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| 2027 Fellow of ASIA (FASIA) Award Congratulations to the 2027 Fellows of ASIA (FASIA), Monica Perez, PT, PhD; Philip Requejo, PhD; Éimear Smith, MD; and Argyrios Stampas, MD, MS. Fellowship in the American Spinal Injury Association (FASIA) is bestowed by the Board of Directors in recognition of distinguished accomplishments within the fields of spinal cord injury research, clinical practice, education and advocacy, and for a longstanding active membership of service to the society. The designation of FASIA recognizes prominent contributions to, and support of, ASIA’s policies, practices, operations, and goals, which together advance its organizational mission. |
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Monica Perez, PT, PhD is the Scientific Chair of the Arms + Hands Lab at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University, and a Research Scientist at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital. She has studied the neural mechanisms underlying voluntary movement in healthy humans and people with spinal cord injury for over 20 years. Her research aims to understand how the brain and spinal cord contribute to motor control, with the ultimate goal of using this mechanistic information to develop more effective rehabilitation therapies for people with spinal cord injury. Her research is primarily focused on neurophysiology and combines transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetic resonance imaging, electrical stimulation, and behavioral techniques. She received the Outstanding Neurorehabilitation Clinician Scientist Award from the American Society of Neurorehabilitation, the NINDS Research Program Award (R35), and the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Award from the International Spinal Cord Society. | |
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Philip Requejo, PhD, is Chief Executive Officer of the Rancho Research Institute (RRI) and Co-Director of the Rehabilitation Engineering Program at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (RLANRC) in Downey, California. He also serves as Project Co-Director for the Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SoCal-SCIMS), a role he has held since 2011. Dr. Requejo earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach, and his Ph.D. in Kinesiology and Biomechanics from the University of Southern California. Over more than 25 years in rehabilitation research, his work has centered on preserving mobility and shoulder function in individuals with spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions, spanning wheelchair propulsion biomechanics, assistive technology design, and dynamic modeling of human movement. He has co-directed two federally funded Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers — on Spinal Cord Injury and on Aging with a Disability — and has led numerous NIH- and NIDILRR-funded studies on shoulder pain prevention, car-transfer safety, and telehealth-based activity monitoring for SCI. A longtime contributor to the American Spinal Injury Association, Dr. Requejo has served on ASIA’s Research Committee and is currently vice-chair of Awards and member of the Membership Committee. | |
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Dr. Éimear Smith is a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at the National Rehabilitation & Mater Misericordiae University Hospitals, Dublin. Following Basic Specialist Training in General Internal Medicine and Higher Specialist Training in Rehabilitation Medicine in Dublin, she completed sub-specialist training in SCI Medicine/Rehabilitation at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre. Higher research degree (MD) was awarded for a study on bone health following SCI, brain injury and limb loss.
Areas of special clinical interests include paediatric SCI, acute SCI care including ventilatory management, restoration of upper limb function in tetraplegia and long-term medical complications of SCI. Dr. Smith has peer reviewed publications on many aspects of SCI including patient/public involvement in preclinical SCI research, epidemiology, pain management, nontraumatic SCI outcomes and osteoporosis. Dr. Smith is a former or current member of the ASIA education. communications and Steel committees, as well as an associate editor of Topics in SCI Rehabilitation. She currently serves on the Scientific Committee of the Inspire Foundation (UK) |
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Argyrios Stampas, MD, MS, is Professor and Vice Chair of Research and Innovation in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School and Director of Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Research at TIRR Memorial Hermann. A clinician-scientist specializing in spinal cord injury rehabilitation, Dr. Stampas has built his career around advancing the care of people living with SCI through clinical innovation, translational research, mentorship, and service to the field. His research addresses patient-prioritized challenges in SCI, with particular contributions in neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction, neuromodulation, and improving access to specialized care. An active member of the American Spinal Injury Association since 2010, he has contributed through longstanding committee service and leadership, including as Chair of the Program Committee and Chair of the Membership Committee. Dr. Stampas is also deeply committed to mentoring physician-researchers and developing the next generation of leaders who will advance SCI care and research. | |
| The 2027 FASIA recipients will be honored during the Annual Scientific Meeting in Charlotte, NC, on March 5. | ||
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