Solon Doctor Honored For Work in Spinal Cord Research

The American Paraplegia Society of the American Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals has awarded its 2011 Excellence Award to Anthony F. DiMarco, M.D., Research Scientist at MetroHealth Medical Center. The honor was given to Dr. DiMarco at the American Paraplegia Society meeting in Las Vegas last month.

DiMarco is a Solon resident.

This lifetime achievement award is given to a physician or scientist in honor of significant research or clinical contributions to the international community of spinal cord injury professionals.

For more than two decades, Dr. DiMarco has been a leader in researching the restoration of respiratory muscle function in persons with spinal cord injury. He has received more than $14 million in funding as a Principal Investigator by the National Institutes of Health and the Food & Drug Administration over the past 25 years. His work has led to more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, more than 150 abstracts and numerous presentations at national and international meetings. Dr. DiMarco holds nine patents on new technology to restore respiratory muscle function in spinal cord injury.

Dr. DiMarco was the principal investigator on a project with the late Christopher Reeve that resulted in the actor being able to breathe without the use of a ventilator. Most recently, Dr. DiMarco has been focused on methods to restore expiratory muscle function in spinal cord injury to allow spinal cord injured patients to cough.

Dr. DiMarco is a Professor of Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Physiology and Biophysics at Case Western Reserve University.