Good Shepherd Rehabilitation joins Moravian University to advance rehab care

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Moravian University have formed a partnership to explore and develop educational and research opportunities that advance the rehabilitation industry.

While some elements of the partnership, including cross-training and education, begin immediately, the partnership will achieve full fruition with the opening of the Good Shepherd | Moravian University 3D Experience, a 3D printing lab that will be located at Good Shepherd’s four-story, 76-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital set to open in Center Valley in early 2023.

“This partnership will have far-reaching impacts for our patients with disabilities, particularly when it comes to envisioning and creating customized solutions that can benefit one person or many people,” said Michael Spigel, president & CEO of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, Allentown. “The ability to have our clinicians create an idea on paper to potentially change the life of someone with a disability, take that two-dimensional idea and create a three-dimensional product through the technical and clinical collaboration with Moravian is incredible.”

The Good Shepherd | Moravian University 3D Experience will be housed in the new rehabilitation hospital’s Experience Center, a hub to explore and research technological mega-trends — 3D printing, automation technology, wearables, artificial intelligence and more — that have the potential to advance rehabilitation practices for people with stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury and other disabilities.

The partnership is the first of its kind between Moravian, Bethlehem and Good Shepherd, and focuses on several key objectives:

· Implement an innovative 3D printing center in a rehabilitation setting

· Create and carry out a progressive research agenda

· Develop and serve as thought leaders

· Provide advanced training and education to current and next-generation rehabilitation professionals

· Influence the rehabilitation industry

“In short, we are designing the future,” said Byron Grisby, Moravian University president. “Our faculty are producing the next generation of occupational therapists and physical therapists that will be working in the field, and this opportunity allows us to explore ways to research new techniques and technologies in a practical environment. Good Shepherd is a leader in rehabilitation, and we’re able to use the actual practical nature of working with patients with these new products, see how they work and publish that information to the rest of the world.”