Model Systems of Care

A person looks at a laptop screen displaying a colorful 3D brain scan with data analysis and protocols on the left side of the screen. The brain image includes a color-coded legend on the right.

Nationally recognition for excellence

Shepherd Center is proud to be part of an elite group of hospitals designated by the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) as both a Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SCIMS) and Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS). These designations represent the highest level of achievement in rehabilitation care and research.

What are Model Systems?

Since their inception, Model System programs have focused on improving both immediate and long-term care for individuals with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. They set national standards for rehabilitation and drive innovation through collaborative research and evidence-based practices.

Driving innovation through data

Two of the most important contributions of these programs are the creation of the National SCI Statistical Center (NSCISC) and the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Data and Statistical Center (TBINDSC). These centers maintain the largest and most comprehensive databases for SCI and TBI outcomes, proving invaluable insights that shape care and improve recovery for thousands of individuals.

Why this designation matters

  • National leadership: Shepherd Center is part of an elite group of hospitals participating in the federally funded NIDILRR Model Systems programs or both SCI and TBI. These programs set the standards for rehabilitation and research in the United States.
  • Evidence you can trust: Model Systems maintain two of the most comprehensive longitudinal databases — NSCISC (SCI) and TBINDSC (TBI). These resources allow researchers and clinicians to track outcomes for decades, ensuring care strategies are backed by real-world data.
  • Competitive, five‑year grants: Both SCIMS and TBIMS programs are funded by highly competitive federal grants renewed every five years, underscoring the rigor and impact of this work.

Our Model Systems of care

The Southeastern Regional Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Model System at Shepherd Center is the largest of the country’s 18 Model Systems of Care for spinal cord injury, with the largest number of new admissions and outpatient visits of all the Model Systems sites.

Shepherd Center has been a SCIMS center since 1982. Through the years as a NIDILRR-funded SCIMS, Shepherd Center has developed and tested many approaches that are now part of programs offered to patients at Shepherd Center and other institutions, including:

  • Vocational services
  • Peer support groups
  • Community outreach
  • Advocacy program
  • Spinal cord injury prevention program
  • Adventure Skills Workshop

Today, these programs are funded through contributions made by our donors or public entities, as NIDILRR has turned its focus to clinical research rather than the demonstration of projects. This new focus accelerated the pace of research at Shepherd Center, enabling the development of research projects in collaboration with other centers.

Over the years, many projects have been undertaken and completed, with an emphasis on studies that focus on improving patient outcomes. SCIMS studies currently in progress at Shepherd Center and in collaboration with other Model Systems Hospitals include:

  • Investigating effects of an exercise circuit combined with spinal stimulation to maximize walking function
  • Understanding the factors associated with injury in the first year after SCI
  • Examination of the challenges associated with oral health and dental hygiene among people with SCI
  • Analysis of the types of financial assistance used to cope with the economic burden of SCI
  • Exploration of equity and access to assistive technology
SCI Research at Shepherd

In 2022, Shepherd Center was recognized as a Model System for Traumatic Brain Injury, funded by a five-year grant from the NIDILRR (known as the Georgia Model Brain Injury System; GAMBIS).

As one of 16 Model Systems sites, the Georgia Model Brain Injury System at Shepherd Center supports innovative projects and research in delivering, demonstrating, and evaluating medical, rehabilitation, vocational, and other services designed to meet the needs of individuals with traumatic brain injuries.

Each TBIMS program contributes to the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Data and Statistical Center (TBINDSC), participates in independent and collaborative research, and provides information and resources to individuals with TBI, their families, caregivers, and friends, health care professionals, and the general public.

The current GAMBIS site-specific research project is focused on improving the employment outcomes of individuals with TBI by demonstrating the effectiveness of novel vocational rehabilitation interventions (e.g., hospital-based vocational counseling and on-the-job training). This study is being conducted in collaboration with the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) and includes on-site job-specific evaluation and training provided by Shepherd Center vocational counselors.

Current GAMBIS collaborative research projects being conducted with other NIDILRR TBIMS centers are focused on identifying federal, state, and local resources necessary to improve the outcomes of individuals with TBI, as well as determining how caregivers influence the outcomes of their loved ones with TBI.

TBI Research at Shepherd

How to engage with our Model Systems

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