Focus Groups Highlight Gaps in Readiness to Return Home After Inpatient Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Injury

In an international study led by the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research (CROR) at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, people with spinal cord injury (SCI), their care partners and SCI clinicians participated in focus groups to share their experiences with inpatient rehabilitation and returning home. The findings reveal a consistent mismatch between early discharge timelines and patients’ preparedness for life at home, underscoring the need for more individualized transition planning.
Read More About the Research

Meet Dalia De Santis, PhD: Using Biomedical Engineering and Robotics to Help People 
With SCI Regain Function

Can the brain learn new ways to help the body move after SCI? Shirley Ryan AbilityLab research scientist Dalia De Santis, PhD, is exploring how the brainstem might play a role in restoring movement when traditional pathways are damaged. By pairing auditory stimulation with physical therapy, her research is uncovering new possibilities for improving mobility in people with SCI.
Read More About Dr. De Santis

Available Now: New Factsheet on Emergency Preparedness for People with SCI

The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) has released a new factsheet, Emergency Preparedness for People With SCI. Learn what to do in an emergency and how you can be prepared in advance. Available in English and Spanish.

Get the Factsheet

INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast

On this episode of INside the OUTcomes, we explore an international study led by Shirley Ryan AbilityLab that examines how inpatient rehabilitation — and key factors such as length of stay, intensity, and more — shapes outcomes for people with SCI.


As part of the research, individuals with SCI participated in focus groups to share their firsthand experiences of inpatient rehabilitation.


Our guests for this episode are:


  • Tyree Brown, a visual artist and disability advocate based in Maryland. After a car accident in 2015 left her with partial loss of function in both her arms and legs, she has become a powerful voice in the disability community.



Find the podcast on ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ and browse the podcast archive for past episodes.
Listen to the Episode

The Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System (MRSCICS) at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is a leading center for innovative, integrated, interdisciplinary research and care for persons with spinal cord injury. It manages several research projects, both unique to MRSCICS and in collaboration with other SCI Model Systems around the nation. MRSCICS also contributes data to the National Spinal Cord Injury Model System Database, established in 1973 as a repository of data collected through the collaborative efforts of federally funded SCI Model Systems.


Read our archive for past issues of MRSCICS Matters.
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For questions or comments, email outcomesresearch@sralab.org

This newsletter is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grants 90DPKT0007 and 90SIMS0015). The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

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