Professionals in spinal cord injury care have a long history of engaging in research to better the lives of people with spinal cord injury (SCI). The Academy of SCI Professionals (ASCIP) and the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine (JSCM) honor the legacies of two pioneers – Ernest ‘Pappy’ Bors, MD, and Estin Comarr, MD.Citation1,Citation2 Both set the example of solving difficult clinical problems by translating what they learned at their patients’ bedsides, and sharing their findings with their colleagues.
Each year, ASCIP bestows the Comarr Distinguished Service Award, and JSCM's Editorial Board awards the Bors Award for Scientific Development to the best research article with a fellow, student or resident as primary author. To further emphasize the importance of continuing this legacy of clinical research, ASCIP instituted a student research award – the Academy Research Committee Trainee Award. Trainees in fields related to spinal cord medicine and rehabilitation are encouraged to submit abstracts of their research studies for consideration by the Committee.Citation3 This year, two young clinician-researchers received this award at the ASCIP Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.
The editors of JSCM acknowledge the clinical and research achievements of the 2014 winners of these awards:
Miriam Hwang, MD, PhD, recipient of the Bors Award, for her article on longitudinal outcomes in children with SCI.Citation4
Kenneth Parsons, MD, recipient of the Comarr Award for Distinguished Clinical Service.
Trainee Award winners were Jasmine Hearn, BSc, a DPhil candidate, from Stoke-Mandeville Hospital, UK, for her work on “Chronic pain in spinally injured outpatients: An interpretive phenomenological analysis,” and Shalini Selvarajah, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins University, for “Trends in triage practices and associated patient outcomes in patients with traumatic SCI.”
We encourage SCI professionals to consider this proud legacy and include research and publications in their careers. As the year ends, remember that the deadline for application for the Bors Award is December 31. Primary authors of articles accepted during the calendar year should request an application from the assistant editor.
References
- Bodner DR. The Comarr Memorial Award for Distinguished Clinical Service: the legacy of A. Estin Comarr, MD. J Spinal Cord Med 2009;32(3):213–4.
- Bodner DR. The Bors Award: legacy of Ernest H. J. “Pappy” Bors, MD. J Spinal Cord Med 2009;32(1):1–2.
- Bodner DR, Budd MA. Academy expands research initiatives. J Spinal Cord Med 2012;35(2):71.
- Hwang M, Zebracki K, Chlan KM, Vogel LC. Longitudinal changes in medical complications in adults with pediatric-onset spinal cord injury. J Spinal Cord Med 2014;37(2):171–8.