Craig Hospital, a neurorehabilitation and research hospital for people who have sustained spinal cord and/or brain injuries, was awarded a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to serve as a Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) center.

Craig is one of only two centers in the US that has been continuously funded as a SCIMS since 1974.  

There are 14 SCI Model Systems throughout the US. These centers collaborate on research and share knowledge and data that helps inform clinical treatment and rehabilitation. As part of the designation, centers must have a comprehensive clinical service delivery program for patients who have sustained SCI in addition to the research component, a media release from Craig Hospital explains.

“We are extremely proud to have received this competitive grant from the NIDILRR yet again, as it designates Craig as both a clinical and a research center of excellence. Our team recognizes the benefit of this grant every day, as we strive to translate our research findings to clinical care within our hospital, with the goal of improving the lives of our patients who have sustained SCI while also contributing knowledge to the greater field of SCI rehabilitation.” 

— Candy Tefertiller, executive director of research and evaluation at Craig Hospital

5-Year Grant

The 5-year, $2.4 million grant provides funding for Craig to conduct research that assesses the long-term outcomes of people who have sustained SCI by contributing data to the National SCI Model Systems database, which has been in existence since 1973, while also proposing and participating in collaborative research studies focused on improving outcomes for individuals who have sustained SCI.

Throughout the course of this grant cycle, Craig has identified a number of objectives, including investigating the efficacy of various approaches to improve upper extremity function and trunk stability among individuals after cervical SCI and the evaluation of oral health status among the US SCI population. Craig will also contribute quality, reliable data to the national database.

[Craig Hospital, GlobeNewswire]