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Brain Imaging |
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The South Carolina SmartState Program (formerly known as the Centers of Economic Excellenec [or CoEE] Program) was created by the South Carolina legislature in 2002 and is funded through South Carolina Education Lottery proceeds. The legislation authorizes the state's three public research institutions, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina, to use state funds to create Centers of Economic Excellence in research areas that will advance South Carolina's economy. Each Center of Economic Excellence is awarded from $2 million to $5 million in state funds, which must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with non-state investment. To date, 49 Centers of Economic Excellence have been created and 40 endowed chairs have been appointed to lead the centers. The SmartState Program has resulted in more than $400 million dollars of non-state investment in the South Carolina economy and is responsible for the creation of more than 5,000 jobs. For more information, visit www.SmartStateSC.org. The Center of Economic Excellence in Brain Imaging [top] Partners: Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Palmetto Health (McCausland Center for Brain Imaging), the University Of South Carolina (USC) Led by: Joseph Helpern, PhD, Endowed Chair in Brain Imaging at MUSC The Brain Imaging Center was one of the first centers to be funded through the SmartState Program. Approved in June 2003, the center has enabled a statewide group of neuroscientists, physicists, bioengineers, and computer science specialists to work together on new treatments. Research conducted by the center will lead to technological developments in a number of industries including medical device manufacturing, MRI hardware technology, and software development. Federal and private research funding for the Brain Imaging Center is $15 million to date. Spinoff company Cephos Corporation continues to grow. Several MRI systems, two 3 Tesla Siemens Trio MRIs (one at Palmetto Health and the other at MUSC) and a Bruker 7-Tesla MRI (at MUSC), are attracting important companies such as Glaxo-Smith Kline, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and BioValve for research projects. The scanners are compatible, enabling collaborative research between USC, MUSC, and Palmetto Health, and creating exciting opportunities for funded studies by government and private industry. These scanners also are used to advance patient care in the Midlands and Lowcountry. Read more about Palmetto Health's McCausland Center for Brain Imaging below. In 2009, MUSC's Mark George, MD, one of the original co-principal investigators of the Brain Imaging Center, was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of 14 pioneers in medicine. George was recognized for his work with magnetic depression treatment, which was approved in 2008 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Brain Imaging Center has research relationships with Force Protection, Inc., a South Carolina company that manufactures armored vehicles. The company is using center research to develop new diagnostic procedures and treatments for brain trauma, specifically trauma due to combat explosions. Initial tests on "phantom" heads show that after the phantom heads are exposed to explosions there is little change in appearance. However, after further examination, the "brain" of the phantom shows an inability to transfer liquid, which parallels a human brain's ability to transfer information from one area to another. Force Protection will use this research to develop more explosive-resistant military vehicles that can better protect their human cargo, while the Brain Imaging Center will use the findings to better detect and treat traumatic brain injury caused by any number of reasons. Force Protection's support has enabled MUSC to acquire a $1.5 million Siemens MRI scanner for research on brain injuries. The sophisticated scanner has twice the field strength of a conventional MRI, and uses multi-channels to enable researchers to see details of the brain as it is being imaged. McCausland Center for Brain Imaging In April 2006, the McCausland Center for Brain Imaging opened at Palmetto Health Richland, bringing the first high-field strength, 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner to central South Carolina. The McCausland Center was launched with public and private funds totaling $12 million and named in honor of USC alumnus and donor Peter J. McCausland. The McCausland Center focuses on memory and attention, detection of deception, and brain stroke. USC researchers and Palmetto Health clinicians use the scanner for clinical research and patient care. The first project of HSSC, the McCausland Center is a true partnership in which researchers and clinicians work together on clinical diagnoses to help the community in the present and for the future. The 3T MRI is the most advanced technology of its kind in the world. The high-field magnet produces images with clarity and detail to a degree never before possible, resulting in increased diagnostic confidence and better patient outcomes. The 3 Tesla MRI also delivers the most comprehensive applications in the industry, providing unprecedented diagnostic capabilities for the assessment of anatomy, morphology, physiology, and function. It also can be used to evaluate other conditions, such as cardiac and vascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, abdominal conditions, and neurological conditions. Its potential for improving the lives of South Carolinians is unlimited. The Center of Economic Excellence in Cancer Stem Cell Biology and Therapy [top] Partners: Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Led by: Zihai Li, MD, PhD, Endowed Chair in Cancer Stem Cell Biology