Assistant Professor, Neurology and Physiology, Emory University School of Medicine
Director, Spinal Cord Injury Research, Crawford Research Institute, Shepherd Center
Attending Physician, Spinal Cord Injury Clinic, Atlanta VA Medical Center
ktansey@emory.edu

Phone: 404.603.4274
Fax: 404.350.7596

Board Certification

Neurology, Spinal Cord Injury Medicine

Education and Training

2000 - 2002: Clinical Instructor - Neurorehabilitation, Research Fellow - Spinal Cord Injury, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine

1998 - 2000: Clinical Instructor - General Neurology, Research Fellow - Spinal Cord Injury, Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine

1994 - 1998: Intern (Internal Medicine) and Resident (Neurology), Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine

1985 - 1994: MD, PhD (Neuroscience), Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, TX

1980 - 1985: BS (Biology), MS (Biomechanics), Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

Previous Academic and Professional Appointments

2002 - 2008: Assistant Professor, Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery and PM&R, Director, Spinal Cord Injury Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Professional Societies

American Spinal Injury Association, National Neurotrauma Society, American Society for Neurorehabilitation, Society for Neuroscience, Ameican Academy of Neurology

Honors and Awards

2008: Poster Session Award, Georgia Stem Cell Initiative Symposium

2007: Socrates Award, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

2007: Favorite Course Award for “Medical Neuroscience”, 1st Year Medical School Class, UT Southwestern Medical School

2006: Outstanding Teaching Award, Neurology Clinical Clerkship, UT Southwestern Medical School

2005: “Best Paper” Award, American Spinal Injury Association

2004, 2005, 2008: Outstanding Teacher Award, 1st Year Medical School Class, UT Southwestern Medical School

2001: Research Consortium Associate, Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation

1994: 'Neurology Prize' Award, UT Southwestern Medical School

1993: 'Texas Scholar' Award, Kent Waldrep National Paralysis Foundation

Research Interests

Dr. Tansey is interested in neural plasticity and repair that leads to functional recovery after spinal cord injury and how those processes could be improved.  He is specifically interested in neural circuits for motor functions like locomotion but also neural circuits related to pain and autonomic nervous system function.  He is working to combine interventions like activity based therapies with pharmacology, electrical stimulation, and cellular transplantation to improve neural recovery after injury.  Dr. Tansey combines animal model and human research to gain better insight into these questions and to more rapidly translate basic science research ideas into clinical studies.

Selected Publications

Querry, R., Pacheco, F., Annaswamy, T., Goetz, L., Winchester, P. and Tansey, K.E., Synchronous stimulation and monitoring of the H-reflex during robotic body weight ambulation in subjects with spinal cord injury, J. Rehab. Res. & Dev. 45:175-186, 2008

McCoy, M., Martinez, T., Ruhn, K., Wrage, P. Keefer, E. Botterman, B.R., Tansey, K.E., and Tansey, M.G., Autologous transplants of Adipose-Derived Adult Stromal (ADAS) afford dopaminergic neuroprotection in a model of Parkinson's disease, Experimental Neurology 210:14-29, 2008

Petruska, J.C., Ichiyama, R.M., Crown, E.D., Tansey, K.E., Roy, R.R., Edgerton, V.R., and Mendell, L.M., Changes in Motoneuron Properties and Synaptic Inputs Related to Step Training Following Spinal Cord Transection in Rats J. Neuroscience 27:4460-71, 2007

McCoy, M.K., Martinez, T., Ruhn, K., Szymkowski, D., Smith, C., Botterman, B.R., Tansey, K.E. and Tansey, M.G., Blocking soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor signaling with dominant-negative Tumor Necrosis Factor inhibitor attenuates loss of dopaminergic neurons in models of Parkinson’s Disease, J. Neuroscience(Neurobiology of Disease section) 26:9365-9375, 2006

Winchester, P., McColl, R., Querry, R., Foreman, N., Mosby, J., Tansey, K., and Williamson, J., Changes in Supraspinal Activation Patterns following Robotic Locomotor Therapy in Subjects with Motor Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 19:313-324, 2005

Aimone, J.B., Leasure, J.L., Perreau, V.M., Thallmair, M & The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Research Consortium (Anderson, A.J., Arvanian, V.L., Bareyre, F.M., Bunge, M.B., Cotman, C.W., Craveiro, L., Crown, E.D., Edgerton, V.R., Engesser-Cesar, C., Gage, F.H., Garcia, A.J., Garraway, S.M., Horner, P.J., Howley, S., Ichiyama, R.M., Mendell, L.M., Moon, L.D.F., Moore, L., Parada, L.F., Pearse, D.D., Petruska, J.C., Romero, M.I., Schnell, L., Schwab, M.E., Tansey, K.E., Thuret, S.), Spatial and temporal gene expression profiling of the contused rat spinal cord. Exp. Neurol. 189:204-221, 2004

Faulkner, J.R., Hermann, J.E., Woo, M.J., Tansey, K.E., Doan, N.B., and Sofroniew, M.V., Reactive astrocytes protect tissue and preserve function after spinal cord injury. J. Neurosci. 24:2143-2155, 2004

Grant Support

2008 - 2011: NIDDR FIP “Evaluating the Effects of Activity-Based Therapy for Individuals with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury”, Co-Investigator

2008 - 2013: NIH-RO1 “Skeletal Muscle Plasticity, Fitness and Health after Spinal Cord Injury: Improving Glucose Tolerance”, Collaborator

2006 - 2011: NIH-RO1 “TNF Signaling in Neurodegeneration”, Collaborator

2005- 2008: Veteran's Administration Rehabilitation Research & Development, "Mechanisms of Neural Plasticity and Recovery in BWSTT after SCI", Co-Investigator

2003 - 2008: Mobility Foundation Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, “Plasticity of Spinal Circuits after Injury”, Principal Investigator

2003 - 2008: Mobility Foundation Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, “Robotic Locomotor Training in SCI”, Co-Principal Investigator

2005 - 2007: NIH-R21 “Neurogenic Potential of Progenitor Cells from Adipose”, Co-Investigator

2005 - 2007: Michael J. Fox Foundation, “Inflammatory Stimuli as ‘Second Hit’ Triggers for Development of Progressive Nigral Degeneration, Collaborator

2005 - 2007: American Health Assistance Foundation, “TNF Signaling in Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology”, Collaborator

2003 - 2005: Michael J. Fox Foundation, “The Role of TNF-mediated Dopaminergic Neurotoxicity in Parkinson’s Disease”, Collaborator

2003 - 2005: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Advanced Technology Program, “Genetically Engineered Transparent Biosynthetic Conduits for Directed and Enhanced Nerve Repair”, Co-Investigator

2003 - 2004: RehabNet-West, “Cortical Reorganization Following BWSTT for SCI”, Collaborator

2003 - 2004: National Parkinson Foundation, “Adipose-Derived Adult Progenitor Cells with Neurogenic Potential: An Alternate Tissue Source for Parkinson’s Disease Transplantation Strategies”