Cristina L. Sadowsky, M.D.

Kennedy Krieger Institute
707 N. Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21205

Dr. Sadowsky is the clinical director of the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger Institute.

Biographical Sketch:

Born in Romania, Dr. Sadowsky attended the Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest from 1983 to 1989. She completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Meridia Huron Hospital/Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH in 1994. She served as chief resident from July 1994 to June 1995. From there, she began a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. She was named chief resident of that program in April 1997. Immediately following the completion of her second residency, she began a fellowship in spinal cord injury medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine. At the same time, she became a clinical instructor in the school's Department of Neurology and later assumed an assistant professorship in neurology in the Division of Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injury Unit. In October 2004, she moved to Baltimore, joining the Kennedy Krieger Institute as director of the paralysis restoration clinic in the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury. In March 2005, she became an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dr. Sadowsky has served as president and treasurer of the St. Louis Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Society and previously held positions on the advisory boards of the St. Louis Wheelchair Athletic Association and the Sam Schmidt Foundation, an organization devoted to helping individuals overcome spinal cord injuries and other debilitating illnesses by facilitating scientific research, medical treatment, rehabilitation and technology advances. She is the director of the spinal cord injury medicine fellowship at Johns Hopkins University Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Program, an ACGME accredited fellowship that trains physicians to deliver the highest quality medical care for any individual with spinal cord related dysfunction.

Professional honors include receiving the Outstanding Resident Award in Medicine from Meridia Huron Hospital in 1995, being named Best Resident of the Year in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Washington University School of Medicine in 1998 and Best Teaching Attending of the Year in 1999, receiving the 2000 Outstanding Performance Award from the Spinal Cord Injury Board and being named one of Top Doctors in Baltimore in 2007, Best Doctors in America 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2011-2012. She was also named one of America's Top Physicians in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Research Summary:

Dr. Sadowsky’s research interests center on prevention of complications in patients with paralysis and the efficacy of activity-based restoration therapies in helping individuals with long-term spinal cord injury and paralysis recover sensation, movement and independence.

LINK: SciVal Experts Research Profile for Cristina Sadowsky

Research Studies:

• Adults, ages 18-55, with cervical spinal cord injury
• Adults, ages 18-65, with spinal cord injury

Recent Publications:

• Cristina Sadowsky, Daniel Becker, Glendaliz Bosques, Janet Dean, John W McDonald, Albert Recio, Elliot M Frohman. Rehabilitation in Transverse Myelitis. Continuum: Lifelong Learning Neurol 2011; August.
• Patama Gariensripongsa, Cristina Sadowsky. Autonomic Dysreflexia Guide for Adults and Children. Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Foundation. 2011.
• Cristina L. Sadowsky, Daniel Becker, Glendaliz Bosques, Janet Dean, John McDonald, Albert Recio, Elliot M. Frohman. Rehabilitation in Transverse Myelitis. Continuum Lifelong Learning in Neurology 2011;17(4)816-830.
• Rebecca Martin, Cristina Sadowsky, Kimberly Obst, Brooke Meyer, John McDonald. Functional Electrical Stimulation in SCI: From Theory to Practice. Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Update 18:1. January, 2012.