image: H. Alex Choi, MD, professor of neurosurgery in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston will lead the institute as executive director.
Credit: UTHealth Houston Office of Public Affairs
UTHealth Houston has established the UTHealth Houston Novel Treatments for Acute Brain Injury Institute, which is committed to advancing care for patients with acute brain injuries through a highly specialized, multidisciplinary team approach that integrates research, clinical expertise, education, and community outreach.
The institute will build on the innovative approach taken toward neurological care at the UTHealth Houston Neurosciences Neurocritical Care Program, which is recognized for the treatment of high-acuity brain and spinal cord illness and injuries and directed by H. Alex Choi, MD, professor of neurosurgery in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. The institute uses the concept of “nabi” to support its guiding principles.
“Nabi spoken phonetically means ‘butterfly’ in the Korean language and symbolically it stands for a transformation. It is meant to signify the transformation that a patient undergoes from being hospitalized after a life-altering acute brain injury event through the recovery process to achieve the best possible outcome,” said Choi, who will lead the institute as executive director. “This institute signifies a transformation of the clinical field of neurocritical care to focus on patient-specific needs including enhancing access to specialized care throughout the continuum of care. We will also be conducting transformative research to develop novel therapeutics to help patients reach their highest recovery potential.”
Choi concludes that the institute will redefine treatment for acute brain injury, advance pharmaceutical and device therapies, engage community efforts to raise awareness and education prevention surrounding acute brain injuries, and train the next generation of neurocritical care experts and physicians.
Physicians and researchers who are part of the institute will prioritize the discovery of new treatments and strategies that address the effects of brain injury and emphasize long-term interventions that can give patients a better quality of life.
According to the International Brain Injury Association, an estimated 5.3 million Americans are living with a disability related to a traumatic brain injury. The establishment of this institute represents a significant step forward in neurocritical care.
“The Novel Treatments for Acute Brain Injury Institute will be a signature collaboration between UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann Health System translating state-of-the-art neurocritical care research and innovations directly to the patients who most need it,” said Kevin Morano, PhD,senior vice president of Academic and Faculty Affairs and the Roger J. Bulger, MD, Distinguished Professor at UTHealth Houston.
Within the first year, physicians at the institute plan to open a virtual follow-up and urgent care clinic for patients discharged from a neurocritical care service. They will also establish an annual meeting of national neurocritical care community leaders and organize acute brain injury and elderly fall awareness events. Clinical staff will be trained on basic life support, advanced cardiac life support, emergency neurological life support, and acute stroke life support so they can educate staff, faculty, and students.
The long-term goals of the institute will be to spearhead strategic innovations, including integrating smart home monitoring technologies, AI-driven rehabilitation programs, wearable patient-tracking devices, developing Food and Drug Administration-approved neurotherapeutics, and establishing a sustainable endowment to fund education and research initiatives.
With its emphasis on scientific excellence and compassionate care, the UTHealth Houston Novel Treatments for Acute Brain Injury Institute will be a leader in neurocritical care, transforming lives and advancing the frontiers of acute brain injury treatment.
“This is an extremely timely and welcome initiative in the treatment of what could be considered an ‘orphan’ disease in a population of head-injured patients who do not need brain surgery and yet still face often devastating injuries that need to be addressed in a multidisciplinary, patient-centered and patient-specific philosophy,” said Jacques Morcos, MD, professor and chair of the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery and the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair at McGovern Medical School.“The Novel Treatments for Acute Brain Injury Institute adds yet another layer of intimate and synergistic collaboration between our expanding neurocritical care group and our preeminent neurotrauma neurosurgeons, led by Ryan Kitagawa, MD. Choi’s initiative is bringing a most welcome innovation to the treatment of patients within the Greater Houston area and beyond.” Morcos is co-director of UTHealth Houston Neurosciences, a comprehensive clinical, academic, and research-based program.
In addition to Choi, core leaders of the institute include Sarah Wall, MSN, MBA, director of Advanced Practice and Nursing Services at UTHealth Houston Neurosciences and director of operations; Robert Brown, MD, associate professor; Ritvij Bowry, MD, associate professor; Luis Torres, MD, assistant professor and director of the neurocritical care fellowship; Sophie Ren, MD, PhD, associate professor; and JungHwan Kim, PhD, MS, associate professor. All are in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School.