at MUSC. Andrew S. Kraft, MD, of MUSC serves as center director. Standard cancer therapies use surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation to attack and kill cancer tumors. While survival rates have improved over the years, cancer remains one of the largest threats to public health, particularly in South Carolina, which has high rates of breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancer. One of the frontiers in cancer research, as well as an area of debate, is whether adult stem cells found in bone marrow may be able to prevent tumor growth and promote structural and functional repair in many organs. The Cancer Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Center seeks to improve cancer outcomes by developing new therapeutic options, including stem cell replacement, for killing cancer stem cells. The research focus of this center is two-fold: first, identify ways to use stem cells found in bone marrow or adult organs as treatment targets for cancer therapy; second, develop and market the bioengineering aspects of stem cell collection and use for more functional, adaptable clinical applications. MUSC's Hollings Cancer Center is one of the few places in the world with the technology to be able to perform this kind of research. The Hollings Cancer Center was named as a National Cancer Institute-designated center in 2009, a recognition that came with more than $7 million in grant funds to support ongoing cancer research. Hollings Cancer Center also received a $100,000 donation from RBC Insurance to support cancer stem cell research and fund seed grants for research projects in the Cancer Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Center. The Cancer Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Center will position South Carolina as a leader in this new trans-disciplinary field, which merges bioengineering and biomedicine. It will provide the resources to recruit outstanding individuals to explore the function and inhibition of cancer stem cells, and in so doing, may lead to exciting new stem cell-based cancer therapies that will improve survival rates of cancer patients across the globe and create new economic opportunities for South Carolina. Center researchers are collaborating with researchers from other Centers of Economic Excellence that address cancer and regenerative medicine, leveraging the intellectual talent of MUSC, Clemson, and USC. Center of Economic Excellence in Childhood Neurotherapeutics [top] Partners: Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the University Of South Carolina (USC) Led by: Recruiting is underway to fill three endowed chair positions to lead this center. Rosemarie M. Booze, PhD, of USC serves as center director. Since being approved for funding in 2006, the Childhood Neurotherapeutics Center has produced basic discoveries, generated therapeutic trials, developed intellectual property, and created spinoff companies and relationships with pharmaceutical firms. The center has succeeded in positioning South Carolina as a future leader in pharmaceutical and biotechnological advances in the dynamic field of childhood neurotherapeutics. This center is developing new approaches to diagnosing and treating childhood neurological and brain disorders that cannot currently be cured. If successful, these approaches could potentially be used to treat adult neurological and brain disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease. The Childhood Neurotherapeutics Center is currently recruiting three endowed chairs: a USC/Greenville Hospital System Translational Clinical Research Chair, a USC Child and Adolescent Neurochemistry Chair, and an MUSC Neurodevelopmental Disorders Chair. The center has three priority areas for research. The first is Neuroprotection: Preventing Brain Damage in Premature Infants. This is highly relevant to South Carolina, which has a high incidence of premature birth. The second is Cellular Engineering: Fixing Broken Brains in Developmental Disease, which focuses on the latent capacity of neural stem cells for repair. Finally, the center addresses Autism Spectrum Disorder, looking at whether therapeutics will serve to improve functional developmental outcomes in children with autism. The Center of Economic Excellence in Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety [top] Partners: Clemson University, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Palmetto Health, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, the University of South Carolina (USC) Led by: John J. Schaefer, III, MD, Lewis Blackman Endowed Chair in Patient Safety at MUSC; Jihad S. Obeid, MD, Endowed Chair in Biomedical Informatics at MUSC; Rita Snyder, PhD, RN, Endowed Chair in Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety at USC The Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety Center is redefining how students in medicine, nursing, and allied health are educated. The center is fast becoming a world leader in simulation training and curricula development; it also is collecting data from its efforts so that its evidence-based courses can become the standard of training for the health care industry. Several years ago, John J. Schaefer, III, MD, holder of the Lewis Blackman Endowed Chair in Patient Safety, was charged with creating a statewide network of simulation centers to train the health care workforce. In the following years, simulation centers have opened, been renovated, or expanded at the Clemson University College of Nursing, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, Greenville Technical College, MUSC, Palmetto Health, the USC College of Nursing, and Trident Technical College. The centers train medical, nursing, and allied health students as well as hospital employees and physicians. Simulation network members employ nearly 1,000 different training scenarios, from