TIRR Memorial Hermann

Last updated
TIRR Memorial Hermann
Memorial Hermann Healthcare System
TIRR Memorial Hermann
Geography
LocationLocated in the Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States
Coordinates 29°42′33″N95°23′39″W / 29.709262°N 95.394191°W / 29.709262; -95.394191 Coordinates: 29°42′33″N95°23′39″W / 29.709262°N 95.394191°W / 29.709262; -95.394191
Organization
Funding Non-profit hospital
Type Specialist
Affiliated university Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Patron None
Services
Emergency department No
Beds134
SpecialtyInpatient and outpatient rehabilitation after traumatic brain or spinal injury, or for neurologic illness
Helipad Yes
History
Opened1950s
Links
Lists Hospitals in Texas

TIRR Memorial Hermann (the four initials stand for "The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research") is a 134-bed rehabilitation hospital, rehabilitation and research center, outpatient medical clinic and network of outpatient rehabilitation centers in Houston, Texas that offers physical rehabilitation to patients following traumatic brain or spinal injury or to those suffering from neurologic illnesses. [1]

Contents

TIRR Memorial Hermann's main campus offers inpatient rehabilitation in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. There are 5 outpatient rehabilitation locations in the greater Houston area, including Kirby Glen, Memorial City, Greater Heights, Sugar Land, and The Woodlands.

TIRR Memorial Hermann is a teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. [2] [3]

History

TIRR Memorial Hermann traces its roots back to the early 1950s when polio was at the height of its epidemic in the United States. At the beginning of that decade, William A. Spencer, M.D., established one of the first polio treatment centers in the nation in Houston. The Southwestern Poliomyelitis Respiratory Center was dedicated to patient treatment and research and performed groundbreaking work.

Dr. Spencer was notably involved in developing the physiograph, a device recognized in the March 22, 1954 issue of Life magazine for its ability to record vital functions. This technology advanced teaching and research efforts and is credited as an early example of the sophisticated monitoring systems we use today.

In 1959, TIRR opened its doors in the Texas Medical Center. With the discovery of the polio vaccine in the 1960s, the disease became less of a threat. The hospital then began focusing on the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord deterioration caused by disease or trauma, pioneering the interdisciplinary team approach to rehabilitation.

It was also in the 1960s that Dr. William Spencer recruited a number of visionary physicians from several different disciplines who had appointments in numerous academic departments but spent significant amounts of their clinical and research time at the relatively small building at the rear of the then rapidly enlarging and expanding Texas Medical Center. Dr. Gunyon Harrison, a pediatrician with an interest in cystic fibrosis almost single-handedly cared for the children in Greater Houston area with this disease. Dr. Carlos Vallbona, also a pediatrician, a physiologist, a cardiologist from Barcelona Spain had appointments in numerous departments at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Paul Harrington, an orthopedic surgeon, with interest in scoliosis, developed a new approach to this disease using what became known as "Harrington Rods", inserted from the back and straightening the backs of these deformed children. A young ENT specialist, Dr. Bobby Alford was still in his residency, and was to achieve broad fame at Baylor College of Medicine, performed almost all of the bronchoscopies needed for the polio and cystic fibrosis patients.

Academic affiliations

TIRR Memorial Hermann is the primary training site for the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School. From 1996 until 2016, Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston formed the BCM/UTHSCH PM&R Alliance. The alliance was the largest physical medicine and rehabilitation residency training program in the nation.

Research programs

The TIRR Memorial Hermann Research Center is a facility for research into rehabilitative medicine.

Brain Injury Research Center

The Brain Injury and Stroke Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann has been designated a Traumatic Brain Injury Model System for nearly three decades, and was funded as a Rehabilitation and Research Training Center of excellence in TBI for over 20 years.

Spinal Cord Injury and Disability Research Center

The mission of the Spinal Cord Injury and Disability Research Center (SCIDR) is to improve functional recovery, health and quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and other physical disabilities. SCIDR had been conducting research on SCI long before 1972, when it became among the first inpatient rehabilitation programs to be designated as a Model System of Care by the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). SCIDR was the first to conduct 40-year follow-up interviews on those early research participants, and SCIDR continues to follow study participants over time at five-year intervals.

