What if someone you love suffered a serious injury or illness and the advanced rehabilitation services they needed weren’t available? Recovery could become frustrating and overwhelming, with basic tasks like walking or speaking feeling impossible. Innovators in healthcare technology change this by combining compassionate care with tools like brain-computer interfaces (BCI), exoskeletons, telemedicine, and AI-powered therapies.
Their work goes beyond treating symptoms—it helps patients reclaim mobility, independence, and hope. By introducing groundbreaking, patient-focused solutions, these innovators bridge the gap between technology and care, making recovery faster, smarter, and more effective for those who need it most.
A key figure in driving these advancements is Dr. Barry Jordan, Chief Medical Officer at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.Â
With deep expertise in neuroimaging and genetics, he leads and supports cutting-edge research and the implementation of innovative solutions, including:
- Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI): Allow patients to control devices and regain functional independence.
- Exoskeleton-assisted mobility: Helps patients relearn walking and regain strength.
- Functional ultrasound imaging: Provides real-time monitoring of brain activity.
- Augmentative communication systems: Support daily living for patients with communication challenges.
Under his leadership, the center has expanded its rehabilitation capacity to serve underserved populations and has integrated emerging technologies like AI, telemedicine, and vagal nerve stimulation, positioning the organization as a leader in patient care.
Dr. Jordan emphasizes compliance, safety, and ethical standards, ensuring experimental procedures undergo rigorous review, while fostering collaborations with other innovators to expand the center’s technological reach. Thanks to his guidance, patients regain independence through advanced therapies, and the organization has strengthened its reputation as a safety-net hospital. Through his vision and active involvement, Dr. Jordan continues to drive organizational growth and reshape the future of rehabilitation healthcare with innovation, patient-centered strategies, and compassionate leadership.
A Lifelong Passion for Healthcare Technology
Dr. Barry Jordan has always been deeply interested in healthcare technology, with a particular focus on advances in neuroimaging and genetics. Early in his career, he applied advanced neuroimaging techniques to assess brain injuries in athletes experiencing repetitive head trauma, helping to understand the long-term effects of such injuries.
He also conducted research exploring how specific genes may influence recovery outcomes from these injuries. Given Rancho Los Amigos’ longstanding reputation as a leader in rehabilitation healthcare and its commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology with patient care, joining the center was a natural step in his journey. It allowed him to contribute to an organization that aligns with his vision of innovation-driven, patient-centered rehabilitation.
Restoring Health and Rebuilding Lives
The mission of Rancho Los Amigos is to restore health, rebuild lives, and bring hope to individuals facing life-changing illnesses, injuries, or disabilities. Central to this mission is a patient-focused approach that prioritizes the individual needs of each patient. Under Dr. Jordan’s leadership, the center has embraced innovation by supporting research initiatives, implementing emerging technologies, and fostering a culture where clinical breakthroughs are translated into practical, life-improving patient care.
Advanced Care
Dr. Barry Jordan supports and guides the center’s clinical researchers, helping implement technologies that directly enhance patient outcomes:
- Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) program: Led by Dr. Charles Liu, helps patients regain functional independence.
- Epilepsy Monitoring Unit: Under Dr. Susan Shaw, advances care for complex epilepsy cases.
- Vagal Nerve Stimulators: Treat intractable epilepsy.
- Pathokinesiology Lab: Uses advanced technology for precise gait analysis.
- Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology (CART): Provides augmentative communication systems and electronic aids to assist daily living.
Ensuring Safe and Continuous Care During COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine became an essential tool at Rancho Los Amigos, allowing patients to continue receiving care safely through virtual visits while minimizing exposure to infectious agents. While the full potential of AI in rehabilitation is still being explored, it is clear that technology can never replace the human aspects of care, such as empathy and compassion.
Among the center’s innovative advancements is functional ultrasound imaging, which enables clinicians to monitor brain activity through an acoustically transparent cranial window. This technique involves replacing part of the skull with a customized translucent implant, providing real-time, detailed observation of neurological structures and functional processes, and allowing for more precise and effective patient care.
Funding Shortages Impact Healthcare Technology
One of the main challenges in adopting new healthcare technologies is the reduction in government funding for advanced research and development. To address this, Dr. Jordan emphasizes the importance of private sector involvement and investment in emerging technologies, ensuring that innovation continues even in the face of funding constraints.
Collaborative Efforts to Revolutionize Rehabilitation Healthcare
Rancho Los Amigos is actively exploring partnerships with leading companies in the field of BCI, focusing on technologies where implanted computer chips can enhance and support neurological function. These collaborations aim to expand the center’s technological capabilities and accelerate the translation of research into practical patient care.
AI Improves DiagnosticsÂ
Dr. Barry Jordan is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of AI in rehabilitative healthcare. While AI can significantly enhance diagnostic and treatment processes, he stresses that it can never replace the empathetic and compassionate aspects of patient care, which remain central to rehabilitation success.
Real-World Success Stories
Here are some notable examples where innovative technologies at Rancho Los Amigos have directly transformed patient outcomes:
- Robotic arm control: Using BCI technology, a paralyzed patient was able to control a robotic arm with their thoughts, allowing them to perform everyday tasks such as drinking from a cup independently. This breakthrough demonstrates how cutting-edge neurotechnology can restore a sense of autonomy and improve the quality of life for patients with severe motor impairments.
- Exoskeleton-assisted walking: Advanced exoskeleton therapies enabled patients with limited mobility to relearn walking, regain strength, and restore independence in their daily activities. By providing both physical support and targeted rehabilitation, these devices have helped patients achieve milestones that were previously considered impossible, transforming recovery outcomes.
Rigorous IRB Review
All experimental technologies at Rancho Los Amigos undergo rigorous Institutional Review Board (IRB) review to ensure patient safety and minimize potential risks. Procedures that are considered too risky are not pursued, ensuring that innovation is balanced with ethical responsibility and patient well-being.
Providing Care for Underserved Populations
Rancho Los Amigos recently expanded its rehabilitation bed capacity from 75 to 100, improving access for underserved populations. Neurorehabilitation services are often limited for individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and Rancho Los Amigos’s role as a safety-net hospital ensures that these patients receive the specialized care they might otherwise be denied.
The Future of Rehabilitation
Dr. Barry Jordan shares that neuro-restoration is shaping the future of neurorehabilitation, offering the potential to restore neurological function through stem cells, AI, and other emerging technologies. He emphasizes that existing methods can also be applied in innovative ways—for example, combining vagal nerve stimulation with therapy to improve upper limb recovery after a stroke.
According to Dr. Barry Jordan, the integration of such technologies promises to make rehabilitation more effective, personalized, and capable of restoring patients’ independence and quality of life.
Dr. Barry Jordan’s 5 Impactful Business Mantras
- Patient-Centered Innovation: Prioritize solutions that directly improve patient outcomes and quality of life.
- Embrace Emerging Technology: Leverage AI, neurotechnology, and rehabilitation tools to advance care.
- Collaborate for Growth: Build partnerships to accelerate research, development, and practical application.
- Ethics and Safety First: Ensure all innovations undergo rigorous review to protect patients and maintain trust.
- Access for All: Expand services to underserved populations, making advanced care inclusive and equitable.
