Message From CEO

At TIRR Memorial Hermann, we continue to move from strength to strength, positioning our organization as a leader in rehabilitation medicine, today and for generations to come.

After 18 years of dedicated service as CMO for TIRR Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center, Dr. Gerard Francisco will step down from this role, effective August 31. This transition reflects his desire to focus more fully on his academic and clinical leadership responsibilities with UTHealth Houston, where he will continue to serve as chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and maintain his distinguished academic roles. Importantly, Dr. Francisco will also remain an active member of our medical staff, continuing to care for patients and contribute to our clinical community.

After 18 years of dedicated service as CMO for TIRR Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center, Dr. Gerard Francisco will step down from this role, effective August 31. This transition reflects his desire to focus more fully on his academic and clinical leadership responsibilities with UTHealth Houston, where he will continue to serve as chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and maintain his distinguished academic roles. Importantly, Dr. Francisco will also remain an active member of our medical staff, continuing to care for patients and contribute to our clinical community.

On September 1, we will welcome Dr. P. Jacob Joseph as the new CMO. Dr. Joseph joined our TIRR Memorial Hermann team nearly 20 years ago as a volunteer for the Challenge Program, our post-brain injury group. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Joseph to begin the next phase of his TIRR Memorial Hermann journey and look forward to the future together.

Additionally, our TIRR Memorial Hermann team is also pleased to welcome Janelle Headley as our new CNO. Janelle has been a valued member of the Memorial Hermann family for 17 years, most recently providing steady leadership as interim CNO for Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. She brings a strong track record of leading complex nursing operations, advancing patient safety and building high performing teams across multiple Service Lines. We are thrilled to welcome her and appreciate her interdisciplinary collaboration and deep commitment to our professional nursing practice.

As you’ll see in this issue of the TIRR Journal, this excellence is corroborated by our incredible team accomplishment of earning Magnet Recognition with Distinction™ from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). For TIRR Memorial Hermann, this designation highlights how we continue to listen to the voices of our transdisciplinary care teams, including our nurses, to enhance patient care and the health of the community of people with disabilities.

This issue also profiles our role as a founding partner of the ReelAbilities film and arts festival in Houston, one of my favorite things to participate in, which includes a newly launched ReelCommunity Expo, held in May. Reaching further than awareness campaigns, ReelCommunity engaged with community organizations alongside founding partners Walk & Roll for SCI foundation and the Joan and Stanford Alexander Jewish Family Service to open its doors in 2025 as a pilot Expo concept and expanded to reach even more of the community this year. The Expo event brought together over 200 people and partners, showcasing activities and resources available year-round to people of all ages, stages and abilities in our Houston neighborhoods and beyond. Free of charge, this accessible in-all-ways and impactful experience clearly supports our mission at TIRR Memorial Hermann: To redefine rehabilitation, champion inclusion and offer hope as we improve health for generations to come.

With our strong new leaders on board and these meaningful recent accomplishments in motion, I can’t wait to see what TIRR Memorial Hermann redefines next!

Rhonda Abbott, PT, FTPTA
CEO and Senior Vice President
TIRR Memorial Hermann and 
Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Network