Stroke Rehabilitation

MIT alum Totman builds career in brain injury medicine after BrainTrust days

Alissa Totman, a 2013 MIT graduate, now works as a physician specializing in brain injury medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, treating adults with head trauma, stroke, and brain tumors. She traces her path into the field to her undergraduate involvement with MIT BrainTrust, a student group pairing MIT students with people living with brain injuries.

technologyreview.com · 2026-10-20

Purdue and MIT researchers build AI robot that learns stroke rehab from therapists

Johannes Lachner, now an assistant professor at Purdue, and former MIT visiting student Noah Geiger developed a robotic system that combines generative AI with real-time force feedback to learn from human physical therapists. The system then applies this learned behavior to assist stroke patients with exercises such as reaching, raising their arms, and practicing daily living tasks, adjusting the level of help it provides.

technologyreview.com · 2026-10-20