Awarded New Funding
The University of Michigan (U-M) Model SCI Care System, part of the University of Michigan Health System’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is proud to have been selected as one of only 14 SCI Model Systems in the United States. The purpose of the SCI Model Systems is to conduct innovative research, demonstrate state-of-the-art care, and provide information about SCI to people with disabilities, their families and the general public. The highly competitive SCI Model System grants are awarded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). They have provided funding to study SCI until 2011.
The U-M Model SCI Care System has been in existence since 1985. For over 20 years, it has partnered with the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living . This relationship with a consumer-run organization has helped to enhance the U-M Model SCI Care System’s services so that they improve the lives of people with SCI, both directly after injury and following discharge into the community.
We are also participating in a collaborative study entitled, “Project to Improve Symptoms and Mood after SCI.” This study is one of only two collaborative studies that were selected for funding by NIDRR. It will evaluate the effectiveness of a drug called Effexor XR® for treating depression. The SCI Model Systems at the University of Washington, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago are also participating in this study.
Soon, we will begin to participate in another study entitled, “Quality of Life for SCI Clinical Trials: Development of the SCI-QOL.” The purpose of the study is to develop a new instrument that will measure the quality of life among people with SCI. Funding is being provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) . The study will be led by the Kessler Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Corporation. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the University of Washington are also participating. |
