.com.
  18. "TEDxNYU". 4 December 2018.
  19. "EARLY CAREER OUTSTANDING MENTOR AWARD".
  20. "The Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame".
  21. "Rusk 75th Anniversary, Research Symposium" (PDF).
  22. Rizzo, J. R.; Fung, J. K.; Hosseini, M.; Shafieesabet, A.; Ahdoot, E.; Pasculli, R. M.; Rucker, J. C.; Raghavan, P.; Landy, M. S.; Hudson, T. E. (2017). "Eye Control Deficits Coupled to Hand Control Deficits: Eye-Hand Incoordination in Chronic Cerebral Injury". Frontiers in Neurology. 8: 330. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00330. PMC 5512342. PMID 28769866.
  23. Beheshti, M.; Hudson, T. E.; Rizzo, J. R. (2020). "What's the Deal with Eye-Hand Coordination Post-stroke?". American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. 99 (10): 968–969. doi:10.1097/PHM.0000000000001497. PMID 32541349.
  24. Rizzo, J. R.; Beheshti, M.; Shafieesabet, A.; Fung, J.; Hosseini, M.; Rucker, J. C.; Snyder, L. H.; Hudson, T. E. (2019). Eye-hand re-coordination: A pilot investigation of gaze and reach biofeedback in chronic stroke. Progress in Brain Research. Vol. 249. pp. 361–374. doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.04.013. ISBN 9780444642547. PMID 31325995. S2CID 198135621.
  25. "DragonFly cane".
  26. Boldini, Alain; Rizzo, Johnross; Porfiri, Maurizio (2020). "A piezoelectric-based advanced wearable: Obstacle avoidance for the visually impaired built into a backpack". In Kim, Jaehwan (ed.). Nano-, Bio-, Info-Tech Sensors, and 3D Systems IV. p. 5. doi:10.1117/12.2558306. ISBN 9781510635333. S2CID 218981869.
  27. http://mmvc.engineering.nyu.edu/upload/20200620/a/c/An%20assistive%20low-vision%20platform%20that%20augments%20spatial%20cognition%20through%20proprioceptive%20guidance%20-%20Point-to-Tell-and-Touch.pdf
  28. Li, Xiang; Cui, Hanzhang; Rizzo, John-Ross; Wong, Edward; Fang, Yi (2020). "Cross-Safe: A Computer Vision-Based Approach to Make All Intersection-Related Pedestrian Signals Accessible for the Visually Impaired". Advances in Computer Vision. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. Vol. 944. pp. 132–146. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-17798-0_13. ISBN 978-3-030-17797-3. S2CID 182681355.
  • TED Talk: (TED2018)
  • Startup Health Interview
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