People

Prof. Simona Bar-Haim

Founder & Director

Prof. Simona Bar-Haim, founder and director of The BGU Adi Negev Translational Neurorehabilitation Lab, is a world-renowned expert in the neurorehabilitation of walking in people with Cerebral Palsy (CP), stroke, or traumatic brain injury. A physical therapist, Dr. Bar-Haim holds a Ph.D. in neurophysiology and heads Ben Gurion University of the Negev’s Laboratory for Rehabilitation and Motor Control of Walking. She is the founder of the Middle East Stepping Forward Consortium (MESF), which has made significant strides in the rehabilitative treatment of children and adolescents with CP and persons with CVA, not just in Israel, but throughout the region. Dr. Bar-Haim is devoted to advancing the applied science of her field together with peace between Israel and its neighbors. Bar-Haim is also the co-founder of Step of Mind Ltd.

BGU Motor Control and Rehabilitation lab

Dr. Lior Shmuelof

Head of Science

Dr. Lior Shmuelof is head of science at the Adi-BGU Translational Neurorehabilitation Lab and head of the Brain and Action Lab, Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, BGU.

Shmuelof is interested in the neural basis of brain plasticity as can be seen during the processes of learning and recovery of motor and cognitive functions following brain damage (such as that caused by stroke or TBI). His primary methods are kinematic measurements of movement and structural and functional imaging using MRI.

His team is currently studying the kinematic and neural determinants of stroke recovery during the sub-acute phase, when most of the recovery takes place.

BGU Brain and Action Lab

Dr. Yogev Koren

Postdoctoral fellow

Ph.D. PT, Ben Gurion University

M.Sc. in Physical Therapy at Ben-Gurion University
B.P.T at Tel Aviv University
B.Sc. at Hebrew University

Adi Tayer Yeshurun

Head of Research in Adi Negev

M.Sc. in Physical Therapy at Ben-Gurion University
B.P.T at Ben-Gurion University

Inbar Avni

Ph.D. student in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department at Ben-Gurion University

M.A. in Brain Sciences at Ben-Gurion University
B.Sc. in Biology and Psychology at Ben-Gurion University

Reut Binyamin-Netser

Ph.D. student in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department at Ben-Gurion University

M.Sc. in Neurobiology at Haifa University
B.A in occupational therapy at Haifa University

Prof. Ilana Nisky

Principal Investigator Rehabilitation with Haptic Interfaces

Prof. Ilana Nisky is the head of the Biomedical Robotics Lab is with the Biomedical Engineering Department at Ben Gurion University of the Negev. We apply neuroscience theories about the human sensorimotor control, perception, adaptation, learning, and skill acquisition in the development of human-operated medical and surgical robotic systems. We also use robots, haptic devices, and other mechatronic devices as a platform to understand the human sensorimotor system in real-life tasks like surgery, and in virtual tasks like virtual reality games or rehabilitation of individuals with neurological conditions. We hope that this research will improve the quality of treatment for patients undergoing surgery or rehabilitation, will facilitate better training of surgeons, advance the technology of teleoperation and haptics, and advance our understanding of the brain.

BGU Biomedical Robotics Lab