Spring 2015 Edition

Since 1959, the education of health care practitioners has been a pillar of TIRR Memorial Hermann’s success in advancing the field of rehabilitation medicine at the local, regional and national levels. Last year, in recognition of its 55-year legacy of training physical therapists, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists and nurses, the rehabilitation hospital formalized its educational vision and mission as the TIRR Memorial Hermann Education Academy.

Earle Powdrell holds two United States patents for the Part Task Trainer, which trains astronauts and cosmonauts to dock to the International Space Station. A five-year brain stem stroke survivor with locked-in syndrome, Earle now advocates locally and nationally for access to affordable health care, tax relief for families affected by disability and community reintegration. For the past two years, Earle has advocated for the passage of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 2014.

Powdrell was diagnosed with locked-in syndrome, a rare neurological disorder characterized by complete paralysis of voluntary muscles in all parts of the body except those that control eye movement. Individuals with locked-in syndrome are conscious and can think and reason, but can’t speak or move. The syndrome affects about 1% of people who have a stroke, and there is no recognized treatment or cure.

Angela Wrigglesworth will tell you she has a great pair of rose-colored glasses. Diagnosed at 16 months with spinal muscular atrophy, a progressive motor neuron disease that left her unable to walk, she has only positive memories of her childhood. Aware that she would never excel in the physical arena, Wrigglesworth took on leadership roles. She was the Texas Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in 1985 and 1986, travelling around the state with her family to speak on behalf of the organization. In high school, she was elected president of the Student Council in her junior year and was treasurer as a senior.

Each year, a Pilot Award of up to $50,000 is granted to an experienced investigator to fund an innovative pilot project that will lead, ultimately, to federal or foundation funding for expanded research studies. Two staff awards, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, support smaller projects designed to give therapists, nurses, social workers and other staff hands-on experience in research with mentoring by experienced investigators.

A pediatric and adult outpatient rehabilitation program with expert clinicians, state-of-the-art therapy equipment, an onsite pool and comprehensive neurological and cancer rehabilitation programs are now available to residents of Sugar Land at TIRR Memorial Hermann’s new 11,000-square-foot outpatient center.

In a study under way at TIRR Memorial Hermann, researchers are investigating the effects of combined transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and robotic-assisted training on arm and hand function in subjects with incomplete spinal cord injury. Funded by Mission Connect, a project of TIRR Foundation, the investigation is the continuation of a pilot study led by Nuray Yozbatiran, PhD, PT, the results of which demonstrated that robotic-assisted training is safe, feasible and effective in patients with incomplete tetraplegia.

The opportunity to pursue her combined interests came in 2004, when she was offered a position at TIRR Memorial Hermann after completing a yearlong pharmacy practice residency at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, located a short walk away from the rehabilitation hospital. “I enjoy the teamwork it takes to create the best pharmacotherapy plans for patients,” she says. “As a team of physicians, nurses and pharmacists, we’re very focused on finding ways to improve outcomes that lead to new and more effective protocols through respective expertise in the field.”

Local doctors suspected an ischemic stroke, but specialized medical treatment was not available in that remote location. While Lisinski was making the 20-hour trip to Buenos Aires by ambulance, her husband Terry Lisinski was flying from Houston to meet her. The next morning the couple took a commercial flight home, where he had scheduled an appointment with neurologist Herbert Edmundson, MD After reviewing the results of her MRI, Dr. Edmundson admitted Lisinski to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, a Joint Commission-designated Primary Stroke Center.

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities defines health disparities as differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups, such as racial/ethnic minorities, those of low socioeconomic backgrounds and rural persons, determined by the United States Public Law P.L. 106-525, also known as the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000.

Xiaoyan Li, PhD, has joined TIRR Memorial Hermann as a research scientist in the NeuroMyoelectric Engineering for Rehabilitation Laboratory with a concurrent appointment as a research assistant professor in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth.

Eight campers between the ages of 13 and 21 attended the inaugural Camp Kids Unlimited last October at Camp for All in Burton, Texas. Sponsored by TIRR Memorial Hermann, the camp offers kids with physical disabilities the opportunity to test their limits. Activities included canoeing, archery, paintball, wheelchair ultimate Frisbee, wheelchair basketball, a ropes course, a scavenger hunt and horseback riding.

TIRR Memorial Hermann received the Caring Heart Award from the Institute for Spirituality and Health (ISH) in November 2014 at the organization’s Gathering of Friends event. ISH’s mission is to further knowledge of the role spirituality plays in health and healing, and to educate and equip health care professionals to incorporate spirituality in patient care. Hazel Thomas, chaplain, gave the invocation. Speakers included Dan Wolterman, Memorial Hermann president and CEO, Captain Mark Kelly and former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Carl Josehart, Maegan Morrow, MT-BC, NMT.

This issue of the journal begins and ends with education – from our cover story about the TIRR Memorial Hermann Education Academy to a listing of upcoming education classes for professionals – an appropriate parallel to the discipline of rehabilitation. Education is how we became health care providers in the beginning, and we pass the torch of knowledge on to others in our field.