SCI Model Systems Co-Director Elected President of ISRN

Keith Tansey, from the Southeastern Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System, was recently elected President of the International Society for Restorative Neurology (ISRN) through 2014. The MSKTC congratulates and thanks Dr. Tansey for his many contributions to the field of spinal cord injury.

Model System Researchers will Present at the American Spinal Injury Association 40th Anniversary Scientific Meeting

A host of SCI model systems researchers will participate in the 2013 ASIA 40th Anniversary Scientific Meeting  in Chicago, Illinois from May 6-8, 2013. Lesley M. Hudson, MA, of the Southeastern Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System will receive the ASIA Lifetime Achievement for her professional achievement and contributions to the advancement of the field of rehabilitation. Keith Tansey, MD, PhD, also from the Southeastern Regional SCIMS will become the Secretary Treasurer at this year's meeting. Ralph J. Marino, MD, of the Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center of the Delaware Valley will receive The Apple Award at the 2013 ASIA meeting for the article Development of an Objective Test of Upper-Limb Function in Tetraplegia, published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2012. The Apple Award is for excellence in publishing in spinal cord injury rehabilitation research. Additionally, numerous model systems researchers will present papers and deliver lectures to advance the field of spinal cord injury. Information about these presentations can be found in the conference program. A list of model systems researchers that will be participating in the conference can be found below:

Participating Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems

Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

·         Allen W. Heinemann, PhD, ABPP (RP), FACRM, will present Development and Evaluation of Environmental Factor Items for Persons with SCI.  Improving the Measurement Properties of Depressive Symptom Instruments for Use after Spinal Cord Injury, Patient-Reported Outcome Instrument Advances for Spinal Cord Injury Applications and Venlafaxine XR for Major Depressive Disorder after Spinal Cord Injury: Rationale, Results and Recommendations.

National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

·         Amie Jackson McLain, MD, will present The Use of Neurologic Examination to Predict Awareness and Control of Lower Urinary Tract Function post SCI.

·         Danielle Powell, MD, will present Analysis of Neurological Level Effect on the Rate of Weight Gain in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury.

·         Hwasoon Kim, MS, will present Modeling to Predict Loss to Follow-up in the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Database.

·         Michael J. DeVivo, Dr. P.H., will present Causes of Death Following Spinal Cord Injury: Trends and Competing Risks, Longitudinal Trends in Pediatric-Adolescent SCI – Injury Characteristics, Morbidity and Mortality, and Standardization in Reporting Data Related to the International SCI Core Data Set.

·         Victoria Allen, BS, will present Traumatic SCI Etiology Trends for African Americans.

·         Ying Tang, MS, will present Aging with SCI: Current Trends in External Causes.

Rocky Mountain Regional Spinal Injury System

Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO

·         Dan Lammertse, MD, will present SCOPE course titled Procedures, Products, and Pragmatism: The Evolution of Inclusive Human Study Protocols.

·         Susan Charlifue, Ph.D., will present in Course 4: International SCI Data Sets.

Southern California Spinal Injury Model System
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, CA

·       Lisa Lighthall Haubert, MPT, will present Factors Influencing Car Transfer Performance in Persons with Paraplegia.

·       Patricia Hatchett, DPT., will present Effect of Body Mass Index on Community Mobility for Adults with Paraplegia.

·       Ramzi Ben-Youssef, M.D., will present Sleep Disturbances in Paraplegics within a Large Urban Community: Prevalence and Associated Co-morbidities.

Southeastern Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System

Shepherd Center, Inc., Atlanta, GA

·         Keith Tansey, MD, Ph.D., will present Course 3: Restorative Neurology of Upper Extremity Function in Tetraplegia: Neurobiology, Assessment, Clinical Research, and Novel Treatment and second course on Methods to Use the ISNCSCI Exam to Score “Central Cord-ness” and “Brown-Sequard-ness” in SCI. Dr. Tansey will also present posters on Improving Walking Metrics after Severe SCI using Sensory Electrical Stimulation: An Optimization Approach and Neurophysiological Assessment of Motor Control and Clinical Characterization after Spinal Cord Injury: Early Data from a SCI Model Systems Study.

University of Michigan Spinal Cord Injury Model System

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

·         David Tulsky Ph.D., will present Validation of the SCI-QOL and SCI-FI Measurement System for Persons with SCI.

·         Denise G. Tate Ph.D., will present Placebo Response with and without Placebo? Tales of a Depression Trial for Persons with SCI/D.

·         Martin Forchheimer, MPP, will present Subject Retention in a Clinical Trial of an Antidepressant for Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depressive Symptoms in People with SCI, as well as, The International SCI Data Sets for Bowel and Bladder: Development of Interview Forms.