The Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (SH-TBIMS) is one of 16 centers in the nation that have been selected by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to receive federal funding for research on TBI for the 2017-2022 funding cycle. The SH-TBIMS was also previously funded as a TBI Model System center in the 1999-2002, 2002-2007 and 2007-2012 cycles. The SH-TBIMS is comprised of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), our two Level 1 trauma centers, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (SRH), our inpatient rehabilitation hospital, and Spaulding Hospital Cambridge (SHC), our long-term acute care hospital. As a TBI Model System, Spaulding is a national leader in TBI research and care. Spaulding has worked hard to improve care for patients with severe acquired brain injury, including the development of a highly-specialized Disorders of Consciousness (DoC) Program, one of just a few in the U.S., that tailors to this patient population.
What is a Model System?
Model Systems are networks of hospitals across the United States that focus on tracking and improving recovery of people with one of three types of injuries: traumatic brain injury (TBI), burn injury, and spinal cord injury (SCI). Model Systems centers are federally funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, and include several initiatives:
- To complete research on selected conditions (TBI, SCI, burn injuries)
- To educate patients and families
- To uphold excellence in clinical care
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is the only hospital in the nation that has received the distinction of being selected to have Model Systems in all three specialties for two consecutive 5-year funding cycles.
