Model Systems Researcher Becomes Co-Project Director

Keith Tansey, M.D., Ph.D. recently became co-project director of the Southeastern Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System. He replaces David F. Apple, Jr., M.D., who retired from that position in January. Dr. Tansey has also recently been named Secretary-Treasurer of the American Spinal Injury Association. He is also a member of the SCI Common Data Elements Working Group (NINDS/NIH) and is a member of the scientific review board for the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation. Dr. Tansey participated in a recent Spinal Cord Outcomes Partnership Endeavor (SCOPE) meeting in Zurich, Switzerland to share electrophysiological techniques currently being used in the Shepherd Center SCIMS research project entitled: "Evaluation of an Improved Method to Assess and Follow the Recovery of Motor Control in SCI." Dr. Tansey and SCIMS physical therapist LeslieVanhiel, DPT, are members of the Planning Group, Advanced Robotic Therapy Integrated Center (ARTIC), an international users group to facilitate research among Lokomat users. Furthermore, Dr. Tansey has received subspecialty certification in neural repair and rehabilitation.

Model Systems Researcher Receives the Prestigious Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy

The MSKTC congratulates Sara Mulroy, PT, Ph.D., co-director of the Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System for receiving the Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy. This award was established to recognize individuals who have performed sustained and outstanding basic, clinical, and/or educational research pertaining to physical therapy.

SCI Model System Researcher Appointed Endowed Chair of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Michael Boninger, MD; director of the University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury (UPMC-SCI) was appointed Endowed Chair of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh. This honor, one of the highest in academia, recognizes Boninger’s distinction in the field of medicine, particularly his research and outstanding contributions in the area of spinal cord injury.

SCI Model System Releases SCI Forum Presentations on Streaming Video

The Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System Center recently added To Walk or Roll: The Controversy Over Walking and Research and SCI Research and the Hope for Cure: Where Are We Today? to their SCI Forum Video archive. The presentation titled To Walk or Roll: The Controversy Over Walking and Research was given by Michael Boninger, MD, director of the University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury. In the presentation Dr. Boninger addresses SCI researchers’ focus on walking and the lack of emphasis on other issues that impact daily living. The presentation titled SCI Research and the Hope for Cure: Where Are We Today? given by Daniel Lammertse, MD , co-project director of the Rocky Mountain Regional Spinal Cord Injury System explains the complex issues involved in SCI recovery research, discusses the most promising avenues of investigation, summarizes the current state of SCI cure research worldwide today, and reviews the risks of participating in expensive experimental treatments outside the U.S.. These presentations are also available on YouTube.