HIGHER EDUCATION
VTC School of Medicine and Research Institute Having an impact in Roanoke, across the region and around the world
Michael Friedlander, executive director and professor of biological sciences, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
by Shawna Morrison
C
hildren from around the world who have cerebral palsy and are unable to use their arms are receiving treatment that essentially reprograms their brains, allowing their arms to work properly in a matter of weeks. New methods are being developed that chemically enable injuries to the heart and wounds elsewhere in the body to heal themselves faster and more efficiently.
Photo by Jim Stroup, courtesy Virginia Tech
Brain scanners – machines similar to MRIs – across the world are linked together, enabling researchers to study how brains interact with one another, potentially leading scientists to understand why the brain essentially breaks down with conditions like depression, Parkinson’s disease, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder. And all that research is happening in Roanoke? “I think many people have no
idea what goes on here,” says Dr. Michael Friedlander, founding executive director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. Friedlander speaks passionately about the important research taking place here and the implications it can have on the health of people worldwide. The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute got its start in 2007, when then-Virginia Tech President ROANOKE BUSINESS
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