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Dr. James Christensen is Director of Pediatric Rehabilitation and a research scientist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. He is also Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Biographical Sketch:
Dr. Christensen attended Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln before going on to medical school at the University of Nebraska in Omaha. He came to Johns Hopkins in 1975 for a residency in pediatrics, and completed a fellowship in developmental pediatrics at KKI. Dr. Christensen also completed the Sinai-Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency in 1992. Dr. Christensen twice received the Golden Goniometer Award (from the Sinai-Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residents, for recognition of outstanding teaching by a faculty member). Today he is Vice President of Pediatric Rehabilitation and the Director of the Rehabilitation Continuum of Care at Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Research Summary:
Dr. Christensen studies the outcome of traumatic brain injury, including clinical predictors of longterm outcome, the relationship of acute ICU physiological variables with longterm outcome, and the effect of acute of administration of Magnesium during acute hospitalization on short and longterm outcome.
Dr. Christensen also evaluates models of care for the delivery of rehabilitation services to children with acute brain injuries. Under Dr. Christensen�s direction, the Kennedy Krieger Institute Rehabilitation Program has developed a unique rehabilitation continuum of care, with the ability to provide acute, intense, coordinated rehabilitation services in three settings: the hospital, a day-hospital program set in a education setting, and in the home and community, all under one case management umbrella.
In addition, Dr. Christensen studies Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of cortical activity during recovery from coma, after traumatic brain injury.
Recent Publications/Presentations:
Hattiangadi N, Pillion JP, Slomine B, Christensen JR, Trovato M, Speedie LJ, Characteristics of Auditory Agnosia in a Child with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Report. Brain and Language (in press)
Slomine BS, Brintzenhofeszoc K, Salorio CF, Warren L, Wieczorek BH, Carney J, Moore DA, Christensen JR. A method for performance evaluation using WeeFIM data collected for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' ORYX initiative: The 0.5 band control chart analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:512-6.
Vasa RA, Grados M, Slomine B, Herskovits EH, Thompson RE, Salorio C, Christensen J, Wursta C, Riddle MA, Gerring JP. Neuroimaging correlates of anxiety after pediatric traumatic brain injury. Biol Psychiatry 2004;55:208-16.
Slomine BS, Gerring JP, Grados MA, Vasa R, Brady KD, Christensen J, Denckla MB. Performance on measures of executive function following pediatric traumatic brain injury. Brain Injury 2002;16:759-72.
Vasa RA, Gerring JP, Grados M, Slomine B, Christensen JR, Rising W, Denckla MB, Riddle MA. Anxiety after severe pediatric closed head injury. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2002;41:148-56.
Gerring JP, Slomine B, Vasa RA, Grados M, Chen A, Rising W, Christensen JR, Denckla MB, Ernst M. Clinical predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder after closed head injury in children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2002;41:157-65. |
