Letter From the Director
I hope this issue of the ICSCI newsletter finds you and your loved ones happy and healthy. It has been a busy 2021 for our program and our staff. The number of patients that we are able to see continues to grow and we anticipate that number will increase even further with the expansion of space for our medical appointments at the Maple Lawn location. This expansion wouldn’t be possible without the generous triple matching challenge from the Robert I. Schattner Foundation. Their support of Maple Lawn is much appreciated and will provide increased access for our patients.
Our Adaptive Sports program continues to grow and offer our patients and families the opportunity to engage in community activities, gain improved physical strength, flexibility and endurance but more importantly, the chance to have fun. While the pandemic has limited us somewhat in numbers of participants, we have been able to offer a wider variety of sports and recreational activities. Learn more about our programs by reading the article in this issue.
As we close out 2021, on behalf of the staff at ICSCI, I wish everyone a blessed holiday season and happy 2022.
Sincerely,
Cristina Sadowsky
Clinical Director
Maple Lawn is Growing!
We’re expanding thanks to your support and we have a unique opportunity for all donations to be TRIPLE matched!
We are expanding our Maple Lawn location to provide increased access for medical appointments. While there is an adjacent space available, donations are needed to cover the build-out costs.
The Robert I. Schattner Foundation, Inc. has generously agreed to TRIPLE every donation received for the Maple Lawn medical expansion. That means your $100 donation becomes $300. Your $1,000 donation becomes $3,000! We’ve set the goal at $100,000 to help us achieve the full amount needed for the expansion project. We hope to open the new space in early 2022.
The expanded space will feature:
- Rooms for medical appointments
- Secure medical storage
- Private medical offices
To make a donation to support this expansion or to learn more, visit KennedyKrieger.org/ShareTheHope.
Welcome Our New Physician
Please join us in welcoming our new physician, Dr. Travis Edmiston. He will be located at the Maple Lawn location starting January 2022 and will be providing medical oversight there. Dr. Travis Edmiston is a board-certified physiatrist. His most recent position was with the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in California. He was a Spinal Cord Injury Medicine fellow at ICSCI/JHU from 2018 to 2019 and completed his residency at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2018. He received his medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine. We look forward to him joining our medical team. He has published a number of journal articles on spinal cord injury and acute flaccid myelitis.
Adaptive Sports Recap
We have had a busy summer and fall with our adaptive sports program. We were on rivers, mountains, the ocean and trails! Check out what we have been up to!
In August Team Kennedy Krieger partnered with Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park (and others) to include an adaptive paddling event and again in October as part of Patapsco Trail Fest 2021!
Team Kennedy Krieger also sponsored the Southeast Mountain Biking Tour. Catalyst Sports traveled to Maryland with their fleet of adaptive mountain bikes, which included e-assist, junior size and tandem options for our patients to use.
We headed to the ocean for our sponsorship of the Life Rolls On "Get On Board Tour—They Will Surf Again" in Virginia Beach.
And of course the Fall wouldn’t be complete without our participation in the Baltimore Marathon. Unfortunately the pandemic kept us from being onsite but we had a hardy team of hand cyclists, runners and walkers who came together to be a part of Team Kennedy Krieger and to celebrate our 10th year. Team Kennedy Krieger has raised almost $1 million dollars in those 10 years to support adaptive sports programs and to purchase equipment that benefits the patients and families at Kennedy Krieger. Here’s hoping that we can be in person in 2022.
For any questions or more information on a specific program or opportunity, please email AdaptiveSports@KennedyKrieger.org
Want to keep up with all our activities? Join our Facebook Group: To join, simply search for “Team Kennedy Krieger Adaptive Sports” on Facebook. Request to join the group by answering the questions and acknowledging the group rules.
Regeneration Generation Meetings
Join us for our monthly group, "Regeneration Generation." Each month a speaker presents a new and exciting topic, presentation or discussion. This group is open to anyone living with paralysis, as well as their family members, friends and caregivers.
Meetings are held the fourth Tuesday of the month and begin at 12p.m. At this time, due to the pandemic, these meetings are held virtually. Please contact us for more information about upcoming dates or topics, or to RSVP at ICSCIsupport@kennedykrieger.org or 443-923-9468.
Save the Date: Annual Symposium
Save the date for the 12th annual Trends in Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Symposium on Monday, March 21, 2022 at 3:00pm. This symposium brings together professionals in spinal cord injury and dysfunction rehabilitation, and highlights recent research and emerging trends across the continuum of care for individuals with acute and chronic paralysis.
The 2022 event will be both virtual and in person and is free for all attendees. This year’s speakers are:
Dr. Charles H. Hubscher
Professor and Vice Chair
Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology
University of Louisville School of Medicine
Talk title: Targeting neurogenic urinary dysfunctions with activity-based recovery training
Dr. Andrei Krassioukov
Professor
Department of Medicine
The University of British Columbia
Talk title: Autonomic dysfunctions following spinal cord injury: abnormal blood pressure control revisited
For more information, visit kennedykrieger.org/SCIsymposium
Recent Publications by ICSCI Staff
- A multi-center paper, “Scoliosis in pediatric patients with Acute Flaccid Myelitis.” by Cristina Sadowsky, MD and colleagues was accepted June 2021 in Top Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation.
- A multi-center paper, “Use of the Physical Abilities and Mobility Scale (PAMS) in Children Receiving Inpatient Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Related Paralysis.” by Cristina Sadowsky, MD, Kelsey Rogers, PT, DPT, and Erin Neuland, PT, DPT, Cynthia Salorio, PhD, ABPP and colleagues was published August 2021 in Developmental Neurorehabilitation.
- A multi-center paper, “Description of bone health changes in a cohort of children with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM).” by Cristina Sadowsky, MD and colleagues was accepted August 2021 in Top Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation.
Recent Presentations by ICSCI Staff
- Rebecca Martin, OTR/L, OTD presented the webinars: “Optimizing Pediatric NeuroRecovery: Benefits of Early Intervention and Activity-Based Therapy” AND “FES cycling and stepping Interventions to optimize outcomes in persons with neurological disorders” at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Annual Meeting in September 2021.
- Kimberly Perone, MBA, MSHA, OTR/L, presented Environmental Controls and Community Access on OccupationalTherapy.Com in November 2021.
- Quyen Catania, PT, DPT, CWS, CLT, Marjorie Morgan, PTA, CLT, and Rebecca Martin, OTR/L, OTD presented their poster “Modifications to Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT) in the Spinal Cord Population for the American Spinal Cord Injury Association in July 2021.
- Philippines Cabahug, MD co-presented Smooth Sailing with Primary Care Resources for SCI at the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals Annual Conference in September 2021.
- Philippines Cabahug, MD presented the Plenary Sessions “Primary Care in Spinal Cord Injury” and “Aging in SCI” at the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Midyear Convention and 20th Asian Spinal Cord Network Conference in September 2021.
- 2021 Rare Neuroimmune Disorders Symposium in October 2021.
- Philippines Cabahug presented “Rehabilitation Interventions” and “UTIs, Catheters and Incontinence” at the virtual
- Cristina Sadowsky presented “Early rehabilitation strategies” and co-presented “Transitioning from pediatric to adult care: a conversation” with Cody Unser
- Janet Dean presented “Learning to understand your child’s symptoms”
- Dennis Tom-Wigfield, DPT and Kaitlin Hagen, MOT, OTR/L, presented “Meet and occupational therapist and physical therapist: a conversation”