Congratulations to Dr. Michael J.Devivo

Dr. Michael J. DeVivo, Director Emeritus of the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Model Spinal Cord Injury Care System, was invited to give the keynote Donald Munro Memorial Lecture at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Association of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 3, 2012. The title of his presentation was “Epidemiology of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Trends and Future Implications”. Dr. DeVivo was also invited to give the keynote ASIA Lectureship at the Howard H. Steel Conference: Pediatric Spinal Cord Injuries and Dysfunction in Orlando, Florida, on November 30, 2012. The title of that presentation was “Morbidity and Mortality in Pediatric Onset Spinal Cord Injury."

Check out this SCI Forum Series

The MSKTC would like to highlight the Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System for its latest SCI Forum Series. Sleep Problem and Sleep Apnea in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury reviews the causes and consequences of sleep problems, including a detailed discussion of sleep apnea, and explains treatments that can improve health and well-being.

Check out the New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Centers redesiged website

The MSKTC is always pleased to support the dissemination of information for the Model Systems. The New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center (NERSCIC) launched a redesigned site which incorporates the SCI care, research, education, and community activities of the NERSCIC network sites, including Boston University Medical Campus, Gaylord Hospital, and the Hospital for Special Care. Also, available on the new site is a library of recorded webcasts.

Model System Researchers Present at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) Meeting

A host of SCI and TBI model systems researchers participated in the 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) in Vancouver, Canada from October 9-13, 2012.  Susan Harkema, PhD, of the Kentucky Regional Model Spinal Cord Injury System received the John Stanley Coulter Lecturer Award for her professional achievement and contributions to the advancement of the field of rehabilitation. Marcel Dijkers, PhD, FACRM, of the New York Traumatic Brain Injury Model System received the 2012 Gold Key Award, the highest honor given by the ACRM, for his extraordinary service to the cause of rehabilitation. Additionally, numerous model systems researchers presented papers and delivered lectures to advance the field of Rehabilitation Medicine. Information about these presentations can be found in the conference program. A list of model systems researchers that participated in the conference can be found below:

Participating Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems

Kentucky Regional Model Spinal Cord Injury System

Frazier Rehabilitation, Louisville, KY

·         Susan Harkema, PhD

Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

·         Anne Deutsch, Ph.D.

·         Allen W. Heinemann, PhD, ABPP (RP), FACRM

New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center

Boston University Medical Campus, Boston, MA

·         Alan Jette, PhD

Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury Model System

Kessler Foundation Research Center,West Orange, NJ

·         Amanda Botticello, PhD

Regional SCI Center of the Delaware Valley

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Philadelphia, PA

·         Ralph Marino,MD

Rocky Mountain Regional Spinal Injury System

Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO

·         Susan Charlifue, PhD

·         Gale Whiteneck, PhD, FACRM

Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, CA

·         Philip Requejo, PhD

Southeastern Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System

Shepherd Center, Inc., Atlanta, GA

·         James Krause, PhD

·         Keith Tansey, MD, PhD

UAB  Spinal Cord Injury Model   System

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

·         Scott Richards, PhD, ABPP

University of Michigan Spinal Cord Injury Model  System

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

·         Anthony Chiodo, MD

·         Martin Forchheimer, MPP

·         Claire Kalpakjan, PhD

·         Denise Tate, PhD, FACRM

·         David Tulsky, PhD

Participating Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems

Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, PA

·         Mary Ferraro, PhD, OTR/L

·         Tessa Hart, PhD, FACRM

·         John Whyte, MD, PhD, FACRM

 New York Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

·         Joshua Cantor, PhD

·         Marcel Dijkers, PhD, FACRM

·         Wayne Gordon, PhD

·         Brian Greenwald, MD

Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, West Orange, NJ

·         Anthony Lequerica, PhD

·         Karen Nolan, PhD

Ohio Regional Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

·         John Corrigan, PhD, FACRM

Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System

Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO

·         Cindy Harrison- Felix, PhD

Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Model System of TIRR

TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, TX

·         Allison Clark, PhD

·         Angelle Sander, PhD

·         Mark Sherer, PhD

Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Data and Statistical Center 

Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado

·         Jeffrey P. Cuthbert, MPH, MS

·         Christopher Pretz, PhD

University of Washington Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

·         Kathleen Bell, MD

·         Sureyya Dikmen, PhD

·         Jeanne Hoffman, PhD

New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center (NERSCIC) Network Launches New Website

