Summer 2018 Edition

The culture of rehabilitation and close teamwork between researchers and clinicians allows TIRR Memorial Hermann to streamline the process of introducing new interventions. “Much of our research doesn’t involve the major safety issues associated with implementing a new medication or surgery, so we’re able to try new interventions and improve them based on feedback from our clinicians, patients and their families,” says Mark Sherer, PhD, ABPP, FACRM, senior scientist and Associate Vice President for research at TIRR Memorial Hermann and clinical professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School.

Last year the World Health Organization brought together key stakeholders to kick off Rehabilitation 2030: A Call for Action, a global initiative to raise the profile of rehabilitation worldwide as a health strategy. WHO’s goal is to find ways to reduce disability and increase independence and participation around the globe through clinical care and research. Their plan of action focuses on improving access to health services; strengthening assistive technology, support services and community-based rehabilitation; and strengthening the collection of disability data and research, which lies at the heart of advancement in our discipline.

Led by principal investigator Angelle Sander, PhD, the study will help guide rehabilitation specialists and other health care providers in tailoring education to persons with traumatic brain injury. “TBI is a long-term health problem,” says Dr. Sander, who directs TIRR Memorial Hermann’s Brain Injury Research Center and is an Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine. “Even though cognitive abilities may improve over time, the brain injury can impact lifespan developmental issues. The normal effects of aging can be exacerbated by a brain injury.

Under the auspices of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, researchers at TIRR Memorial Hermann, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and other institutions across the country are working to establish consensus recommendations for defining and establishing diagnostic criteria for the post-traumatic confusional state (PTCS). The collaborative project, which includes 17 national experts in PTCS, is led by Mark Sherer, PhD, ABPP, FACRM, senior scientist and Associate Vice President for research at TIRR Memorial Hermann and clinical professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School.

With origins in Central European political traditions, the saying “Nothing About Us Without Us,” was adopted by the disability rights movement in the 1990s, popularized by author and activist James Charlton, Executive Vice President of Access Living in Chicago.At TIRR Memorial Hermann’s Spinal Cord Injury and Disability Research Center (SCIDR), researchers Heather Taylor, PhD, and Susan Robinson-Whelen, PhD, have embraced Charlton’s adopted quote and committed themselves to including people with spinal cord injury in all aspects of their research. In collaboration with Margaret Nosek, PhD, and Rosemary Hughes, PhD, their research programs are guided by people living with spinal cord injur...

Researchers at TIRR Memorial Hermann’s Spinal Cord Injury and Disability Research Center (SCIDR) have undertaken a longitudinal study examining the relations of pain and depression among women and men with spinal cord injury. The study, funded by the National Institute of Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, seeks to identify ameliorating factors that may moderate the relation of pain on depression and improve quality of life. “Pain and depression are common among people with SCI, and each has been associated with health complications, decreased independence, slower recovery and lower quality of life,” says Heather Taylor, PhD.

“Impairment of hand function is a common outcome after neurological injury such as stroke and spinal cord injury,” says Dr. Zhou, Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and Director of the NeuroMyo Engineering for Rehabilitation Laboratory at the TIRR Memorial Hermann Research Center. “Patients and clinicians face many challenges in hand function rehabilitation, especially in regaining fine motor skills such as finger and thumb movements.”

Argyrios Stampas, MD, and his research team recently concluded that transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) can be performed safely to improve management of neurogenic bladder during inpatient rehabilitation of patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury.

Electrical stimulation (EStim) therapy, which uses small electrodes to send electrical currents through the skin, has a range of applications in rehabilitation to achieve functional and therapeutic goals, from spasm relaxation to pain management. Based on discoveries about the systemic effects of voluntary breathing and the physiological interactions among body systems during voluntary breathing, Sheng Li, MD, PhD, and his team invented a protocol called BreEStim – breathing-controlled electrical stimulation – to augment the effects of electrical stimulation in patients with neuropathic pain and spasticity.

Every 40 seconds an individual in the U.S. has a stroke, and 19% of stroke patients experience language and speech impairment, according to a report from the American Heart Association. “There’s a growing need for more effective treatment options to complement speech and language therapy, especially in patients with chronic aphasia. Their spontaneous recovery period has been shown to end after six months,” says Nuray Yozbatiran, PT, PhD, Assistant Professor for Research in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and a member of the study team.

Observing her two grandfathers growing older in very different ways sparked Susan Robinson-Whelen, PhD’s interest in aging when she was young. Early in her undergraduate education, she chose gerontology as a career path.

The following studies are ongoing through the support of TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Innovation Awards. Each year, a Pilot Award of up to $50,000 is granted to an experienced investigator to fund an innovative pilot project that will lead, ultimately, to federal or foundation funding for expanded research studies. Two staff awards, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, support smaller projects designed to give therapists, nurses, social workers and other staff hands-on experience in research with mentoring by experienced investigators.

For 28 consecutive years, U.S. News and World Report has named TIRR Memorial Hermann to its list of America’s Best Hospitals. That recognition is based on our accomplishments in clinical care and our legacy of innovation through research. it is not uncommon to see our clinicians and researchers collaborating with one another to design research studies that can be put to use quickly to benefit our patients.