rapid response training to childbirth emergencies. The Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety Center is capturing critical data from these courses to measure the effectiveness of its curricula; early results indicate that students retain what they learn in simulation training better than traditional clinical training in which live patients are involved. In 2008, the center opened its new headquarters, the MUSC Healthcare Simulation Center. The 11,000-square-foot facility houses more than $900,000 in sophisticated simulation technology, including more than 50 adult and infant simulators. The rapid success of the growing statewide network of simulation labs is leading to significant commercial opportunities. In 2008, the center established a limited liability corporation, SimTunes, and has applied for Small Business Administration start-up grants. Center of Economic Excellence in Health Facilities Design and Testing [top] Partners: Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Led by: Recruiting is underway to fill two endowed chair positions to lead this center. David J. Allison, AIA, ACHA, of Clemson University serves as center director. Headquartered at Clemson's award-winning School of Architecture, the Health Facilities Design and Testing Center is engaged in interdisciplinary research on how the design of specific health care settings and features affects operational efficiency, therapeutic outcomes, patient safety, and patient and staff satisfaction. Its partners are working together to define optimum designs for patient rooms, surgical suites, furnishings, and fitments based on scientific research. Currently the center is recruiting for two endowed chairs: one at Clemson University in architecture and health research and the other at MUSC in human factors medical research. The center has been awarded a U.S. Department of Defense subcontract entitled "Patient Room of the Future." The first two contract phases provided more than $790,000 in funding. Partners in this project include Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and IoA Healthcare Furniture. The physical prototype room was completed in July 2008; researchers are now analyzing headwall design performance, lighting design concepts, and how views of nature affect health. Research findings and intellectual property generated by the center will have commercial applications across the United States and the world at large. Village at Pelham Hospital brings "Room of the Future" to life Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System's patient-focused Village at Pelham Hospital plays a critical role in the Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety Center: The hospital puts the "Patient Room of the Future" research into a real-life setting. Village at Pelham is designed to maximize functional efficiency and effectiveness for the patient care team while advancing health care quality and patient safety. Each Village at Pelham patient room is spacious and features large windows and soothing colors. Lighting and temperature systems are more easily controlled by the patient, and medical equipment is out of sight. The room number is posted inside the room so the patient knows where they are; a flat-screen interactive television offers instructional videos about medications, rehabilitation, and going home; meals are prepared on demand, restaurant-style. The national-award-winning room design at Pelham Hospital was created by Clemson University's School of Architecture + Health, one of only two health care architectural specialty programs in the United States. The $58-million hospital employs more than 200 people, and is located in Greer, an Upstate community that has experienced unprecedented economic growth. The hospital has created new jobs and now meets the growing health care needs of the many residents in the area. Stainless steel walls promote patient safety Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System is the first hospital in the United States to implement surgical suites using a stainless steel modular system developed in Germany. Spartanburg Regional has installed 12 operating rooms composed of movable stainless steel modular panels, which enable the rooms to be easily expanded or reconfigured and make it easier to install new technology or move equipment in and out of operating rooms. The stainless steel modular walls are easier to sanitize compared with porous sheetrock surfaces used in most operating rooms; this is critical to reducing hospital-acquired infections. The system helps ensure a high level of patient care, saves the hospital and taxpayers money, and promotes higher quality outcomes and patient safety. MUSC's Ashley River Tower is the hospital of the future today The Medical University of South Carolina's Ashley River Tower (ART) marks a new era of excellence in hospital design and patient care in South Carolina. Opened in 2008, the MUSC ART is an architectural marvel, with an expansive glass facade that showcases the beauty of the Ashley River. ART is a clinical marvel as well: a best-in-class facility designed to elevate quality of care, redefine care delivery, and increase the satisfaction of patients, staff, and doctors. The hospital comprises several buildings, including a diagnostic and treatment tower, a patient hospitality tower dedicated to recovery and healing, and a garden atrium connecting the two. MUSC leaders, architects, and planners designed the ART with the intent of elevating patient safety. Among the cutting-edge design measures taken to minimize hospital-acquired infections are separate, private hallways within operating rooms and procedure areas, a central sterile corridor that allows physicians and nurses to travel between operating rooms, operating room equipment that is suspended from the ceiling, and DuPont Corian® surfacing and