Spinal Cord Injury
PHOTO COURTESY: Spinal Cord Injury Lab, ACRM Institutional Member, Shepherd Center
SCI-ISIG
Meet us in Atlanta! ACRM Conference Fall 2017
WED 25 OCT 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: SCI-ISIG Women's Health Task Force Meeting
THUR 26 OCT 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: SCI-ISIG Fitness & Wellness Task Force Meeting
FRI 27 OCT 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: SCI-ISIG Business Meeting
MISSION >> | HOW TO JOIN >> |
NEWS & UPDATES >> | TASK FORCES >> |
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE >> | HOW TO PARTICIPATE >> |
CLICK to See/Download SCI-ISIG Brochure
At the ACRM Annual Conference in October 2009, the eight-year-old Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Networking Group was recognized by the ACRM Board of Governors as the SCI Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group (SCI-ISIG). Started by Sue Ann Sisto in 2001, the group is now comprised of interdisciplinary professionals who desire to improve the educational and networking opportunities for ACRM membership in SCI medicine, rehabilitation and research, and to advance clinical practice to improve the lives of people with SCI.
Spinal Cord Injury Rehab Content at the ACRM 2017 Annual Conference
Join us at the ACRM Annual Conference, Progress in Rehabilitation Research this fall, for NONSTOP educational content focused on spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Plus, dive deep into intensive Pre-Conference Instructional Courses or Specialized Workshops on a wide variety of topics.
Attend the full 6-day conference and earn up to 44 hours of CE in your choice of 15 disciplines and enjoy educational content for 18 different focus areas.
MISSION
The mission of the SCI-ISIG is to advance the field of SCI rehabilitation and research by providing opportunities for professional development, advocating for standards of practice and research, and supporting a forum for interdisciplinary and international exchange.
NEWS & UPDATES
September is National Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Awareness Month
This year marks the first annual National Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Awareness Month as designated by Congress. In recognition, here are some interesting facts, tips and resources to keep in mind.
- According to the National SCI Statistical Center, about 282,000 people are living with SCI in the U.S. today with about 17,000 new cases occurring each year.
- Check out the National Rehabilitation Information Center, which houses a virtual library of thousands of articles, books, and reports on SCI.
- Did you know that the 2017 ACRM Annual Conference will feature more than 100 instructional courses, symposia and presentations on SCI?
- In the lifetime of Archives, ACRM has published more than 3,600 articles on SCI.
- Since 2012, more than 850 original research and 60 review articles on SCI have been published.
- Twelve Archives Information/Education Pages were devoted specifically to SCI—others relevant to SCI can be found here.
- The ACRM Spinal Cord Injury Interdisciplinary special Interest Group (SCI-ISIG) now has more than 325 members. Join them!
Watch Your Inbox for SCI-ISIG Election Ballot
The SCI-ISIG 2017 Election is now in progress to determine the next SCI-ISIG Chair-Elect. Please search your inbox for subject line, "SCI-ISIG 2017 Election: Please Vote," sent on 28 August, to all SCI-ISIG voting members. Please do not forward the announcement to others. The survey link it contains is uniquely yours and cannot be used multiple times.
If you did not receive a link to the survey or need technical assistance accessing the survey, please contact Cindy Robinson.
Candidate for Chair-Elect
Ceren Yarar-Fisher, PT, PhD
Assistant Professor
Director of Rehabilitation Medicine Laboratory
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
School of Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
Dr. Yarar-Fisher received her BS degree in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation from Baskent University in Turkey. She has worked as a physical therapist across the continuum of care from neuro-rehabilitation to sports medicine before receiving her PhD in Neuromechanics at Auburn University. As a doctoral fellow at Neuromechanics Research Laboratory, she carried out research projects investigating effects of various exercise, rehabilitation and massage interventions on sensorimotor and cardiovascular systems in individuals with and without spinal cord injury (SCI). Following her PhD, she joined the UAB Nutrition and Obesity Research Center in the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology as an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow. Her research focused on exercise and diet interventions to improve metabolic health in individuals with chronic SCI.
Dr. Yarar-Fisher joined the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in October, 2015. Her notable awards include NIDDR Mary Switzer Research Fellowship (post-doctoral award), NIH/NCATS KL2 Scholar Award in Clinical and Translational Science, and NIH/NICHD K01 Mentored Research Scientist Award. She currently serves as Treasurer in American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) SCI-Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group (ISIG) and has been a member of SCI-ISIG Secondary Complications and Aging Task Force since 2014.
Her long-term research goals are to improve lives of those with SCI through interdisciplinary rehabilitation research and empower patients with SCI and their healthcare providers to make decisions about acute and chronic care that are meaningful to patients and reflect evidence-based guidelines for this unique population. Dr. Yarar-Fisher also wants to improve SCI health outcomes with better consumer understanding and education. Consequently she has been writing evidence-based SCI education articles for Paraplegia News and ACRM-SCI-ISIG Secondary Complications and Aging Task Force since 2012 and 2014, respectively.
Seeking Members for Media & Marketing Committee
The SCI-ISIG is now seeking members for the newly formed Media and Marketing Committee. The purpose of this committee is to help identify and contribute SCI content to ACRM publications, website, and social media. If you want to make a difference for the SCI-ISIG and work with great ACRM colleagues, please volunteer!
Submit questions and nominations to Dr. Sue Ann Sisto, SCI-ISIG Communications Officer. We are looking forward to working with you and are available for any questions you may have about involvement with the SCI-ISIG.
Updates to the SCI-ISIG Rules of Governance
The SCI-ISIG has revised its bylaws to clarify existing procedures, make changes to reflect our current needs, and ensure compliance with ACRM policies. The full Rules of Governance for the SCI-ISIG are published in the ACRM Policies and Procedures Manual. To access the manual, log into the Member Portal and select "ACRM Policy and Procedures Manual (ACRM Members Only)."
These updates have been approved by the ACRM Board of Governors. Substantive changes include:
- Describing two poster awards that will be given annually at the annual conference of ACRM:
- The SCI-ISIG Early Career Best Poster Award (awarded to the best SCI poster authored by someone within the first 5 years of his or her post-graduate training)
- SCI-ISIG Best Poster Award (awarded to the best poster on any SCI topic)
- Clarifying the terms of SCI-ISIG Only membership to match changes made by ACRM
- Specifying that elections shall be held by ballot regardless of the number of candidates running for office
- Adding two positions to the SCI-ISIG Executive Board: Early Career Officer and Communications Officer (see key responsibilities above)
- Adding two committees:
- Membership Committee (chaired by the Treasurer): Assists the Treasurer in all duties related to membership, such as ensuring an SCI-ISIG membership of 30 or more persons is maintained by the ACRM National Office and that an ongoing campaign is maintained to promote SCI-ISIG membership in order to enhance its ability to fulfill its stated objectives.
- Media and Marketing Committee (chaired by the Communications Officer): Creates content for SCI-ISIG-specific and ACRM-wide publications, assists in website updates and social media postings, helps with responses to requests for information on SCI-ISIG activities
Questions and comments regarding these changes are welcome, and may be directed to Jeanne Zanca.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
CHAIR: Yuying Chen, MD, PhD
Associate Professor & Director
University of Alabama at Birmingham
CHAIR-ELECT: Jeanne M. Zanca, PhD, MPT
Senior Research Scientist
Kessler Foundation
TREASURER: Ceren Yarar-Fisher, PT, PhD
Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
University of Alabama at Birmingham
LinkedIn Profile
SECRETARY: Denise Fyffe, PhD
Research Scientist
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
LinkedIn Profile
EARLY CAREER OFFICER: Swati Mehta, PhD
Research Associate
Parkwood Institute
ResearchGate Profile
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Sue Ann Sisto, PT, MA, PhD, FACRM
Professor of PT and Research Director
School of Health Technology and Management, Stony Brook University
LinkedIn Profile
SCI-ISIG BENEFITS
- Continuing education opportunities
- Opportunity to plan educational courses for the ACRM Annual Conference
- Task Force participation
- Collaborative research opportunities
HOW TO JOIN THE SCI-ISIG
One of the most valuable benefits of ACRM membership is the opportunity to participate in the many interdisciplinary special interest groups (ISIG) and networking groups. Not sure ACRM membership is right for you? Consider an ISIG Only membership.
Print an ISIG ONLY Membership Application
STAY CONNECTED
TASK FORCES
Work of the SCI-ISIG is carried out by its various task forces, which promote cutting-edge research, establish standards of care in SCI rehabilitation, and offer an interdisciplinary forum for development of state-of-the-art SCI rehabilitation practice.
Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Task Force
Mission: Promote high quality FES research and evidence-based clinical applications of FES for people with SCI to a target audience of health professionals and consumers.
View current projects and learn how to get involved >>
CHAIR: Therese Johnston, PT, PhD, MBA
Associate Professor of Physical Therapy
Thomas Jefferson University
Secondary Complications & Aging Task Force
Mission: To promote healthy aging among people with SCI and assist the prevention and management of secondary complications of SCI through education, research, and policy.
View current projects and learn how to get involved >>
CHAIR: Jeanne Zanca, PhD, MPT
Senior Research Scientist
Kessler Foundation
Fitness & Wellness Task Force
Mission: To enhance the health and wellness of people with spinal cord injury through the development and implementation of evidence-based physical fitness and health initiatives created by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers in the field of spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
View current projects and learn how to get involved >>
CO-CHAIR: Nick Evans, MHS, ACSM-CEP
Clinical Exercise Physiologist
Shepherd Center
CO-CHAIR: Hannah Mercier, PhD, MS, OTR/L
Advanced Clinician, Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
Women’s Health Task Force
Mission: The mission of the Women's Health Task Force (WHTF) is to raise awareness, facilitate collaborative research, apply knowledge, and improve women's health and quality of life following SCI.
View current projects and learn how to get involved >>
CHAIR: Heather Taylor, PhD
Director for Spinal Cord Injury Research
TIRR Memorial Hermann
Dual Diagnosis: TBI in SCI Task Force
Mission: To generate knowledge and disseminate information on the impact of traumatic brain injury in persons with spinal cord injury to a wide-ranging audience from scientists, clinicians, impacted persons, caregivers and society.
View current projects and learn how to get involved >>
CHAIR: Linda Isaac, PhD
Director, Rehabilitation Research Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University, School of Medicine
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
RESEARCH
- Advance SCI research and promote research collaboration
- Establish an interdisciplinary research agenda
- Promote translation of evidence to enhance clinical expertise and practice
CLINICAL CARE
- Conduct state-of-the-art reviews of practice in spinal cord care
- Enhance competencies of an interdisciplinary team member in SCI rehabilitation
EDUCATION
- Participate in continuing education offerings specific to the interests of SCI researchers and clinicians
- Plan an educational course for the ACRM annual meeting, Progress in Rehabilitation Research
- Develop and receive informational and instructional media
Become involved in an SCI-ISIG task force by contacting the task force chair.
SCI-ISIG RESOURCES
MEMBER GUIDE TO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
The Guide describes ACRM products, e.g., fact sheets, journal articles, manuals, and the procedure used by ACRM groups and committees to develop them. Includes a Product Development Worksheet and a Product Review Request Form.