The NERSCIC SCI Model System recently launched its new website at www.bu.edu/nerscic/. The website incorporates the SCI care, research, education, and community activities of the NERSCIC network sites, which include BUMC, Gaylord Hospital, and the Hospital for Special Care. Register online on the new website for the Nov. 29th webcast on Staying Well after Spinal Cord Injury. A library of recorded webcasts is also available on the new site.

Alan Jette PT, PhD to present Stephen M. Haley Memorial Lecture at HHS Conference

Alan Jette, PhD, Principal Investigator of the New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center, a NIDRR funded SCI Model System, will present the Keynote Lecture at the Howard H. Steel Conference for Pediatric Spinal Cord Injuries & Dysfunction on November 30, 2012. “The Stephen M. Haley Memorial Lecture” is awarded to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of rehabilitation research. Dr. Jette’s lecture will focus on Advances in Functional Outcome Assessment.

Nov. 29th FREE Webcast and Live Chat: Staying Well after SCI- What You Can Do and How We Can Help

The New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center Model System and Spaulding-Harvard SCI Model System are partnering to present the Knowledge in Motion Education Series on November 29th, beginning at 6:30 PM EST. This webcast and live chat will discuss the community based Patient Centered Medical Home Model of providing primary care to people living with SCI, and efforts to expand models to coordinate care statewide and nationwide. Information to help consumers take charge of their health, work with their PCPs, and advocate for what they need in a primary care setting will also be presented. Register online or call 1-866-607-1804 (toll free).

DeVivo Mentored Research Award Recipient

The MSKTC congratulates this year’s DeVivo research award recipient Hwasoon Kim, M.S. (mentor: Garry Cutter, PhD), UAB Department of Biostatistics, Birmingham, AL, for the project titled “Modeling to Predict Loss to Follow-up in the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Database.”The DeVivo Mentored Research Award is sponsored and administered by the NIDRR-funded National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) as a one-year $3,000 research award for trainees interested in conducting a research project using data from the Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SCIMS) database.

SCIMS Project Director to Receive ASIA Lifetime Achievement Award

Lesley M. Hudson, MA, SCI Model System Project Director at the Southeastern Regional SCIMS Program at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA, has been named by the ASIA Board of Directors as the 2013 recipient of the ASIA Lifetime Achievement Award. "This is ASIA's most prestigious award," said President Lawrence C. Vogel, M.D., "and the Board voted unanimously to give it to Lesley Hudson during the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of ASIA." Dr. Vogel added that : "Lesley joined the ASIA executive staff in 1980, and no one since then has had a greater influence on the development of this organization than she has." In addition to her ASIA career, Lesley began her work at Shepherd Center in 1976 as COO. She wrote the first SCIMS application for Shepherd Center in 1982, and has been Project Director of that program continuously since then. In 1993, she and Dr. David Apple, Emeritus Medical Director of Shepherd Center, founded the quarterly journal "Topics in SCI Rehabilitation." They served as editors of that journal for seventeen years. "There are few people in the field of SCI medicine who have had the significant long term impact that Lesley Hudson has. Her skill set is remarkable and Shepherd Center and ASIA have benefited from her dedication," said Dr. Apple. The award, given 22 times previously, will be presented to Lesley at the ASIA annual meeting in May of 2013. She is the first woman to be so honored.

Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Researcher Elected to Institute of Medicine

The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center congratulates Dr. Michael L. Boninger; the director at the NIDRR funded University of Pittsburgh Spinal Cord Injury Model System on his election as a new member to the Institute of Medicine. The IOM is a one of the highest honours, which recognizes individuals that have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement as well as contributed significantly to the field of health and medicine. To read more about the Institute of Medicine click here.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

The MSKTC welcomes the Month of October!

This month marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month which is a very recognized national campaign that helps to inform and raise awareness about disability employment issues. It also celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. Throughout the month of October the MSKTC will give out resources related to this topic through our Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and Headlines. Please make sure to visit www.msktc.org to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on all our social media outlets!

