TIRR Memorial Hermann patient, Braxton Taylor, works with therapist and assistive device after spinal cord injury.

Braxton Taylor: From Total Assist to Independence


TIRR Memorial Hermann patient, Braxton Taylor, works with therapist and assistive device after spinal cord injury.

After rehabilitation, Braxton Taylor could walk with assistance and was independent in most aspects of daily care, a tribute to his motivation and the resources of TIRR Memorial Hermann.

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Former TIRR Memorial Hermann patient, Justin Lamb

Rehabilitation for Dysautonomia


Former TIRR Memorial Hermann patient, Justin Lamb

Justin Lamb is one of many patients to benefit from a unique collaboration between TIRR Memorial Hermann and the pediatric neurology and cardiology services at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.

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  • Exterior photo of TIRR Memorial Hermann Research Center

    TIRR Memorial Hermann Celebrates a Milestone with the Opening of a New Research Center

    TIRR Memorial Hermann opened its doors in 1959 as the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR), one of the country’s first rehabilitation hospitals. Over the span of 55 years, the institution has grown into a national leader in interdisciplinary rehabilitation, clinical care, education and research.

    TIRR Memorial Hermann opened its doors in 1959 as the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR), one of the country’s first rehabilitation hospitals. Over the span of 55 years, the institution has grown into a national leader in interdisciplinary rehabilitation, clinical care, education and research. Last fall, the hospital celebrated another milestone when the TIRR Memorial Hermann Research Center was completed and diverse research programs came together under one roof for the first time, creating new synergy between researchers, disciplines and programs.

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  • Dr. Gerard Francisco

    Message From the Chief Medical Officer

    Read a message from the Chief Medical Officer at TIRR Memorial Hermann for the Winter 2014 Edition of the TIRR Memorial Hermann Journal.

    That collaborative approach is mirrored in our research program. The new TIRR Memorial Hermann Research Center houses professionals in four seemingly disparate labs who work together synergistically to bring innovations to the bedside, the therapy gym, the outpatient care setting and the community. Investigators in the Neurorecovery Research Center, the Brain Injury Research Center, the Spinal Cord Research Program and the Independent Living Research Utilization program share the common goal of transforming lives and instilling hope in people whose lives have been significantly altered by illness or injury.

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  • TIRR Brain Graphic

    NIDRR Grant to Evaluate Memory Remediation

    The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has awarded $3 million to TIRR Memorial Hermann to perform a five-year study to determine whether the medicine donepezil is an effective treatment for memory deficits resulting from traumatic brain injury (TBI).

    Entitled “Multicenter Evaluation of Memory Remediation after TBI with Donepezil” (the MEMRI-TBI-D Study), the 10-week trial will evaluate the effects of 10 milligrams of donepezil, administered daily, on verbal memory problems among adults with TBI in the subacute or chronic recovery period. The study will enroll 160 persons with TBI and functionally important memory problems at four study sites across the country during the four-year period of open enrollment.

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  • Lisa Thomas

    Profiles in Caring: Lisa Thomas

    It’s no surprise that Lisa Thomas was recognized in 2013 as a Good Samaritan Foundation Excellence in Nursing Bronze Medalist, an award program created to recognize “nursing’s best and brightest.” An advanced practice nurse and clinical nurse specialist in adult health, she brings energy, expertise and enthusiasm to her role as director of clinical education for TIRR Memorial Hermann and the hospital’s growing citywide rehabilitation network.

    Actively engaged in research, Thomas is currently working on a collaborative project to examine the experience of amputees who see themselves in the mirror for the first time following their amputation. “This is a powerful patient experience that crosses multiple disciplines, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and nursing,” she says. “Our research partner at TWU has examined the experience of women after mastectomy in ways that help them recover and form a new view of themselves. We’re very interested in investigating how these findings might apply to patients who have undergone upper- or lower-extremity amputation.”

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  • A Potential Biomarker of Emotional Distress

    In our National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-supported study of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of emotional distress among persons with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in the subacute and chronic recovery periods, we are performing a pilot study of an innovative method of assessing a physiological correlate of emotional distress through sampling of cortisol levels attained from hair samples of the study participants.

    Hair cortisol sampling enables evaluation of the average levels of serum cortisol produced over the month preceding sampling. Cortisol circulating in the bloodstream is incorporated into hair at the time it is produced by hair follicles. Once it is incorporated into the hair, it does not diffuse out of it as hair grows or as it is exposed to the elements or hair products (e.g., shampoo, conditioner). As a result, the amount of cortisol in the hair serves as a stable marker of the average levels of cortisol circulating in the blood at the time during which that hair is produced.

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  • Robotic Trajectory Chart

    Ensuring Active Engagement in Robotic Therapy

    High intensity and high repetition upper-limb movements are necessary for recovery of function following neurological injury, since such actions are capable of inducing brain and spinal plasticity. Robotic devices are uniquely suited for delivering such intensive, repetitive therapy. However, studies have shown that passively moving the limb through prescribed trajectories is not necessarily efficacious.

    In order to derive maximum benefit from robot-assisted rehabilitation, it is critical that the implemented control algorithms, which govern how the robotic device and the participant interact, promote the participant’s active engagement in therapy.  My research group at Rice University has been developing novel approaches for ensuring cognitive engagement of the patient during robotic rehabilitation of the upper limb following stroke or incomplete spinal cord injury. In this article I present several techniques that we have used, including the development of objective measures of motor impairment that can be used for frequent feedback to the therapist and patient regarding their progress,...

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  • Accolades, Print, Podium

    TIRR Memorial Hermann was featured as an ROI Case Study in the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Pathway to Excellence™ e-Newsletter distributed on October 10, 2013. The hospital’s outcomes were cited as “continually exceeding expectations” with a below-average fall rate, a five-year track record of no cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), fewer catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), fewer pressure ulcers and an increase in CRRN (certified rehabilitation registered nurse) certifications.

    Meilani Mapa, MD, assistant professor and vice chair of the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, represented TIRR Memorial Hermann and UTHealth PM&R at The University of Texas System Clinical Safety and Effectiveness Conference and Recognition Event held in September 2013 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Antonio. The conference, entitled “Building the Bridge: Public Policy and Public Health Effect Health Care Reform,” brought together doctors, clinicians and students from across the UT System. Dr. Mapa presented her quality improvement project “Reducing Acquired...

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  • Carl Josehart

    Message From the Chief Executive Officer

    Carl E. Josehart, Chief Executive Officer of TIRR Memorial Hermann, shares a message for the Winter 2014 edition of the TIRR Memorial Hermann Journal.

    Carl E. Josehart, Chief Executive Officer of TIRR Memorial Hermann, shares a message for the Winter 2014 edition of the TIRR Memorial Hermann Journal.

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2014
US News and World Report Best Hospitals Badge

Nationally Ranked Rehabilitation


For the 35th consecutive year, TIRR Memorial Hermann is recognized as the best rehabilitation hospital in Texas and No. 2 in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report's "Best Rehabilitation Hospitals" in America.

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