Hines VA senior research scientist receives Magnuson Award

The Magnuson Award is the Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service’s highest honor and is awarded each year to one researcher for outstanding achievement in rehabilitation research. 
 
Lieber was recognized for his work to return functional capacity, mobility, and quality of life to Veterans with physical disabilities, including spinal cord injuries and paralysis.   
 
“I couldn’t be more honored,” Lieber said while receiving the award. “I don’t know if you’ve read [Paul Magnuson’s] book, ‘Ring the Midnight Bell,’ but this guy was an amazing entrepreneur, and it’s an honor even to be spoken in the same sentence with him.”
 
Lieber is also a professor in the departments of physiology, biomedical engineering, and physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and the chief scientific officer and senior vice president at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, an organization in Chicago founded by Dr. Paul Magnuson, for whom this award is named, according to a VA press release.
 
“Dr. Lieber exemplifies the legacy of Dr. Paul B. Magnuson through his dedication to Veterans in need of rehabilitative approaches and through his team approach and entrepreneurial spirit, which have enabled him to make a real-world impact and help restore patients to their families, jobs, and life,” said Dr. William Wolf, Hines VA associate chief of staff for research and development.
 
Lieber has worked with VA research since 1982 and began working at Hines VA in 2015. Early in his career, Lieber developed surgical tools to help restore arm and hand function in disabled Veterans. 
 
Most recently, Lieber’s research helped discover that brain injury causing muscle tightening leads to a 70% decrease in muscle stem cells. His findings led to the testing of new pharmacologic treatments, according to Wolf.
 
“For more than 40 years, Dr. Lieber has dedicated himself to the care of our nation’s heroes,” said James Doelling Hines VA hospital director. “Through his research, many Americans with spinal cord injuries are living healthier, fuller lives. No one is more deserving of the 2023 Magnuson Award.”
 
The Magnuson Award honors the legacy of surgeon Dr. Paul B. Magnuson, who helped create the modern VA health care system, and its academic affiliations with medical universities nationwide. He also helped found Chicago’s Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, according to Wolf.