Adam Rouse, M.D., Ph.D., joins neurosurgery faculty
Adam Rouse, M.D., Ph.D., named assistant professor in neurosurgery
Adam Rouse, M.D., Ph.D., was named director of basic research in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Rouse, who joined the department as an assistant professor on September 1, spent the past two years as a research assistant professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he also was a postdoctoral fellow for five years.
"This is a unique opportunity being a researcher in a clinical department," Rouse said. "This is really a forward-thinking model that KU and other medical centers are stressing by getting basic scientists into clinical departments so the loop between basic science research and clinical translation can be closed or shortened. Being in this environment is one of the reasons I chose to come here."
Rouse's research principally focuses on the integration of hand, finger and arm movements. More specifically, he studies how the brain encodes those movements as well as how to use brain signals to interface, or "talk," to computers in order to control an external device such as a cursor on a computer screen or a robotic arm.
The direct implications of Rouse's work may be that someone with a brain injury or a neurological condition would be better able to reach for or grasp objects or utilize enhanced brain-computer interface technology. But, there are broader possibilities such as better descriptions of how brain areas communicate, which can lead to new rehabilitation and neuromodulation therapies for different neurologic diseases.
Rouse earned a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering and economics at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also earned a medical degree and a doctorate in biomedical engineering. Away from the lab, he enjoys sports and travel, having visited 42 states, Australia and Europe. To learn more, visit Rouse's faculty bio.