Accolades

Christine Adair Promoted to Chief Operating Officer

Christine Adair, MBA, MOT, OT, has been promoted to vice president of operations at TIRR Memorial Hermann, Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital-Katy and the Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Network.

Adair joined TIRR Memorial Hermann in 2005 as an occupational therapist after completing her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Rhode Island in Providence and her master’s degree in occupational therapy at New York University in New York City. After several years of service in a clinical role at TIRR Memorial Hermann, she expanded her experience by consulting in OT and education before returning to TIRR Memorial Hermann in 2010 as a senior occupational therapist.

Adair advanced to weekend therapy manager and then joined Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital as director of rehabilitation, where she led the unit through TIRR Memorial Hermann branding and recognition as the first Memorial Hermann community hospital to achieve Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) designation. She also has held roles as director of the TIRR Memorial Hermann Education Academy and director of operations at Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital-Katy.

In 2020, she received her MBA from West Texas A&M University and in 2021 joined the senior leadership team at TIRR Memorial Hermann and the Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Network. In her current position she is responsible for operations and clinical services at two freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospitals—TIRR Memorial Hermann and Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital-Katy—as well as several rehabilitation units within Memorial Hermann hospitals and seven outpatient locations. She participates in System-wide initiatives to promote efficiency with operations across divisions.

Adair completed Quality of Texas Examiner Training in 2017 and 2019 and received her Graduate Certificate in Health Care Management from Rice University in 2017. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and of the Memorial Hermann Women Leaders Membership and Champions Committee.

Three Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians Promoted to Associate Professors

Shuo-Hsiu (James) Chang, PT, PhD, MBA, P. Jacob Joseph, MD, and Radha Korupolu, MD, MS, have been promoted to associate professors in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Dr. Chang is a scientist and administrative director of the NeuroRecovery Research Center at TIRR Memorial Hermann. A physical therapist from Taiwan, he received his master’s and doctoral degrees in human movement science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his health care MBA at George Washington University. In 2005, he was recognized with a Fellowship in Geriatric Research Award from the American Physical Therapy Association Section on Geriatrics for significant contributions to geriatric research. During his postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa, he focused his research on neuromuscular control and plasticity. Dr. Chang’s current research also focuses on the application of rehabilitation robotics. His research and clinical interests include rehabilitation technologies and neuromotor recovery.

Dr. Joseph is clinical chief of neuromuscular rehabilitation and vice chair for clinical operations in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School. He is also medical director of the hospital’s International Program and director of medical affairs and services for the Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Network. He received his medical degree in 2006 at McGovern Medical School and joined the PM&R department and the medical staff of TIRR Memorial Hermann in 2010 after completing his residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. As an attending physician at TIRR, Dr. Joseph’s primary focus is on caring for patients recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurotrauma. His clinical and research interests include electrodiagnostic medicine.

Dr. Korupolu is an attending physician in the Spinal Cord Injury Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann. She received her medical degree at Andhra Medical College in Andhra Pradesh, India, in 2003. She completed residency training in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Kentucky in Lexington in 2014 and went on to complete a fellowship in spinal cord injury medicine at McGovern Medical School. Her clinical interests include spinal cord injury, spasticity, neurorehabilitation and general rehabilitation. Dr. Korupolu’s research is focused on neuromodulation, transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation, motor recovery after SCI, neurogenic bladder and early rehabilitation in the intensive care unit.

Dr. Radha Korupolu and Dr. Argy Stampas Receive Master’s Degrees in Clinical Research

Radha Korupolu, MD, MS, and Argyrios Stampas, MD, MS, have been awarded Master of Science in Clinical Research degrees at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. The degree program is designed for faculty and clinical fellows who wish to receive formal training as they build careers in patient-oriented research. It provides a focused, flexible and affordable program that trains clinical investigators to conduct exemplary research and be competitive in seeking research support.

“It’s an amazing course that taught me how little I really know about research, despite the fact that I have conducted it for many years,” says Dr. Korupolu, an attending physician in the Spinal Cord Injury Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann and an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School. “It changed the way I think about clinical research and equipped me with skills to conduct robust clinical trials with available resources.”

Dr. Korupolu’s clinical interests include spinal cord injury, spasticity, neurorehabilitation and general rehabilitation. Her research is focused on neuromodulation, transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation, motor recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI), neurogenic bladder and early rehabilitation in the intensive care unit.

Dr. Stampas is spinal cord injury medicine research director at TIRR Memorial Hermann and an associate professor in the Department of PM&R at McGovern Medical School. He was motivated to apply to the master’s program to advance knowledge in the field.

“Because SCI is a relatively rare diagnosis, different clinical trial designs and statistical methods must be used to account for the small sample sizes,” he says. “I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about conducting clinical trials, critical analysis of published research studies and a greater understanding of statistics as used in clinical trials. ”

Dr. Stampas’ research goal is to improve care by advancing the field of acute rehabilitation using electric stimulation to prevent problems commonly found in chronic SCI, including neurogenic bladder, autonomic dysfunction and spasticity. He currently has funding for two large clinical trials focused on neuromodulation to improve neurogenic bladder outcomes and decrease the use of medications for overactive bladder.