TIRR Memorial Hermann patient, Alex, discusses osseointegration with his physician and physical therapist.

TIRR Journal Winter/Spring 2023


TIRR Memorial Hermann patient, Alex, discusses osseointegration with his physician and physical therapist.

Our clinicians innovate in every patient interaction, and our researchers are leading the way in the use of advanced therapies. We are creating an innovation hub, an incubator to accelerate progress i...

Download the Journal
TIRR Memorial Hermann Osseointegration patient, Alex, stands with his four daughters at a play ground.

Limb Replacement Through Osseointegration (OI) Gives Persons with Amputations Control of Their Lives


TIRR Memorial Hermann Osseointegration patient, Alex, stands with his four daughters at a play ground.

For patients who face amputations, the road to recovery is a long one, filled with physical, emotional and social challenges. Alex Weatherford was an early OI patient and the first bilateral amputee f...

Read the Story
  • Gerard Francisco

    Message From the Chief Medical Officer

    Over 45 years, the research conducted and published by Mark Sherer, PhD, and his many collaborators has changed the way we treat patients with brain injury. He has made major contributions to the development of clinical services for people with brain injury and to research that informs the clinical care we deliver.

    Over 45 years, the research conducted and published by Mark Sherer, PhD, and his many collaborators has changed the way we treat patients with brain injury. He has made major contributions to the development of clinical services for people with brain injury and to research that informs the clinical care we deliver.

    Read More
  • Profile in Caring: Mark Sherer, PhD, ABPP, FACRM

    Dr. Mark Sherer has spent his career expanding compassionate, state-of-the-science clinical services for people affected by brain injury, through high-impact contributions to clinical research, program development, education and dissemination.

    Dr. Mark Sherer has spent his career expanding compassionate, state-of-the-science clinical services for people affected by brain injury, through high-impact contributions to clinical research, program development, education and dissemination.

    Read More
  • TIRR Memorial Hermann patient shown performing task-specific therapy

    TIRR Memorial Hermann to Pair Vagus Nerve Stimulation with Rehabilitation

    A peer-reviewed article published in The Lancet in April 2021 and co-authored by Gerard E. Francisco, MD, described the highly promising results of an international, multicenter study investigation of the effect that combined vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and intensive upper limb therapy has on the recovery of arm mobility after ischemic stroke. Based on the study results, TIRR Memorial Hermann has announced plans to open a Vagus Nerve Stimulation Clinic.

    A peer-reviewed article published in The Lancet in April 20211 and co-authored by Gerard E. Francisco, MD, described the highly promising results of an international, multicenter study investigation of the effect that combined vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and intensive upper limb therapy has on the recovery of arm mobility after ischemic stroke. Based on the study results, TIRR Memorial Hermann has announced plans to open a Vagus Nerve Stimulation Clinic.

    Read More
  • A TIRR Memorial Hermann patient practices balancing with Osseointegration.

    TIRR Memorial Hermann Designated a National Rehabilitation Innovation Center by President Biden and the U.S Congress

    Legislation passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Jan. 5, 2023, designates TIRR Memorial Hermann a National Rehabilitation Innovation Center.

    Legislation passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Jan. 5, 2023, designates TIRR Memorial Hermann a National Rehabilitation Innovation Center. The Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act of 2022 recognizes a leading class of pioneering rehabilitation research facilities across the United States that set the standard for ongoing study and clinical care. The act helps ensure that best practices and cutting-edge research are disseminated widely to maximize patient outcomes.

    Read More
  • A TIRR Memorial Hermann patient gets back to life outdoors.

    Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Funded

    Researchers are mapping the signals to learn which areas of the brain are activated when the study participants express their feelings during creative movement, daily movements or as they attempt to regain the ability to move.

    Researchers are mapping the signals to learn which areas of the brain are activated when the study participants express their feelings during creative movement, daily movements or as they attempt to regain the ability to move.

    Read More
  • José Luis “Pepe” Contreras-Vidal, PhD

    Think and Make It Happen: Investing in Brain Research and Neurotechnology

    TIRR Memorial Hermann’s roots go back to the 1950s, when the polio epidemic was at its height in the United States. Founded as one of the first polio treatment centers in the nation, TIRR was freed by the discovery of a polio vaccine to apply its rehabilitation expertise to catastrophically injured patients.

    TIRR Memorial Hermann’s roots go back to the 1950s, when the polio epidemic was at its height in the United States. Founded as one of the first polio treatment centers in the nation, TIRR was freed by the discovery of a polio vaccine to apply its rehabilitation expertise to catastrophically injured patients..

    Read More
  • Radha Korupolu

    Dr. Korupolu Receives NIH Grant for Mindfulness Study

    Radha Korupolu, MD, MS, associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and an attending physician in the Spinal Cord Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health R34 planning grant to examine mindfulness meditation training in patients with spinal cord injury who are also experiencing chronic pain.

