Mindy Lipson Aisen MD is a Board Certified Neurologist with specialty in neurologic rehabilitation. She currently serves as a Chief Medical Officer for Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Hospital, Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, and Director of Neurorehabilitation at the University of Southern California, and Medical Director of Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation.
Dr Aisen was named Director and CEO of the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation now known as the Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation in September 2005; she served as CEO until August 2009 when she became Medical Director of CPIRF and took the position of Chief Medical Officer of Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, CA. Dr. Aisen’s first “job” (at age 18) was designing toys for children receiving care at the Kennedy Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts; one of the toys is now on permanent exhibit at the MIT museum.
Dr. Aisen graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS mechanical engineering) and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (MD). She completed post doctoral clinical training in Neurology at The New York Hospital/Cornell University, and is Board Certified in Neurology. She remained on faculty at Cornell and became Associate Professor and Director of Spinal Injury; it was at this time Dr Aisen was interviewed by USA Today to comment about Christopher Reeve, his prognosis and extent of his injuries. After returning home, Reeve made contact with Aisen and was interested in seeing the Burke/Cornell clinical facilities. It was because of Reeve that a body weight supported treadmill was developed at the Burke Rehabilitation Center/Cornell University.
As Dr. Aisen moved on to serve as National Director of Rehabilitation Research and Development for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington DC, Reeve became one of her most powerful “colleagues and allies ” when seeking out research dollars for veterans with spinal injury. Reeve was generous with his time and energy and worked tirelessly with Aisen for improving care and research relevant to neurological rehabilitation.
As former President of the American Society of Neurorehabilitation, Dr. Aisen is a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Experimental Neural Therapeutics and the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Neurology. She is former President of the American Society of Neurologic Rehabilitation is currently a Director on the Board of the ASNR Foundation.