LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education has awarded researchers at Frazier Rehab Institute and the University of Louisville $2.2 million for five years to establish a Spinal Cord Injury Model System.
The grant is one of 14 in the United States awarded, said officials in making the announcement Wednesday (Oct. 19).
“The relationship between the University of Louisville, Frazier Rehab and Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare has resulted in a better quality of life for patients with spinal cord injury for more many years, and this new funding will help us to continue this groundbreaking work,” said David Laird, president/ CEO, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare. “Together, we can make new discoveries and implement those discoveries in our care for patients. The benefits of that are invaluable.”
“This grant continues our collaborative research program in identifying innovative evidence-based approaches to treating spinal cord injury,” UofL President James R. Ramsey said. “Our goal continues to be to provide world-class care for patients with spinal cord injury as we push the boundaries of what is currently known in this field.”
With the NIDRR grant, UofL and Frazier Rehab will operate the Frazier Rehab and Neuroscience Spinal Cord Injury Model System (FRNSCIMS). The model system will be regional in impact, serving the states of Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee. The FRNSCIMS will build upon and advance the high quality, comprehensive rehabilitative care to individuals with spinal cord injury and be the center of new research in which findings are rapidly translated into clinical and rehabilitation practice.
The program has three objectives: