The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) has awarded Wayne State University's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) a five-year grant totaling $2.23 million to fund the Southeastern Michigan Traumatic Brain Injury System (SEMTBIS).
The grant earns Wayne State and RIM the rare distinction of being one of only 16 centers of excellence in the country for the care and research of those with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
“This is fantastic news for the patients of southeast Michigan who require the services of leading physical medicine and rehabilitation experts,” said Jack D. Sobel, M.D., dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine. “The experts of WSU and RIM have a longstanding exceptional record of restoring quality of life to patients who have undergone a variety of life-changing illness and trauma.”
SEMTBIS, housed at RIM, conducts groundbreaking research in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation, sharing the resulting innovations with other traumatic brain injury professionals and researchers throughout the world. This ongoing research is vital to future advances in the treatment of brain injury.
"This research grant will give us an opportunity to continue our longitudinal research on the recovery from traumatic brain injury, and also allow us to conduct research on optimizing outcomes in those who care for persons with traumatic brain injury. This is an international collaboration between Wayne State University/RIM researchers and scientists in Australia. We have been fortunate to have a very active traumatic brain injury research program for over 20 years, and this grant will allow us to continue that important work," said Robin Hanks, Ph.D., SEMTBIS project director and chief of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at RIM and WSU professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
In addition, Wayne State and RIM maintain the Traumatic Brain Injury National Database, which compiles data on the course of recovery and long-term outcomes following traumatic brain injuries from each of the 16 model systems. It is the only long-term longitudinal, multi-center study of this type in the world.
“Thanks to the ongoing support of NIDILRR and our expert staff of physicians, researchers, neuropsychologists and rehabilitation professionals, SEMTBIS will continue to be one of the premier centers for the treatment and research of traumatic brain injuries,” said William H. Restum, Ph.D., chief executive officer of RIM.
About DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, www.rimrehab.org
DMC’s Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) is one of the nation’s largest freestanding rehabilitation hospitals specializing in rehabilitation medicine and research. RIM is known for its clinical expertise in spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, complex trauma and orthopedics. The Institute is home to many innovative programs, including the Southeastern Michigan Traumatic Brain Injury System and the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery. With over 30 outpatient sites located throughout southeast Michigan, it is also a center of choice for persons recovering from sports and orthopedic injuries.
About Wayne State University School of Medicine
Founded in 1868, the Wayne State University School of Medicine educates more than 1,000 medical students annually in Midtown Detroit. In addition to undergraduate medical education, the school offers master’s degree, Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. programs in 14 areas of basic science to about 400 students annually. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @waynemedicine | Facebook/WayneStateMedSchool.