Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Lehigh University Announce Partnership to Advance Rehabilitation Tools, Technology and Research

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Lehigh University announced the creation of a partnership to advance the future of rehabilitation through joint research opportunities addressing innovations in care for a range of injuries and conditions.

Leaders from both organizations made the formal announcement at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Center Valley on Friday morning, during National Rehabilitation Awareness Week, which is Sept. 15-21.

Combining Lehigh’s research excellence with Good Shepherd’s hands-on clinical expertise and century-plus track record of caring for people with disabilities, early examples of key projects include:

• Partnering on a wayfinding app that uses robotic mapping technologies to develop digital indoor maps that improve accessibility for people with disabilities
  
• Studying wearable technology that helps people with dysphagia, a swallowing disorder affecting more than 9 million adults annually
  
• Conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment to understand the needs of children and adults with autism and other neurodivergent conditions in the greater Lehigh Valley
  
• Re-engineering a recreational therapy table gaming system that offers a source of joy and connection for residents of Good Shepherd Home-Bethlehem, a long-term care home for people with severe disabilities, to play and interact from their wheelchairs
  
• Identifying barriers to ensure adolescents in the Lehigh Valley continue to access augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices as they transition out of high school

One of the first deliverables of the partnership is the joint appointments of Dr. Juan Carlos Aceros and Dr. Shirin Madarshahian. While serving as faculty at Lehigh, they also serve as research scientists at Good Shepherd — a dual role designed to embed leading scholars into clinical settings and co-develop practical solutions that improve care and outcomes. Dr. Aceros focuses on developing technology to support people with mobility and communication challenges to improve their independence, while Dr. Madarshahain explores movement and coordination in people with neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury, stroke and Parkinson’s disease.

“This partnership is so exciting because it helps deeply integrate engineering, neuroscience and data science expertise, all things Lehigh University excels at directly into Good Shepherd’s programs and services for people with disabilities” said Good Shepherd Rehabilitation President & CEO Michael Spigel, PT, MHA. “Together, we can turn research into practical solutions—new tools, techniques, and discoveries that make a real difference in our patients’ lives. By joining forces with Lehigh’s nationally recognized researchers, we now have greater ability to tackle real-world challenges with innovation grounded with collaboration.”

Good Shepherd specializes in treatment of spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, major multi-trauma, pulmonary disease, respiratory failure, musculoskeletal/orthopedics and complex pediatric conditions. Based in Allentown, Good Shepherd serves more than 530,000 outpatient visits and 2,600 admissions annually.

“Growth of research and enhancing partnerships are important priorities within Lehigh’s Inspiring the Future Makers strategy,” said Nathan Urban, Lehigh University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Creation of our new University Research Center for Community Driven Assistive Technologies (CDAT) has been a key initiative for Lehigh. These joint positions with Good Shepherd will help us to advance this critical work by providing deep connections for Lehigh faculty with clinicians and patients. With an aging American population and increasing rates of disability, we see new technologies for assessing and assisting individuals with disability as critical for ensuring the health and economic vitality of our region and country. Partnerships like this one with Good Shepherd will be critical as Lehigh seeks to play a larger role in research connecting health data, technology and policy.” 

In August 2024, Good Shepherd and Lehigh University formalized the partnership through a signed Memorandum of Understanding, laying out a 10-year vision to include interdisciplinary research collaborations, joint faculty appointments to bridge academic research and clinical practice and a jointly funded seed program to support new research.

Led by Lehigh’s College of Health, the collaboration is redefining how academic and clinical institutions work together to improve the lived experience of people with disabilities. The partnership creates new opportunities for meaningful engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration from all five colleges across Lehigh University. Faculty members from the College of Health, P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, and College of Education have already partnered with Good Shepherd on multiple research projects, including participation by nearly 20 undergraduate and graduate students. Lehigh’s Center for Community-Driven Assistive Technologies (CDAT) was established this year to positively impact the lives of people with disabilities across the lifespan by creating and evaluating assistive technologies.

“This partnership is a major milestone for the College of Health and the university as we expand our research impact in health and healthcare,” said Beth Dolan, dean of the College of Health. “By joining forces with Good Shepherd, we’re able to recruit outstanding faculty whose work relies on clinical environments and will, in turn, offer innovative solutions applicable to clinical practice. This collaboration provides a unique opportunity for our faculty and students to address real-world health challenges and make a tangible impact on the lives of people with disabilities in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.”