
Colin Franz MD, PhD
Board Certifications: Neuromuscular Medicine, Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and Physiatry
Telephone Number
312-238-1000About Me
About Me
Dr. Colin Franz is a physician-scientist with fellowship training and board certifications in neuromuscular medicine, electrodiagnostic medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. He serves as the director of the electrodiagnostic laboratory at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab hospital as well as staff physician in the Lois Insolia ALS clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He has strong interests in complex peripheral nerve injuries, amytrophic lateral sclerosis, diaphragm muscle dysfunction, neuromuscular ultrasound, and activity-based treatments for neural restoration. His laboratory team takes a highly technology-oriented approach to help personalize rehabilitation medicine inspired by the patients he cares for. Current studies range from transient (resorbable) implanted devices to deliver therapeutics directly to regenerating axons, to making human neurons derived from patient-derived pluripotent stem cells to determine isolate how individual genetic differences impact neurotrauma outcomes and capacity for regeneration. His research is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), American Neuromuscular Foundation, National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as the Belle Carnell Regenerative Neurorehabilitation fund.
Location
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
355 East Erie
Chicago, IL 60611
Education & Training
Credential
Credential
Credential
Honors & Awards
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Foundation for PM&R - Richard S. Materson ERF New Investigator Research Award"Neurotrauma in a Dish" - An induced pluripotent stem cell-based assay to determine patient specific factors affecting rehabilitation outcomes, 2018
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Helen Cooper Resident, Rehabilitation Institute of ChicagoRecognition of the physical medicine and rehabilitation resident who made the greatest contribution to teaching., 2016
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Lydia Sikora Memorial Award, University of CalgaryRecognition of the medical student who made the most outstanding contribution to research., 2011
Affiliations
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Society for NeuroscienceMember, 2003
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Peripheral Nerve SocietyMember, 2011
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American Academy of Physical Medicine and RehabilitationMember, 2012
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American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic MedicineMember and Research Committee, 2017
Regenerative Neurorehabilitation Laboratory
This lab uses a combination of molecular, biochemical, and electrophysiological assays to study axon regeneration and motor neuron disease with a priority on human preclinical models such as iPSC-neurons.
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