Dr. Andrea Behrman: Never Underestimate the Spinal Cord

Welcome to another episode of Luminate: Navigating the Unknown Through Creative Leadership.  Host Sarah Hempstead sits down with Dr. Andrea Behrman, professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Louisville and director of the Kosair for Kids Center for Pediatric Neurorecovery. Together they talk about a career spent rewriting what recovery looks like for children living with paralysis. Listeners will hear about: Dr. Behrman's path from frustrated clinician to scientist, and the three-and-a-half-year-old patient whose first steps changed the direction of her career Activity-based therapy built around "play with a purpose," and what it means to retrain the spinal cord from the bottom up How a new, unified space changed the program, from family-centered rooms shaped by parents' input to the "cohesion" staff found under one roof Where the science is headed next, including non-invasive spinal stimulation, a whole-body approach to recovery, and a growing global network of specialized centers It's a conversation about curiosity, partnership, and learning not to "resist the flow of circumstances." It's also about what becomes possible when clinicians, scientists, families, and designers sit at the same table. 🔗 Subscribe and follow us at @SchmidtAssociates on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. #WeAreSchmidt