About SCIMS
The Brain and Spinal Health Hub website is partially supported by the Virginia Consortium for Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SCIMS). The Virginia SCIMS is 1 of 19 federally awarded SCI Model Systems in the US. This $2.25 million, 5-year grant (2021-2026) is from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. This prestigious award recognizes the Virginia SCIMS as a national leader in rehabilitation research and the SCI continuum of care from acute to rehabilitation to home and community.
The Virginia Consortium for Spinal Cord Injury is a partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the VCU Center for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering (CERSE), the Central Virginia VA Health Care System (CVHCS), and Sheltering Arms Institute. The grant supports research projects generated with the input of community partners including United Spinal of Virginia and Sportable.
Project Team
Project Director, Site Clinical Trial Study PI, Ashraf Gorgey, MPT, PhD, tests home-based, multi-modal neurorehabilitation using a telehealth platform to enhance upper extremity function in people with tetraplegia.
Co-Project Director, Site Longitudinal Study PI, Ronald Seel, PhD leads the Virginia site's participant enrollment for the national SCI longitudinal study and the translation of research into practical use.
Paul Perrin, Collaborative Study PI, leads a 7-center project that explores the many factors that can lead to worse outcomes after SCI with a focus on identifying practical ways to improve rehabilitation care and patient short- and long-term outcomes.