Participate in a Study
The following studies are currently looking for SCI participants:
Equity and Quality in Assistive Technology (EQuATe) 2.0 for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

SNERSCIC is joining eight other model systems nationwide, led by the University of Pittsburgh, to explore wheelchair equipment and services provided to individuals with SCI of different ethnic, economic, and social backgrounds. The goal of this study is to improve the quality of wheelchairs prescribed for individuals with SCI. In addition, the proposed research may benefit all individuals who use manual wheelchairs and power wheelchairs in the future, given recent changes in health care policy of competitive bidding that limit financial reimbursement for medical services and supplies. The impact of changes in coverage are likely to be profound, but can only be measured if they are tracked.
For this study, we will collect information on Assistive Technology (AT) used by individuals with SCI, including wheelchair make, model, failures, and repairs. This data will enable us to track the impact of insurance market changes, find differences in wheelchair failures, and present this information to wheelchair users.
You may be eligible if you:
- Have a non-progressive (i.e., traumatic) spinal cord injury
- Have an injury that occurred at least one year ago
- Must be at least 18 years of age
What would we ask you to do:
There are two parts to the study, and you can take part in one or both:
- Part 1: Answer Interview questions – about 45 minutes long, by phone or in person We will give participants a $10 gift certificate when you complete interview.
- Part 2: Use a mobile app– very quick check-ins on your wheelchair repairs over 6 months (NOTE: This part will be run by Dr. Mike Boninger, University of Pittsburgh SCI Model System)
CONTACT: Diana Pernigotti, Site Investigator dpernigotti@gaylord.org 203-679-3563
Bedside Test of Autonomic Nervous System Function

Similar to how physicians currently test sensation and movement, we are trying to develop a bedside clinical test to assess autonomic completeness after SCI. To do this, we are investigating blood pressure responses to patterned breathing and hand grip. You may be eligible if you:
- Have a history of traumatic spinal cord injury, which is either complete or incomplete (AIS = A, B, C or D) and at any neurological level of injury
- Are at least 18 years old
- Are able to perform a hand grip tight enough to hold a glass of water with one hand
- Were never diagnosed with a cardiovascular, respiratory or neurological disease prior to your spinal cord injury
- Were never diagnosed with diabetes prior to your spinal cord injury
- Are not taking medication for high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Are not pregnant or lactating
Study compensation is $30.00 for a study visit lasting less than 45 minutes. If you are interested in learning more about the study, please contact Dr. Solinsky at rsolinsky@mgh.harvard.edu
Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation to Alter Autonomic Function

There is currently a lot of momentum behind spinal cord stimulation after SCI. One area where there has been a lot of focus recently has been on improving blood pressure control. We are investigating how blood pressure control might be changed after spinal cord injury through electrical stimulation applied to the skin over your spinal cord. This study includes five visits to the physiology lab, each lasting several hours. You may be eligible if you:
- Have a complete (AIS = A) spinal cord injury at a neurological level between T1 and T6
- Are between 18 to 30 years old
- Were never diagnosed with a cardiovascular, respiratory or neurological disease prior to your spinal cord injury
- Were never diagnosed with diabetes prior to your spinal cord injury
- Are not taking medication for high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Are not pregnant or lactating
Study compensation is $175.00 for each completed study visit (or $875.00 total for five visits). If you are interested in learning more about the study, please contact Dr. Solinsky at rsolinsky@mgh.harvard.edu
Comprehensive Testing of Autonomic Function after SCI

Currently, physicians have limited tools to understand who may develop secondary complications like autonomic dysreflexia, orthostatic hypotension, or pressure injuries of the skin after their injuries. This means we commonly adopt a “treat it when you see it” model, as we don’t have good ways to predict who will have these complications. We are conducting a single-visit study to look at the role of blood pressure regulation on medical complications after SCI. You may be eligible if you:
- Have a complete or incomplete (AIS = A, B, C or D) spinal cord injury with neurological level of injury from C1 to T12
- Are between 18 to 50 years old
- Were never diagnosed with a cardiovascular, respiratory or neurological disease prior to your spinal cord injury
- Were never diagnosed with diabetes prior to your spinal cord injury
- Are not taking blood thinner medication
- Are not taking medication for high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Are not pregnant or lactating
There is an optional second study visit that includes MRI imaging of your spinal cord. You may be eligible for this portion of the study if you are eligible for the first study visit (above) and also:
- Do not have any metal in your body
- Have never been told you could not have an MRI
- Are not claustrophobic
Study compensation is $125.00 for the first study visit and an additional $100.00 for the second imaging visit. If you are interested in learning more about the study, please contact Dr. Solinsky at rsolinsky@mgh.harvard.edu
INSPIRE Lab – Technology to Promote Functional Independence

PI: Randy Trumbower, PT, PhD
Our mission is to INSPIRE persons living with paralysis to move. We research and develop cutting-edge technologies that integrate rehabilitation and engineering principles to promote functional independence in persons with catastrophic injury to their nervous system.
To view all of our current research studies, visit our Inspire Lab Site
If interested in considering participation in one of our studies, please reach out to us at inspirelab@partners.org.
Spaulding Neuroimaging Laboratory

- We are using combined Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to find out if the brains and spinal cords of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and with neuropathic pain are different from people with SCI who do not suffer from neuropathic pain. Eligibility Criteria:
- Complete or incomplete Spinal Cord Injury at or below C5
- No history of other major medical, neurological, or psychiatric illness
- With neuropathic pain or without neuropathic pain
- No use of anticoagulants such as coundadin, plavix or lovenox
- Between the ages of 18-70
- Non-Smoker
- Not claustrophobic
- Right-Handed
Study compensation is between $275 and $525. If you are interested in participating, please contact us at: spinalcordinjury@partners.org or 617-952-6940
2. If you are between the ages of 18-50, have become spinal cord injured within 3-24 months at or below C5, and have some arm strength, you may be eligible for a new exercise focused study, based at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge. We want to know if electrically-stimulated rowing can improve brain health in individuals with a recent C5-T12 spinal cord injury. Study compensation is up to $900.
If you are interested in participating, please contact us at: spinalcordinjury@partners.org or 617-952- 6940
Clas Linnman, PhD, Spaulding Neuroimaging Lab; Ryan Solinsky, MD, Spinal Cord Injury Physician
SNERSCIC Studies in 2016-2022
As a Spinal Cord Injury Model System Center, SNERSCIC conducts research and contributes data to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. SNERSCIC conducts center-specific research (at its own center), and also conducts multi-center or module studies with other SCIMS Centers.
Core Project: National Spinal Cord Injury Database

SNERSCIC contributes data to the National Spinal Cord Injury Database, which includes more than 32,000 individuals with SCI. Information is gathered from individuals, with their consent, during hospitalization and through follow up at one and five years after injury, and every five years thereafter. Data from the SCIMS National Database provides information about the course of recovery, trends in cause and severity of SCI, health service delivery and costs, treatment, and rehabilitation outcomes. The database is a rich source of data for research and analysis of outcomes.
Site-Specific Modular Study: Physical and Psychosocial Trajectories as Patients with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Transition from Inpatient Rehabilitation to the Community

The proposed project will seek to identify individual, person-level trajectories to define the phenotype for those at greatest risk for declining mobility and/or increasing psychosocial distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, social isolation) as they transition home. Digital phenotyping involves the “moment-by-moment quantification of the individual-level human phenotype in situ using data from personal digital devices.” Smart phones allow for passive collection of accelerometry to assess level of activity, GPS coordinates to document mobility in the community, and call logs to examine social connectivity and support. These passive digital data components can be coupled with active smart phone based data collection using Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROM) developed with advanced psychometrics and administered using precise computerized adaptive tests (CATs). This granular data provides dynamic information on individual-level mobility and psychosocial trajectories without significant burden (i.e., passive data requires no subject input). These individual trajectories can be assessed for common factors among those who demonstrate declining mobility and/or increasing psychosocial distress to derive predictive algorithms.
SCIMS Collaborative Module: Exploring the Impact of Social Networks for Persons with SCI

We will use the validated Personal Network Survey for Clinical Research (PERSNET) instrument that elaborates and quantifies the structure and composition of individual social networks using graph theory metrics. These metrics are distinct compared to other measures of social support in their ability to capture density and granular details of an individual unique social network. Our study will characterize the relationship of social network characteristics with health (medical complications post-injury), function (mobility and self-care), and social participation (satisfaction with social roles and activities and independence) among those with SCI and create a robust foundation on which we can begin to devise possible interventions. Network-based interventions have been shown to be efficacious in other widely prevalent diseases, such as addiction disorders and hypertension. The project would enable examination of social network structures for potentially at-risk subgroups by race/ethnicity, level of injury and completeness, gender, and socioeconomic status, and provide a detailed analysis of how the social environment interacts with demographic and injury-related factors to lead to health disparities in different sub-groups.
Module #1: Equity and Quality In Assistive Technology For Individuals With SCI 2.0 (Equate)

Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Mike Boninger, UPitt
SNERSCIC Lead: Diana Pernigotti dpernigotti@gaylord.org 203-679-3563
Aim 1 – Collect descriptive data on Assistive Technology (AT) used by individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) including wheelchair make, model, failures, and repairs. This data will enable us to track the impact of insurance market changes, find differences in wheelchair failures, and present this information to wheelchair users.
Hypothesis:
The prevalence and type of wheelchair failures will vary across manufacturers.
Device satisfaction will be inversely correlated with adverse consequences.
Response in service time for repairs will vary by vendor and service region.
Users will experience additional consequences secondary to waiting for a repair to be completed.
Intensity of wheelchair use will be associated with incidence of repairs.
Aim 2 – Explore the influence of individual characteristics such as financial strain, educational quality, health literacy, geographic location, and self-efficacy on differences in AT quality and other health related outcomes for individuals with SCI.
Quick Reviews of SNERSCIC Research
These are quick, easy-to-understand summaries of research we have done in recent years, without all the research mumbo-jumbo. Enjoy! And please contact us with any questions!

Spinal Cord Injury-Functional Index: Item Banks to Measure Physical Functioning in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury
Presentations and Media
New York Times article: "I Use a Wheelchair. And, Yes, I'm Your Doctor"
From the article: “People with disabilities often express fear or dissatisfaction with our health care system because they face poor access and discriminatory attitudes. This must change. Perhaps having more doctors with disabilities is one solution.”content
ACRM Podcast Episode 3: Spinal Cord Injury Peers My Care My Call pilot intervention study
Hosted by Dr. Ford Fox, Ms. Houlihan and Skeels discuss the unique My Care My Call pilot intervention study, which used peer health coaching over the phone to effectively activate people with chronic SCI in managing their own health and health care. From the podcast: “[Participants] realize they can decide where they want to go next, and have the support to do that… There are so many things leading up to someone being ready to make an actual plan, and we really learned that those are the things that have to happen first.”
Put On Your Air Mask First
Workshop presentation on wellbeing in SCI professionals and strategies to combat burnout together. International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS), Dublin, Ireland, October 24-26, 2017.
Valuing All Forms of Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine: The Experience of Physicians with Disabilities
Partners Grand Rounds presentation on Jan 28, 2016, looking at legislation, barriers, and future solutions for inclusion of people with disabilities in medicine and the health professions.
Shifting Focus: Delivering Peer-Led, Person-Centered Support Services in SCI Rehabilitation, Community Settings & Online
Presentation on the design, efficacy, and practice of skills for the My Care My Call peer health coach phone intervention for chronic SCI. Presented within a 4-hour instructional pre-course. American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) Meeting, Atlanta, GA, Oct 2017 and the SCI National Conference, Canada, Nov 2017
Experimental Approaches to Enhance Physiological Function after Spinal Cord Injury
Symposium, ACRM, Atlanta, GA, Oct 2017