LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Orthopaedic Institute for Children announced today the expansion of the UCLA/OIC Center for Cerebral Palsy to the institute’s downtown Los Angeles campus. The current center is housed at UCLA in West Los Angeles. Concurrent with this expansion OIC also announced the appointment of Rachel Thompson, M.D., as the center’s new associate director.
Cerebral palsy is the most common childhood disability in the United States, affecting more than 760,000 children and adults nationally. The UCLA/OIC Center for Cerebral Palsy is the only interdisciplinary clinic in Southern California that evaluates and treats people with cerebral palsy throughout the lifespan. The center includes a comprehensive outpatient clinic and the Kameron Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory (providing an in-depth understanding of a patient’s movement patterns). Under the leadership of Co-Founder and Director William Oppenheim, M.D., the center is also heavily involved in research in the field of cerebral palsy and in educating both consumers and professionals as to the most up-to-date assessment and treatment approaches for people with cerebral palsy.
Dr. Thompson comes to OIC from A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children at the University of Delaware where she completed a fellowship in neuromuscular orthopaedics. She completed her first fellowship in pediatric orthopaedics and scoliosis at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children at the University of Texas in Dallas. Dr. Thompson attended medical school at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago. Her primary area of practice is pediatric orthopaedics, with a specialization in neuromuscular orthopaedics/cerebral palsy.
“I am thrilled to join a center of this renown where children with cerebral palsy are evaluated by doctors in various specialties and a physical therapist who work together to treat the complexities of cerebral palsy,” said Dr. Thompson. “Here patients and their families are an integral part of the decision-making process, and treatments are tailored to meet the individual patient’s goals and needs. And most importantly, ability is emphasized over disability.”
In addition to her role as new associate director of the center, Thompson is also an assistant clinical professor in the department of orthopaedics at UCLA. Currently she is studying alternative treatment for stiff-knee gait surgery in patients with cerebral palsy and evaluating the effects of utilizing a co-surgeon in neuromuscular spine and lower extremity surgery.
Cerebral palsy is a developmental disorder of posture and movement caused by an injury to the brain during fetal development, during or shortly after birth or during infancy. While the damage to the brain is not progressive, the associated motor problems and muscle contractures are, necessitating a lifelong relationship with an orthopaedic surgeon and his or her team. A child born with cerebral palsy will become an adolescent and later an adult with cerebral palsy. Depending on the location and extent of the injury, the clinical features may vary from barely noticeable to severe and can affect movement, balance, speech, vision and coordination.
About Orthopaedic Institute for Children
Orthopaedic Institute for Children (OIC) was founded in 1911 as Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital. Focused solely on musculoskeletal conditions in children, Orthopaedic Institute for Children receives 60,000 patient visits each year. In alliance with UCLA Health and with the support of the OIC Foundation, we advance pediatric orthopaedics worldwide through outstanding patient care, medical education and research. Our locations in downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Westwood and Calexico treat the full spectrum of pediatric orthopaedic disorders and injuries. For more information, visit us at ortho-institute.org.
