NIDRR Grantee and Staff Recognition

The NCDDR extends congratulations to the grantees and staff members whose special accomplishments are recognized in this column. All grantees are encouraged to contact the NCDDR to report such information. A form is available to submit items to The Research Exchange. Recognition items may be reported by Fax to 512-476-2286, or online at http://www.ncddr.org/forms/newsrecognition.html.

Kristofer J. Hagglund, Ph.D., Principal Investigator of the Missouri Model Spinal Cord Injury System (MOMSCIS), was recognized as a Diplomate in Rehabilitation Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology in July, 1999. This recognition is awarded to those individuals demonstrating expertise in this field. To date, there are fewer than 100 Diplomates in Rehabilitation Psychology in the United States. Dr. Hagglund was also notified at the 107th American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, August 20-24, 1999, that he has been named a Fellow in the APA.

Dr. Hagglund is Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia and is one of only three Board Certified rehabilitation psychologists in the state. He also serves as Co-Investigator of the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC). For more information, contact Dr. Hagglund at hagglundk@health.missouri.edu.

See: http://www.muhealth.org/~arthritis/hagglund_spotlight.html

John Hewett, Professor of statistics and biostatistician with the Missouri Arthritis RRTC (MARRTC), received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Dr. Hewett was honored for his 20-year commitment to rheumatology at the ACR/ARHP annual meeting in Boston on Nov. 15, 1999. ARHP Distinguished Scholars must demonstrate exceptional academic achievement in the rheumatic diseases, said Kelly Sheahan, communications director for the ACR.

See: http://www.muhealth.org/~arthritis/spotlight/hewett.html

Marilyn K. Sanford, Ph.D., P.T., Co-Investigator and Principal Investigator for MARRTC, received the Outstanding Service to the Profession Award from the American Physical Therapy Association's Missouri Chapter at the organization’s conference in April, 1999. Sanford's service includes the Chapter's presidency for three years, Chief Delegate for the Missouri Chapter for five years, Treasurer for the Central District, and serving on the fiscal oversight committee. Sanford is a Clinical Associate Professor and Chair of the University of Missouri-Columbia's Department of Physical Therapy within the School of Health Related Professions. For more information, contact Dr. Sanford at sanfordm@health.missouri.edu

The Web site of the Missouri Arthritis RRTC (MARRTC) has received several awards. Medinex.com gave its Medinex Seal of Approval in the spring of 1999. Medinex.com indexes and briefly describes the site for their specialized health-care search engine. Medinex states that its goal is to create the most complete and trusted health-related community on the Internet. In giving the Seal, Medinex.com stated, "Since there are no rules on who can publish what on the Internet, we have adopted a set of standards that will add credibility to our Web site and yours."

See: http://www.muhealth.org/~arthritis/whatsnew/medinex.html

MARRTC’s Web site was also a winner of the Editor's Choice Award from HealingWell.com in July, 1999. "The award is given to selected health Web sites that exhibit exceptional Web design, reliable and quality health information on disease and disorder topics, plus accessibility," stated Peter Waite, editor of HealingWell.com - Guide to Diseases, Disorders and Chronic Illness. HealingWell.com describes itself as an online health resource guide to medical news, articles and information, newsgroups and message boards, books, disease-related Web sites, medical directories and search engines for patients, friends, and family coping with disabling diseases, disorders, or chronic illness.

See: http://www.muhealth.org/~arthritis/whatsnew/healingwell.html

In September, 1999, the MARRTC Web site was featured by StudyWeb as one of the best educational resources on the Web. MARRTC’s site is listed in the Medicine: Arthritis section. StudyWeb describes itself as one of the Internet's premier sites for educational resources for students and teachers.

See: http://www.muhealth.org/~arthritis/whatsnew/studyweb.html

For more information, contact Dianna Borsi O'Brien, MARRTC Senior Information Specialist, at 573-882-2914.

Beneficial Designs, Inc. of Santa Cruz, CA has won a Tibbetts Award from the Small Business Administration. NIDRR’s Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program has funded Beneficial Designs, Inc. for the Trails Web Site with Universal Access Information project. The Tibbetts Award is named after Roland Tibbetts, founder of the SBIR Program. In 1999, 57 companies and/or individuals were selected to receive this award in recognition of their unique contributions as an "SBIR Model of Excellence." Beneficial Designs, Inc. is owned by Peter Axelson, who is an individual with a disability. For more information, contact Beneficial Designs, Inc. at 831-429-8447 or mail@beneficialdesigns.com

Erick Ong, postgraduate researcher with the RRTC in Neuromuscular Diseases (RRTC/NMD) at UC Davis, was honored with the Best Scientific Poster Award for his work, "Energy Cost of Locomotion in Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Measured with a Portable Metabolic Cart." The poster and award were presented at the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) 53rd Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., September 14-17, 1999.

Ong is a NIDRR trainee working with faculty mentor and RRTC/NMD Principal Investigator Craig McDonald, MD, Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Co-authors on the poster included Dr. McDonald, NIDRR trainees Denise Walsh and Lana Widman, and RRTC/NMD Research Associate Sandra Walsh. For more information about this study, please contact Dr. McDonald cmmcdonald@ucdavis.edu or Dr. Kathryn Devereaux, Director of Training and Information Services for the RRTC/NMD, at (530) 752-9270.

The NIDRR Director was the recipient of the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) 1999 Disability Achievement Award, sponsored by the APHA’s DisAbility Forum. It was presented at the 127th annual meeting of the APHA, held in Chicago in November, 1999. With a long list of accomplishments to her credit, the NIDRR Director was selected as this year’s recipient as a model for her ability to inspire. For more information, contact David Keer David_Keer@ed.gov.

The NIDRR Director was also named as the 1999 recipient of the Public Service Award from the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP). This award is given to a non-AAP member whose outstanding public service has significantly contributed to the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She was recognized for her "long term efforts in promoting coordination and cooperation among Federal agencies supporting rehabilitation research." The award was presented at the Opening Plenary Session on March 2, of the AAP Education Conference held in San Diego, March 1-4, 2000. For more information, contact Ellen Blasiotti Ellen_Blasiotti@ed.gov.

Dr. William Kiernan, Director of the RRTC on State Systems and Employment at the Institute for Community Inclusion, Children's Hospital, Boston, was honored with the 1999 Michael W. Muther Award. Governor A. Paul Celucci presented the award on behalf of the Massachusetts Governor’s Commission on Employment of People with Disabilities. The Award is named for Michael W. Muther, the Chair of the Commission from 1976 to 1996, whose exceptional leadership reflected the force of his personality, his integrity, his commitment, his kindness and his warm sense of humor. Dr. Keirnan was recognized for his lifelong professional and personal commitment to expanding employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities. From 1987 to 1991, he served with Michael Muther as Co-Chair of the Governor’s Commission. For further information, contact Dr. Keirnan at kiernanw@a1.tch.harvard.edu or (617) 355-6506.

 

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