A National Leader Among Rehabilitation Hospitals
 Recognized as one of the leading rehabilitation hospitals in the country, TIRR Memorial Hermann serves as a Model System for interdisciplinary rehabilitation services, patient care, education and a center of research. For 19 consecutive years, TIRR has appeared on the list of America’s Best rehabilitation hospitals published by U.S. News and World Report magazine – every year of the survey’s existence.
Located in the world-renowned Texas Medical Center, our reputation comes from more than 40 years of experience in rehabilitation and research, the high caliber of our physician partners and clinical staff, as well as comprehensive programs and services.
The reputation of TIRR does not end with research and rehabilitation services. Educating patients, families, healthcare professionals, caregivers and the general public about rehabilitation has been a long-standing commitment. Extending our knowledge and resources into the community remains a top priority and part of our pledge to make a difference in the lives of those impacted by disabling injury and illness.
Our History
TIRR can trace its roots back to the early 1950s when polio was at the height of its epidemic in the United States. At the beginning of that decade, William A. Spencer, M.D., established one of the first polio treatment centers in the nation in Houston. The Southwestern Poliomyelitis Respiratory Center was dedicated to patient treatment and research, performing groundbreaking work.
One notable milestone was Dr. Spencer’s involvement in developing the physiograph, a device recognized in the March 1954 issue of LIFE Magazine for its ability to record vital functions. This technology advanced teaching and research efforts and is credited as an early run of the sophisticated monitoring systems we use today.
With the discovery of the polio vaccine in the 1960s, the expertisedeveloped by this nationally recognized respiratory center was applied to rehabilitating catastrophically injured patients. Much of what was learned in treating polio survivors would prove applicable to other disabling injuries and illnesses.
Financial gifts from prominent Houston philanthropists made it possible to build a not-for-profit hospital in the Texas Medical Center, just east of its medical school partner Baylor College of Medicine. On May 30, 1959, the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research was formally dedicated and began accepting patients.
Known today as TIRR Memorial Hermann, this leading institution continues to be guided by the principles and philosophies originally established by the Southwestern Poliomyelitis Respiratory Center. Dr. Spencer changed the way society and health care responded to disability and rehabilitation. Today, TIRR changes lives by improving outcomes, offering hope and maximizing independence for those impacted by disabling injury or illness.
|
