Kevin Kilgore

Dr. Kilgore is a jointly-appointed Professor in the Departments of Orthopaedics and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the MetroHealth Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine. His research is the use of neuroprosthetics to improve function ins spinal cord injury (SCI). He has over 30 years of experience in the design, implementation and clinical application of implantable neuroprosthetic and neuromodulation systems. Together with Dr. Hunter Peckham and Mr. Brian Smith, he has helped develop the Networked Neuroprosthetic (NNP) System, which is a modular implantable system. Over the past twenty years, Dr. Kilgore, along with Dr. Niloy Bhadra, pioneered the field of electrical nerve conduction block. This work uses innovative electrical waveforms, including kilohertz frequency alternating current (KHFAC) and direct current (DC), to achieve a reversible block of the conduction of action potentials in nerves. This work has significant potential for use in the treatment of a variety of diseases including muscle spasticity and chronic pain. Through the dissemination of our results and through technology transfer, electrical nerve block has become used in a variety of clinical applications, including obesity treatment (vagal nerve), amputee pain treatment, and spinal cord stimulation.