NeuroRecovery Research Center

The NeuroRecovery Research Center (NRRC) forms the umbrella for seven independent laboratories at TIRR Memorial Hermann that collaborate on basic science studies and clinical trials. Research under way at the NRRC is supported by the National Institutes of Health; Memorial Hermann Foundation; Mission Connect, a project of TIRR Foundation; TIRR Memorial Hermann; and McGovern Medical School at UTHealth.

Independent Living Research Utilization

Established in 1977, the Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) provides comprehensive resources necessary to achieve an advanced level of independence once a rehabilitation patient is discharged from care. The ILRU program at TIRR Memorial Hermann is a community-focused model led by Lex Frieden, regarded worldwide as one of the leading experts in disability policy, the current chairperson of the board of the National Council on Disability (NCD) and president of Rehabilitation International.

ILRU serves as a comprehensive information resource on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Housed at ILRU, the ADA Resource Center provides training, technical assistance and informational resources to employers, consumers, architects, businesses, media and disability organizations. ILRU is funded through private foundation grants and grants from numerous public agencies, including the United States Department of Education, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States Department of Labor.

Notable physicians and professionals

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baylor College of Medicine</span> Medical school in Houston, Texas

Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a medical school and research center in Houston, Texas, within the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center. BCM is composed of four academic components: the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; the School of Health Professions, and the National School of Tropical Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shriners Hospitals for Children</span> Network of hospitals for children

Shriners Children's is a network of non-profit medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients' ability to pay. Care for children is usually provided until age 18, although in some cases, it may be extended to age 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center</span> Hospital in California, United States

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center is a rehabilitation hospital located in Downey, California, United States. Its name in Spanish means 'Friends' Ranch'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan AbilityLab</span> Hospital in Illinois, United States

The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), is a not-for-profit nationally ranked physical medicine and rehabilitation research hospital based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1954, the AbilityLab is designed for patient care, education, and research in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). The AbilityLab specializes in rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions ranging from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment. Affiliated with Northwestern University, the hospital is located on Northwestern’s Chicago campus and partners on research and medical efforts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lex Frieden</span>

Lex Frieden is an American educator, researcher, disability policy expert and disability rights activist. Frieden has been called "a chief architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act." He is also regarded as a founder and leader of the independent living movement by people with disabilities in the U.S.

GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre is the largest rehabilitation hospital in British Columbia. It is located in the South Cambie neighbourhood of Vancouver.

Shepherd Center is a private, not-for profit hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1975, the 152-bed hospital focuses on the medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and other neuromuscular problems.

DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) is one of the eight hospitals affiliated with the Detroit Medical Center. RIM is one of the largest, academic, rehabilitation hospitals in the United States specializing in rehabilitation medicine and research. RIM offers clinical treatment in spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, complex trauma and orthopedics and catastrophic injury care. The institute is home to the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery, a facility designed to implement and study innovative treatments in spinal cord injury recovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Clara Valley Medical Center</span> Hospital in California, United States

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, commonly known as Valley Medical Center or simply Valley Medical, is a prominent 731-bed public tertiary, teaching, and research hospital in San Jose, California. Located in the Fruitdale neighborhood of West San Jose, Valley Medical Center is the anchor facility of the Santa Clara County Health System, serving Santa Clara County. Valley Medical is home to numerous innovative research and care centers, such as the Rehabilitation Trauma Center, the only federally-designated spinal cord injury center in Northern California.

