Shepherd Center leased hospital space in 1975 and opened a six-bed unit to offer rehabilitation and hope to people with spinal cord injuries. Four decades later, Shepherd treats thousands of people a year at its state-of-the-art facility. Patients come from all over the country for treatment of spinal cord injury, as well as brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders. On Feb. 20, Sarah Morrison takes over as CEO and president of Shepherd Center. She began her career there 32 years ago as a physical therapist. While much has changed in that time, one thing hasnt, she says: Shepherd Center is a place of hope. Q: What attracted you to Shepherd? A: Shepherd Center, even in 1984, was very well known. When I told people I was working at Shepherd, they would ask, Isnt that depressing? My answer was always no. We cant change that the individual was injured, but what we can do is give back their quality of life. Q: What are some of the differences you have experienced? A: When I came to Shepherd, the average length of stay was more than 120 days. Now, it is only 40 days, mainly because of insurance pressures. To … Continue reading →

February 10, 2017 Credit: Robert Kraft/public domain Doctors are beginning to get answers to the question that every parent whose child has had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) wants to know: What will my child be like 10 years from now? In a study to be presented Friday Feb. 10 at the annual meeting of the Association of Academic Physiatrists in Las Vegas, researchers from Cincinnati Children's will present research on long-term effects of TBIan average of seven years after injury. Patients with mild to moderate brain injuries are two times more likely to have developed attention problems, and those with severe injuries are five times more likely to develop secondary ADHD. These researchers are also finding that the family environment influences the development of these attention problems. More than 630,000 children and teenagers in the United States are treated in emergency rooms for TBI each year. But predictors of recovery following TBI, particularly the roles of genes and environment, are unclear. These environmental factors include family functioning, parenting practices, home environment, and socioeconomic status. Researchers at Cincinnati Children's are working to identify genes important to recovery after TBI and understand how these genes may interact with environmental factors to … Continue reading →

Traumatic brain injury in a serious health concern, especially among children and adolescents. New research uncovers the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury on children. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is any injury to the head that interferes with the normal functioning of the brain. This can be a violent blow or bump, which can result in a sudden jolt, or a penetrating injury that pierces the skull and the brain tissue. TBIs can range from mild (commonly known as a concussion) to severe, potentially resulting in unconsciousness or memory loss. Children participating in school sports have a particularly high risk of experiencing TBI. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that in 2009, almost 250,000 children and adolescents aged 19 and younger received treatment for sports and recreation-related TBIs and concussions. The CDC also note that between 2001 and 2009, the number of people under 19 years old diagnosed with sports and recreation-related TBI or concussions rose by 57 percent. Around 435,000 children aged between 0 and 14 visit the emergency department as a result of TBI every year. The long-term effects of TBI include difficulties in reasoning, language, or emotions and sensations. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy - … Continue reading →