    Radha Korupolu, MD, MS, associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and an attending physician in the Spinal Cord Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health R34 planning grant to examine mindfulness meditation training in patients with spinal cord injury who are also experiencing chronic pain.

    Read More
  • Dr. Isaac Hernandez Jimenez, MD

    Advancing Care for Spinal Cord Injury Patients in Latin America

    Despite advances in rehabilitation medicine’s understanding of the pathophysiology of SCI and the management of its acute and chronic complications, functional outcomes in Latin America are disproportionately variable between countries, with worse outcomes in the countries with fewer resources.

    Despite advances in rehabilitation medicine’s understanding of the pathophysiology of SCI and the management of its acute and chronic complications, functional outcomes in Latin America are disproportionately variable between countries, with worse outcomes in the countries with fewer resources.

    Read More
  • TIRR Memorial Hermann Recreation Coordinator Peggy Turner, CTRS

    Peggy Turner Invited to Title IX 50th Anniversary Luncheon

    Peggy Turner, CTRS, attended a VIP luncheon held in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Title IX clause of the Federal Education Amendments, signed into law in 1972.

    Peggy Turner, CTRS, attended a VIP luncheon held in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Title IX clause of the Federal Education Amendments, signed into law in 1972.

    Read More
  • Sheng Li

    TIRR Memorial Hermann and UTHealth Houston Collaborate on International Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery Conference

    TIRR Memorial Hermann, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and the UTHealth Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases will host colleagues from around the world to present and discuss the latest science, clinical applications and device development with the goal of improving the lives of people recovering from stroke.

    TIRR Memorial Hermann, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and the UTHealth Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases will host colleagues from around the world to present and discuss the latest science, clinical applications and device development with the goal of improving the lives of people recovering from stroke.

    Read More
  • Heather Taylor Accepts the ACRM Margaret Nosek Award

    Accolades

    Heather Taylor Receives ACRM Margaret Nosek Award, Angelle Sander Named Chair of ACRM’s Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Recognizes Patient Care Unit at TIRR Memorial Hermann with Beacon Award for Excellence, TIRR Memorial Hermann Provides Support for Two Inclusive Houston-Area Parks, Nielsen Grant Funds TIRR Empowered Advocates Mentoring Project, Sandra Breitengross Bitter Joins TIRR Memorial Hermann’s Independent Living Research Utilization Program, TIRR Memorial Hermann Earns High Recognition by U.S. News & World Report, Six Pilot Health Organizations Selected for Schwartz Center’s Inaugural Healing Healthcare Initiative, TIRR Memorial Hermann Welcomes Two Physiatrists

    Heather Taylor Receives ACRM Margaret Nosek Award, Angelle Sander Named Chair of ACRM’s Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Recognizes Patient Care Unit at TIRR Memorial Hermann with Beacon Award for Excellence, TIRR Memorial Hermann Provides Support for Two Inclusive Houston-Area Parks, Nielsen Grant Funds TIRR Empowered Advocates Mentoring Project, Sandra Breitengross Bitter Joins TIRR Memorial Hermann’s Independent Living Research Utilization Program, TIRR Memorial Hermann Earns High Recognition by U.S. News & World Report, Six Pilot Health Organizations Selected for Schwartz Center’s Inaugural Healing Healthcare Initiativ...

    Read More
  • Rhonda Abbott

    Message from the CEO

    We are honored to be designated a National Rehabilitation Innovation Center by the U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden through the passage of the Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act of 2022. Over 10 years in the making, the act recognizes pioneering rehabilitation research facilities and ensures the dissemination of evidence-based practice to shape the future of post-acute care in ways that optimize patient outcomes.

    We are honored to be designated a National Rehabilitation Innovation Center by the U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden through the passage of the Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act of 2022. Over 10 years in the making, the act recognizes pioneering rehabilitation research facilities and ensures the dissemination of evidence-based practice to shape the future of post-acute care in ways that optimize patient outcomes.

    Read More
  • Angelle Sander

    Publications and Presentation

    A listing of publications and presentations featuring leaders and researchers of TIRR Memorial Hermann.

    A listing of publications and presentations featuring leaders and researchers of TIRR Memorial Hermann.

    Read More
TIRR Memorial Hermann International Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery Conference 2023

International Stroke Rehabilitation & Recovery Conference

November 30 - December 2, 2023
This conference will focus on rehabilitation and recovery paradigms for those with long-lasting effects of stroke. Speakers will provide recent developments in the field while breakout sessions will focus on the incorporation and implementation of these advances into practice.

Learn More

Subscribe to the TIRR Memorial Hermann Journal

Thank
You!
Thank you. Check your email for details on your request.
2023
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.

Learn More