Colin Franz MD, PhD

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About Me

@ColinFranzMDphd

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

Education

1998 - 2002

Dalhousie University, BS (Honours) in Kinesiology

2002 - 2007

Dalhousie University, PhD in Anatomy and Neuroscience

2009 - 2012

University of Calgary, MD

Residency

2012 - 2017

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University

Fellowship

2017 - 2018

Neuromuscular Medicine, The Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology and McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University

Honors & Awards

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
Helen Cooper Resident, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Recognition of the physical medicine and rehabilitation resident who made the greatest contribution to teaching., 2016
Lydia Sikora Memorial Award, University of Calgary
Recognition of the medical student who made the most outstanding contribution to research., 2011

Affiliations

Society for Neuroscience
Member, 2003
Peripheral Nerve Society
Member, 2011
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Member, 2012
American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine
Member and Research Committee, 2017

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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