To kick off the National Disability Employment Awareness Month  the MSKTC would like to provide spinal cord injury victims with a factsheet titled "Employment after Spinal Cord Injury", which gives insight on overcoming barriers to have a healthy productive working life. Read here.

Call for presenters for the 2012 National Employment Conference

The George Washington University National Technical Assistance Partnership (NTAP) and The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) and The National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB) proudly announce the 2012 National Employment Conference.

The New Economy: Rethink, Realign, Reinvent

DECEMBER 5-7, 2012

Marriott Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel Arlington, Virginia

CALL FOR PRESENTERS

The 2012 National Employment Conference, "The New Economy: Rethink, Realign, Reinvent" is now accepting proposals for presentations due no later than Friday, September 28, 2012. The conference includes the following five themes: 1) Collaborating with Business; 2) High Growth Fields; 3) Bridging Research and Practice; 4) Opportunities in "Middle Skills Jobs"; and 5) Employment for Specific Populations.

Please note that the Conference Committee has a strong interest in the following two themes:

•    High Growth Fields: We invite presentations about industries or sectors currently experiencing or predicted to experience trends of high growth (e.g. healthcare; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); food and hospitality; and retail).

•    Opportunities in “Middle Skills Jobs”: We would like to see presentations on jobs that require some postsecondary education or training but not necessarily a bachelor’s degree (e.g. electricians, accounting clerks, laboratory technicians, plumbers, and law enforcement personnel).

For a detailed description of the Call for Presenters and the online presentation submission form, please go to the following link:

http://gwntap.org/conferences.html

For additional information or questions, please contact Maureen McGuire-Kuletz, Ed.D., CRC, at 202-973-1550

Paralympic Games 29 Aug - 9 Sept

http://twitter.com/PushToWalk/status/240

Northwest SCI Model System continues forum series on accessible transportation options

Northwest Spinal Cord Injury Model System continues its forum series with this locally-focused discussion of different accessible transportation options available for people with disabilities. The focus is in the greater Seattle metropolitan area, which includes buses, light rail, Access, DART, and Bus Rapid Transit. Helpful resources, travel tips, and information about volunteer transportation and wheelchair accessible taxis are also provided.

Recruiting Caregivers of Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury for a Health Information Needs Study

The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) is recruiting individuals over 18 years old who are the primary caregivers of someone who sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI)  in the past five years. Participants will engage in an interview to better understand caregivers’ health information needs and be compensated $20. The study is funded by the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and carried out by the American Institutes for Research and George Mason University. Click here for additional information. 

If you are interested in participating, please call Deeza Mae Smith  (202) 403-5127 or email msktc@air.org.  Recruitment flyers are available for download, print, and posting here: SCI.

Consumer Information on Skin Care & Pressure Sores in Spinal Cord Injury

An evidence-based consumer factsheet titled Skin Care & Pressure Sores in Spinal Cord Injury is available on the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center website at Skin Care & Pressure Sores.  The factsheet covers causes and risks, prevention, and recognition and treatment of pressure sores.  It was developed by the SCI Model System Dissemination Committee in collaboration with the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center.  It has been reviewed by individuals with Spinal Cord Injury and endorsed by the Spinal Cord Injury Model System directors.

Model Systems Pilot Ekso Robotic Exoskeleton

Five SCI Model Systems centers are piloting the Ekso Robotic Exoskeleton.  They include:  Craig Hospital, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Spaulding Rehabilitation, Shepherd Center, and Kessler Foundation.  The Ekso Robotic Exoskeleton is a wearable, robotic battery-powered exoskeleton that allows wheelchair users with lower-extremity weakness to stand and walk. Click here for additional information.

Kessler Foundation will feature "Abilities" stories written by survivors of spinal cord injury

In June, the Kessler Foundation will feature "Abilities" stories written by survivors of spinal cord injury on KesslerFoundation.org.  The Kessler Foundation invites people now to tell stories of their abilities on its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/KesslerFoundation). Public service announcements (PSAs) that showcase this community building and sharing activity can be viewed on YouTube.

