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Scientific director inducted into Hall of Fame
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by Wally Pregnall
College of Health Professions
Ask James Krause, Ph.D., about his induction into the National Spinal
Cord Injury (SCI) Association Hall of Fame and he deflects praise for
an outstanding individual achievement to those who make his work
possible.
One of 17 selected to receive the top honor for SCI contributions,
Krause joins such notable inductees as U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and
actor/comedian Robin Williams.
Krause, who is associate dean for research (College of Health
Professions) and scientific director of the South Carolina Spinal Cord
Injury Research Fund (SCSCIRF), stresses that the honor is more than an
individual one. Inducted under the Research in Quality of Life category
for a career dedicated to identifying factors in the quality of life of
individuals with spinal cord injury, he sees the honor as not only
validation of his research but of the visionary leadership that
attracted him to South Carolina and MUSC.
As an established researcher at the renowned Shepherd Center for
catastrophic care in Atlanta, Ga., Krause was drawn to MUSC in 2002
because of the SCSCIRF (http://www.scscirf.org).Formed under the
leadership of Brian Cuddy, M.D., with legislative support from S.C.
Reps. Chip Limehouse (R-Charleston) and Ron Fleming (R-Union); and
state Sen. Arthur Ravenel (R-Charleston), the SCSCIRF was enacted in
2000 and financed through $100 surcharges attached to DUI convictions.
As scientific director, Krause oversees the Center for
Interdisciplinary Spinal Cord Injury Research (CISCIR), designed to
bridge the gap between basic and applied research. The center
facilitates interdisciplinary research that will lead to increased
federal funding, greater notoriety to the state as a leader in SCI
research, and discoveries that will enhance the quality of life of
South Carolinians and others with SCI.
In addition to his own research, projects funded through the SCSCIRF
promote optimal interventions for people with SCI, including those that
address secondary conditions.
Krause stresses that his Hall of Fame induction is acknowledgment by
the National Spinal Cord Injury Association of the importance of the
work now being done in South Carolina, but he urges credit be allocated
to those with the foresight to establish and support the SCSCIRF.
The Hall of Fame induction is the capstone of several recent awards
that acknowledge the importance of the SCI research conducted by Krause
and his colleagues. In recent months Krause also has received the:
- Patricia McCollom Memorial Research Award (1st
ever awarded) from the Foundation for Life Care Planning Research for
career contributions of research widely utilized in life care planning.
- Earl B. Higgins Achievement in Diversity Award nomination, MUSC, 2008.
- National Association of Rehabilitation Research
and Training Centers (NARRTC) Research Award (1st annual award),
awarded for the outstanding manuscript published in a peer-reviewed
journal by a NIDRR grantee during the calendar year 2007.
- American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA)
Research Award (1st annual award) awarded for the outstanding
manuscript published in a peer-reviewed journal by an ASIA member in
2006.
In addition to conducting his own research and directing the scientific
initiatives of the SCSCIRF, Krause also heads the Program for Motion,
Exercise, and Rehabilitative Research (PMERR), an umbrella of programs
housed under the College of Health Professions Rehabilitation Sciences
program. PMERR was developed to promote and support collaborative
research in the areas of movement, exercise, and rehabilitation, and
the research it supports dovetails with that of the SCSCIRF. PMERR has
strong institutional support from MUSC and the College of Health
Professions as exemplified by the recent completion of a new motion
analysis lab and commitments to greater research support, further
validating Krause’s decision to come to South Carolina.
For Krause, induction into the National Spinal Cord Injury Association
Hall of Fame and the flurry of recent awards and successes reflect more
than individual achievement. They are manifestations that the
foundations of spinal cord injury research being built here in South
Carolina are yielding national recognition of MUSC and South Carolina
as leaders in this critical field. For Krause, that fact is as
gratifying as the awards with which he is so deservedly honored.
Editor's note: While James Walker Coleman was generous in his support
for spinal cord injury research, he has not been named to the National
Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame as stated in the Nov. 14 issue of The
Catalyst.
Nov. 28, 2008
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