News of Note

ILRU Awarded SILC Grant to Help Improve Independent Living Outcomes

The Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) program of TIRR Memorial Hermann has been awarded a two-year grant to establish the Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) Training & Technical Assistance Center. The project will expand support to SILCs, giving them access to current, accurate and timely information, expertise and technical assistance that supports their purpose of improving independent living outcomes for persons with significant disabilities.

Statewide Independent Living Councils, which exist in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five United States territories, are entities created under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, to conduct and coordinate the planning for states’ independent living programs. While they do not provide direct services to individuals with disabilities, they are a vital link in the independent living network.

The SILC Training and Technical Assistance Center will promote the overall efficiency and effectiveness of SILCs in performing their duties and responsibilities; update and expand the body of expert SILC information and resources; deepen SILC peer-to-peer learning and sharing of best practices; and streamline and broaden stakeholder access to SILC-related information and resources. The staff will accomplish these objectives through training in multiple formats, tutorials, training materials and publications, peer communities of practice, professional certificate programs, on-demand webinars and video content, a state-of-the-art website, and a high-profile social media presence.

For more information, contact Darrell Jones at dljones@bcm.edu

TIRR Memorial Hermann Welcomes New Physician Recruits

Three physicians have joined the medical staff of TIRR Memorial Hermann and the faculty of the departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School and Baylor College of Medicine.

Isabel S. Chan, MD, received her medical degree at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio, and completed her residency in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the McGovern Medical School, where she is a clinical assistant professor.

Fabiolla Siqueira Kopp, MD, is a graduate of Ross University School of Medicine in Portsmouth, Commonwealth of Dominica. She completed her residency training at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital/National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., and a brain injury fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine/UTHealth Alliance for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is an attending physician at TIRR Memorial Hermann and an assistant professor of PM&R at Baylor College of Medicine.

Radha Korupolu, MD, received her medical degree from Dr. NTR University of Health Science, Andhra Pradesh, India. She completed her physical medicine and rehabilitation training at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington, where she was chief resident. She subsequently completed a spinal cord injury fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine/UTHealth Alliance for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is a clinical assistant professor in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the McGovern Medical School.