Leading National Innovation as a Model System

As one of only 18 federally funded Model Systems, the Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System (NNJSCIS) accelerates collaborative research that enhances outcomes across an SCI survivor's lifespan. For more than three decades, Kessler Foundation has stood out for its uniquely integrated research-to-care model. This approach brings scientific discovery directly into clinical practice through close partnerships with Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation and University Hospital. This approach improves recovery from acute care through rehabilitation, community reintegration, employment, and aging with SCI, while providing vital education and resources for individuals and caregivers.

Center Leadership

Supporting Caregivers. Advancing Treatment. Improving Lives.

Enhance Your Spinal Cord Injury Caregiving Expertise

Enroll in our free, online education course designed to provide training for personal care assistants and others who work with individuals with spinal cord injury. The course introduces learners to the physical and emotional experience of living with SCI and offers suggestions for building positive working relationships.

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Course Focus Explained 
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Kessler Foundation SCI Navigator Program

The SCI Navigator Program at Kessler Foundation provides a free, dedicated resource for individuals with spinal cord injury and their families.

 

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Exploring New Treatments for Shoulder Pain

Shoulder injuries are a common cause of pain and loss of function among manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury. When medication and physical therapy fail to address the pain, regenerative rehabilitation offers a new alternative to surgery. For chronic shoulder pain, a procedure using the Lipogems® system is being tested for the first time in individuals with SCI. The procedure involves injecting a sample of the person’s own fat into the shoulder joint under ultrasound guidance. Fat tissue provides cushioning and fills structural defects, and may deposit bioactive and regenerative elements in the damaged tissues. Early results are promising in this population. 

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Specialized Laboratories Advancing SCI Research
Health Equity in Disability and Outcomes Research Laboratory
Derfner-Lieberman Laboratory for Regenerative Rehabilitation Research
Social Determinants of Health and Disability Outcomes Research Laboratory
Self-Management Skill Development Laboratory

Center Team

Our Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research Scientists in Action

Meet Nathan Hogaboom, PhD, research scientist in the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research
Meet Nathan Hogaboom, PhD, research scientist in the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research
Hashim Garrett Parte 5: ¿Por qué debo participar en un estudio de investigación?
Hashim Garrett Parte 5: ¿Por qué debo participar en un estudio de investigación?
Spinal Cord Injury Bowel Management
Spinal Cord Injury Bowel Management