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Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Bringing Science to the Community – Introducing Dr. David Putrino

This month we introduce to you Dr. David Putrino, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Putrino's medical career began in Australia, where he completed an undergraduate degree in physiotherapy before carrying out a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Western Australia. On completion of his PhD, Dr. Putrino held teaching positions, both at Curtin University of Technology and Edith Cowan University in Perth in Western Australia, teaching neuroanatomy and neuropathology.


After working as a clinician in Australia Dr. Putrino moved to New York to study computational neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, MIT, and NYU. During his time at NYU he worked as a assistant in the School of Medicine, teaching neuroanatomy and clinical neuroscience. Currently he holds a position, not only as the Director of Rehabilitation Innovation, but also as an Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His work includes developing innovative technology solutions for patients who are in need of better healthcare accessibility. He also lends his technological expertise to the Red Bull High Performance athletics division, consulting with them and using state-of-the-art technologies to monitor, and improve, the performance of athletes.

As well as using his medical training within rehabilitation medicine, and the athletics field, Dr. Putrino believes that it is the responsibility of scientists and medical professionals to add to the education of the community. He believes scientists need to engage the public in science, technological advances, and current research, and to explain why these are such important fields. With this in mind, Dr. Putrino dedicated a portion of his time to co-founding the not-for-profit organization StreetSmart Science. This venture connects scientific mentors with local high schools to get students excited about working in the science sector. The organization currently works with three inner-city high schools in the Bronx and Harlem areas. This passion for community enrichment has also led to Dr. Putrino holding the position of “Chief Mad Scientist” at Not Impossible Labs, an organization that crowd-sources accessible technological solutions for high-impact humanitarian issues.



This interest in community education has brought Dr. Putrino's work into the public eye. He has appeared as a scientific expert on the American Heroes Network as well as having his research featured in a whole range of media, from the ABC, to the LA Times, to the Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed to name but a few. It is his strong passion for using science to help his community, alongside his extensive background in neuroscience and technology, that have led to Dr Putrino becoming an integral part of the Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Innovation team.

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