R. James Cotton, MD, PhD, serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and holds a courtesy appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the McCormick School of Engineering. He is affiliated with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where he directs the Intelligent Sensing and Rehabilitation Lab within the Regenstein Center for Bionic Medicine and is a member of the Institute for Augmented Intelligence in Medicine. Trained as an electrical engineer, neuroscientist, and physiatrist, Dr. Cotton received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Rice University, along with a BA, and earned an MD-PhD in systems neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern’s McGaw Medical Center at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and is recognized as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP) Scholar.

Dr. Cotton’s research lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, wearable sensors, computer vision, causal and biomechanical modeling, and innovative technologies aimed at precisely monitoring and enhancing rehabilitation outcomes. His lab emphasizes scalable, translatable methods for clinical and real-world use, including a wearable sensor and smartphone-based platform alongside a multicamera markerless motion capture system to obtain accurate movement data in clinical environments. Ongoing projects encompass gamified electromyographic biofeedback via wearable sensors to improve muscle activation following spinal cord injury, video- and sensor-based gait analysis using smartphones, computer vision for gait analysis in neurorehabilitation to infer nervous system capacity, and EMG and kinematic biofeedback. Notable publications include "Precision Rehabilitation: Optimizing Function, Adding Value to Health Care" (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2023), "Validation of portable in-clinic video-based gait analysis for individuals post-stroke" (Frontiers in Digital Health, 2024), "Portable, open-source solutions for estimating wrist position during functional electrical stimulation hand use" (Scientific Reports, 2021), "Transforming modeling in neurorehabilitation: clinical insights for modelers" (Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 2024), and "Powered knee and ankle prosthesis use with a K2 level ambulator" (Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 2023). His efforts promote precision rehabilitation by integrating advanced technologies to advance human ability.

Professional Email: ronald.cotton@northwestern.edu