Kristjan T. Ragnarsson, M.D., is an American physiatrist with an international reputation in the rehabilitation of individuals with disorders of the central nervous system. He is currently the Dr. Lucy G. Moses Professor and Chair of Rehabilitation Medicine at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennedy Krieger Institute</span> Hospital in Maryland, United States

The Kennedy Krieger Institute is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, Johns Hopkins affiliate located in Baltimore, Maryland, that provides in-patient and out-patient medical care, community services, and school-based programs for children and adolescents with learning disabilities, as well as disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system. The Institute provides services for children with developmental concerns mild to severe and is involved in research of various disorders, including new interventions and earlier diagnosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Randall Harrington</span> American orthopedic surgeon

Paul Randall Harrington was an American orthopaedic surgeon. He is best known as the designer of the Harrington Rod, the first device for the straightening and immobilization of the spine inside the body. It entered common use in the early 1960s and remained the gold standard for scoliosis surgery until the late 1990s. During this period over one million people benefited from Harrington's procedure.

Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, part of Jefferson Health, founded in 1958, is a 96-bed specialty medical rehabilitation hospital providing physical and cognitive rehabilitation services. Magee's flagship facility is located in Center City Philadelphia. In addition to the main campus that offers comprehensive services for spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, orthopaedic replacement, amputation, pain management and work injury, Magee provides an expanding outpatient network serving the surrounding communities. In 1985, Magee's brain injury rehabilitation program became the first in the nation to be accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. Magee partnered with Jefferson Hospital to create one of the nation's 14 federally designated centers for spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Magee has been rated one of America's leading rehabilitation hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Magee provides treatment to more than 5,000 individuals annually. Magee is authorized to treat wounded military personnel returning from war. Magee is not an Obligated Group Affiliate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center</span> Hospital in Texas, United States

Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center is a nationally ranked hospital at the Texas Medical Center. It is the first hospital founded in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1925, it is the primary teaching hospital for McGovern Medical School and the flagship location of 13 hospitals in the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. It is one of three certified Level I Trauma Centers in the greater Houston area. The Memorial Hermann Life Flight air ambulance service operates its fleet of helicopters from Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center. Pediatric care to the hospital is provided by Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital which treats infants, children, teens, and young adults age 0-21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burke Rehabilitation Hospital</span> Hospital in New York, USA

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital is a non-profit, 150-bed acute rehabilitation hospital located in White Plains, New York. It is the only hospital in Westchester County entirely dedicated to rehabilitation medicine. Opening in 1915, Burke has been involved in medical rehabilitation for over one hundred years. As of January 2016, Burke is a member of the Montefiore Health System, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Verghese</span> Indian physician

Mary Puthisseril Verghese (1925–1986) was a physician in India who was among the earliest pioneers of Physical medicine and rehabilitation in the country. Mary Verghese was instilled in a home where love and respect were two main factors in their close knit family. She was caring of others and wanted to give back to her community in any way that she could. In 1963, she took charge of what was the first department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with an inpatient facility in India at the Christian Medical College, Vellore. She was instrumental in expanding the services of the department with the establishment of the first inpatient rehabilitation institute of the country in 1966. In recognition of her contributions to the field of medicine, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Hayes Hospital</span> Hospital in New York, United States

Helen Hayes Hospital is a 155-bed physical rehabilitation hospital in West Haverstraw, New York, owned and operated by the New York State Department of Health. Established by Dr. Newton Schaffer in 1900 as a physical rehabilitation hospital for children, it is considered to be one of the first freestanding state-operated physical rehabilitation hospitals in the United States. The hospital was renamed in 1974 after celebrated stage and screen actress Helen Hayes MacArthur, who served on the hospital's Board of Visitors for 49 years until her death in 1993. The hospital is a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Nosek</span> American activist (1952–2020)

Margaret Ann "Peg" Nosek was an American academic and disability rights activist based in Houston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez</span> American academic physiatrist

Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez is an American academic physiatrist and rehabilitative medicine physician. She chairs the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Long School of Medicine within the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and previously served as the medical director of the Brain Injury and Stroke Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann.

References

  1. "AHA Healthcare DataViewer - Trusted Data for Healthcare Industry Research - AHA Data Online". Ahadataviewer.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  2. "GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION". Bcm.edu. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  3. "University of Texas Medical School at Houston - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation". Bcm.edu. Retrieved 17 January 2015.

Bibliography