Click here to learn more about the Abilities stories initiative. 

Click here to view the PSA featuring Eric LeGrand.

Click here to view the PSA featuring John Larroquette.

Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill

The Congressional Brain Injury Task Force will host the “2012 Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill” on Wednesday, March 21, 2012. 

The Congressional Brain Injury Task Force is comprised of over 120 bipartisan members, whose mission is to further education and awareness of brain injury—including its incidence, prevalence, prevention and treatment. 

A schedule of events is as follows:

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM              Brain Injury Awareness Fair

                                                First Floor Foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building

2:30 PM – 4:00 PM                 Briefing: “The Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury: Any Time, Anyone, Any Age”                                               

                                                Capitol Visitors Center – Congressional Meeting Room North

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM                 Reception Celebrating Brain Injury Awareness Month

                                                B-354, Rayburn House Office Building

Kessler Foundation gets Ekso, a robotic exoskeleton

A week ago Kessler Foundation, a Model Systems location, became the second rehabilitation research center in the U.S. to implement Ekso, a wearable, robotic battery-powered exoskeleton that allows wheelchair users with lower-extremity weakness to stand and walk. The product is made by Ekso Bionics, and is being distributed to the company's ten charter partners-including Kessler Foundation, for further testing. Shepherd Center, another Model System,  will also be piloting the Ekso Skeleton as well..

Webcast for individuals living with spinal cord injury, their caregivers, and & healthcare professionals

Webcast For individuals living with spinal cord injury, their caregivers, & healthcare professionals

Join us for a Free Webcast and live chat A Continuum of Strategies Targeted at Neuroplasticity for Recovery after Neurologic Injury Epidural Stimulation and Locomotor Training: A Summary of the Research Wednesday, March 7, 2012 6:30-8:00 PM Eastern Time 6:15 PM Check-in Presenter: Susan Harkema PhD Dr. Susan J. Harkema PhD, holds the Owsley B. Frazier Rehabilitation Chair in Neurological Surgery and is the Rehabilitation Research Director of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at the University of Louisville.  She is the Director of Research at Frazier Rehab Institute and Director of the NeuroRecovery Network that provides standardized activity-based therapies for individuals with spinal cord injury at seven national rehabilitation centers in the United States.  Her research focuses on neural plasticity of spinal networks and recovery of function after spinal cord injury. Dr. Harkema has published numerous scholarly articles on her research and has received several honors and awards throughout her career.  In 2007, the National Spinal Cord Injury Association nominated her into the SCI Hall of Fame for Achievement in Research in Quality of Life, and most recently, Dr. Harkema was a co-recipient of the Reeve-Irvine Research Medal in 2009, awarded to individuals who have made critical contributions to promoting repair of the damaged spinal cord and recovery of function. In 2011, she received the Rick Hansen Foundation Difference Maker Award and Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award. Dr. Harkema earned her Bachelor of Science and PhD from Michigan State University and conducted her postdoctoral fellowship in neurophysiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. About the Webcast: Dr. Harkema’s work on the recovery of function after spinal cord injuries through activity based therapy has found that this intensive rehabilitation can result in improvements in individuals with SCI even years after injury. During this lecture she will report on the most recent findings from research conducted through the Christopher and Dana Reeve NeuroRecovery Network of seven rehabilitation centers that provide standardized Locomotor Training to individuals with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury. Dr. Harkema will also discuss another recent research study she conducted where epidural stimulation was used with an individual with a SCI.  After months of therapy, the individual was able to voluntarily move his legs with the use of the epidural stimulation. During this lecture, Dr. Harkema will discuss both research studies in depth, including the methods, results and plan for continued research.  To register:  Click here or logon to http://development.bmc.org/NERSCICwebcast For more information: call 617-638-7314 or email Judi.Zazula@bmc.org Save the Dates! Upcoming Lecture Series Webcast Wednesday, May 16, 2012 2012 Annual Consumer Research ConferenceSaturday, October 20, 2012 The New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center is now on Facebook! Like us at www.facebook.com/nerscic The Stepping Forward- Staying Informed Consumer Education Program is partially supported by the following organizations: