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UT Health Science Center and TIRR Sign Agreement

Merger of institutions will strengthen rehabilitation research and education

 

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and TIRR Systems (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research) announced April 18 a merger in research and education that will focus exclusively on rehabilitation.

The new agreement, which has been approved by The University of Texas System Board of Regents and TIRR Systems Board of Trustees, will cover research in five major areas: brain injury, spinal cord injury, independent living, neuromuscular disease and adaptive technologies.

“We are merging our interests in rehabilitation research and education for the benefit of all individuals with catastrophic injuries and illness. This merger is part of our strategic plan for expanding and strengthening our research enterprise, especially in areas where we already have achieved clinical excellence,” said UT Health Science Center at Houston President James T. Willerson, M.D. “Building on our existing commitment to TIRR will help us deploy our faculty, staff and students in new ways of doing their very best to improve the health of our patients and educate our physicians in training.”

The new agreement, which is in effect through the end of 2015, will focus additional resources on exploring research and treatment innovations for patients with catastrophic injuries and illnesses. All institutions:

• will create a research institute;
• will launch a joint philanthropic campaign to raise $12.5 million to benefit the institute and its mission;
• will hire a research coordinator whose primary responsibility will be to coordinate the university’s research efforts with the patient care mission of TIRR;
• will create a joint four-member advisory board to monitor the progress of the collaborative effort and coordinate the research and patient care of TIRR;
• will work as an integrated team with faculty and staff from the UT Health Science Center, Baylor College of Medicine and TIRR to ensure leading edge research, excellent patient care and education.

Baylor College of Medicine will continue to work collaboratively with the UT Health Science Center and TIRR in research and education in rehabilitation, just as they have done in the recent past.

“This new agreement is an investment in the future of research dedicated specifically to rehabilitation,” said Allan “Bud” Shivers, chairman of the board of TIRR Systems. “This enhanced relationship will foster breakthrough research that will serve the needs of many people with disabilities. TIRR will continue to work in partnership with UT Health Science Center and Baylor College of Medicine to accomplish our mission.”

For more than a decade, faculty members in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the UT Medical School at Houston have conducted research that benefits patients at TIRR and other area hospitals. Ten faculty members specialize in the areas of stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury, amputee rehabilitation, burns, spasticity management and neuromuscular rehabilitation.

“These specialists will be available to help with efforts already under way to provide rehabilitation services to the new Neuroscience Center at Memorial Hermann Hospital,” said Department Chairman William H. Donovan, M.D. Current research by faculty members of the UT Medical School at Houston includes the use of an anti-spasmodic drug called baclofen, as well as Botox, to loosen muscles and alleviate the pain of spasms that often occur after a stroke, spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury.

 

This new agreement is an investment in the future of research
dedicated specifically to rehabilitation.”

 

“With each of these clinical studies, we are trying to restore as much function as we can,” said Gerard Francisco, M.D., clinical associate professor and director of the department’s residency program. “The goal is different for every patient. The goal for one patient could be to unclench the hand so it can be cleaned. For another, the goal could be to walk and climb stairs.”

One of the newest clinical trials is testing the effectiveness of robotic devices in the rehabilitation of stroke patients who are receiving outpatient services at TIRR. Corwin Boake, Ph.D., associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, said the small devices, which resemble videogame joysticks, are designed to help patients regain use of their injured hand, wrist and shoulder.

The UT Medical School is the only institution in the region that is studying the application of practical, robotic devices in rehabilitation, Boake said. Technology developed by Rice University will one day allow patients to take home these robotic devices, put them on a table top and do their own rehabilitation, he said.

Researchers also are examining what happens to the brain as a patient recovers from stroke and are continuing to study constraint therapy – a technique that aids the mobility of stroke patients.

Other areas of rehabilitation research, which is both privately and federally funded, include electrical stimulation to determine if it is more effective than a brace in helping patients lift their injured foot and walk. Researchers also expect to begin a clinical trial that tests a new device that will help stroke patients open and close their injured hand.

“Spinal cord injuries, degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, strokes – all require better therapies than we have right now,” Willerson said. “And they’ll require translational research into things like stem cells and other kinds of new treatments in the future that will help people recover quickly and well from those devastating injuries.”

TIRR is a 116-bed non-profit rehabilitation hospital located in the Texas Medical Center. Founded in 1959, TIRR has been named as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News and World Report magazine for 16 consecutive years. TIRR provides rehabilitation services for adults and children with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, amputations, and neurological diseases and disorders. In June, TIRR clinical services joined the Memorial Hermann Hospital System.