This Pitt duo won an award to research prosthetic improvements

Doug Weber, associate professor of bioengineering, and Lee Fisher, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, were one of four University of Pittsburgh teams to receive a $5.3 million National Institutes of Health BRAIN award. 

The pair will research ways to eliminate phantom limb pain, a phenomenon where amputees feel pain from the missing limb, which can be long-lasting and severe. They will investigate how electric stimulation may both counter phantom limb pain and improve movement and balance in patients. If successful, improvements in sensory feedback could improve the quality of life for prosthetics users.