WEST ORANGE, NJ -- (Marketwire) -- 02/05/13 -- Kessler Foundation has named the leadership of its new Center for Neuroimaging Research, scheduled to open in spring 2013. Physicist Bing Yao, Ph.D., assumed the position of manager on January 7. John DeLuca, Ph.D., VP of Research & Training at Kessler Foundation, will serve as director. Glenn Wylie, DPhil, of Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation, will serve as associate director. The Center's state-of-the-art scanner will be dedicated solely to the Foundation's rehabilitation research in cognition and mobility.

Dr. Yao joined Kessler Foundation from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health, where he conducted neuroimaging research using magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography.

"Dr. Yao's expertise in novel techniques in biomedical engineering and brain signal processing complements the clinical expertise of our excellent research staff," said Dr. DeLuca. As manager, Dr. Yao will be responsible for calibrating and maintaining the scanner as well as interpreting images. He will also pursue his own research and collaborate with Foundation scientists.

"Having a state-of-the-art scanner dedicated to clinical research will set Kessler Foundation apart from other free-standing research facilities," noted Rodger DeRose, president and CEO of Kessler Foundation. "We anticipate expanding our collaborations and accelerating the pace of our research in stroke, multiple sclerosis, and brain and spinal injuries."

"I am very pleased to join Kessler Foundation, which is uniquely positioned to expand our understanding of neurological injuries and diseases," said Dr. Yao. "MRI is an extremely powerful and valuable tool. The addition of the Center, with its state-of-art 3T Siemens Skyra Scanner, will have a great impact on the depth and scope of the Foundation's rehabilitation research."

Dr. Yao received his Ph.D. in Medical Physics from Case Western Reserve University and his B.S. in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China. He is a two-time recipient of the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence and a Distinguished Reviewer for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Dr. Yao belongs to the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Society for Neuroscience, American Physical Society, and American Physiological Society.

About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a large public charity in the field of disability, conducts rehabilitation research in mobility and cognition that advances the care of people with multiple sclerosis, brain injury, stroke and spinal cord injury. Kessler Foundation is one of eight centers in the U.S. to have federally funded model systems for both traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. Kessler Foundation Program Center fosters new approaches to the persistently high rates of unemployment among people disabled by injury or disease. Targeted grant making funds promising programs across the nation.

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