The Texas TBI Model System at TIRR Memorial Hermann

TIRR Memorial Hermann has been designated as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model System with funding by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The NIDRR TBI Model Systems program began in 1987 and is the largest research program on recovery from TBI in the world. The TBI Model Systems study database is the largest database on traumatic brain injury.

The overall goal of the TBI Model Systems program is to conduct research aimed at improving quality of care and outcomes for patients recovering from TBI. Within the program, individuals with TBI who consent to participate in the study are followed for many years after their injuries; some have been followed for more than 18 years.

This program is designed, in part, to help TIRR better understand what happens in the long-term recovery phase of persons with TBI. In addition to the long-term follow-up that is conducted as part of the study, each center has additional research projects designed to address specific issues about TBI, including looking at how different treatments might help improve recovery and community participation. Since the TBI Model Systems program is a research program, however, these grants do not provide support for direct clinical care.