paper-free insulation to prevent mold and mildew. ART houses the MUSC Digestive Disease Center and the MUSC Heart and Vascular Center, and it is a bold step forward in a larger vision to advance quality and safety. Center of Economic Excellence in Healthcare Quality [top] Partners: Clemson University, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Palmetto Health, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, the University of South Carolina (USC) Led by: Jay Moskowitz, PhD, Endowed Chair in Clinical and Translational Research at USC; Iain Sanderson, MD, MSc, FRCA, Endowed Chair in Medical Informatics at MUSC The Healthcare Quality Center is creating a statewide network of researchers from HSSC institutions who are connected through a broad platform of biomedical technologies and cutting-edge informatics systems. These researchers will conduct translational clinical, econometric, health sciences, and health systems research. The center is focused on making South Carolina a national model for translational research and the development, integration, and mining of large data systems to enhance disease management, quality of care, patient safety and outcomes, health care financing, and health care system reform. At the core of this effort is the creation of an integrated statewide information technology (IT) infrastructure in South Carolina that will support and accelerate research across HSSC's member organizations and the state's biomedical Centers of Economic Excellence. This shared resource is vital to South Carolina's biomedical research community and for attracting clinical trials funded by government and industry. The IT infrastructure will transform patient care, improve quality, and streamline administration by allowing patient information to be shared in a secure environment between health care providers. Finally, the IT infrastructure will generate economic opportunities in the form of job creation, licensable technology, spinoff companies, and capital investment. When completed, the IT infrastructure has the potential to make South Carolina the most interconnected state in the country. Statewide IT projects funded by the Center for Healthcare Quality include an electronic institutional review board system, electronic health records, a clinical data warehouse, a clinical research data warehouse, a clinical trials management system, and portals for researchers, providers, and patients. The center has engaged a number of influential partners for the IT infrastructure, including IBM, Siemens, Sun Microsystems, and Recombinant Data Corporation. By creating these technology assets, the Healthcare Quality Center is advancing research in South Carolina, making the state's researchers more efficient and more competitive for national funding, and making the state more attractive to pharmaceutical and medical device companies. The center received a $4.8 million Grand Opportunity Grant from the National Institutes of Health in 2009. The grant supports the development of a statewide, Internet-based research network, called the research permissions management system (RPMS), that will enable patients to identify and volunteer for clinical research trials in South Carolina, and be notified of future research trials related to their condition, all while protecting their personal information. The RPMS also will help enable researchers to manage legal, ethical, social, and bioinformatics requirements. Center of Economic Excellence in Medication Safety and Efficacy [top] Partners: the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the University of South Carolina (USC) Led by: Charles Bennett, MD, PhD, Chair in Medication Safety and Efficacy at USC. Rick G. Schnellmann, PhD, of the South Carolina College of Pharmacy serves as center director. The Medication Safety and Efficacy Center is working to improve medication safety by identifying the incidence and significance of adverse drug events that occur with prescription and non-prescription drugs. The center's two partner organizations seek to develop and implement strategies to reduce medication errors—the largest source of adverse medical events in hospitals—and related costs. According to the Institute of Medicine, some 1.5 million people are harmed each year as the result of preventable medication errors. This not only creates consequences for patients, but also raises medical costs by billions of dollars annually because of additional treatment required and malpractice implications. The research produced by this center is expected to have significant cost-saving benefits for the state, potentially reducing health care costs in South Carolina by ten percent over the next five to ten years. HSSC members take steps to decrease medication errors A common cause of medication errors is incomplete patient information, often a result of a patient neglecting to tell his or her health care provider about pertinent facts regarding dosages, herbal treatments, or over-the-counter remedies. In 2005, HSSC member Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System's Patient Safety Committee formed a Medication Reconciliation Team to address this issue. Through the South Carolina Hospital Association, a Universal Medication Form was developed and distributed to hospitals, doctors, pharmacists, and patients. This standardized tool helps patients keep track of prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and herbal supplements, as well as allergies and immunizations. Spartanburg Regional reports a 30 percent increase in admissions of patients with an up-to-date Universal Medication Form. Another HSSC member, Palmetto Health, has undertaken a major initiative to implement a Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) system across its three hospitals. One of the main reasons for implementing CPOE: reducing medication errors. Patient safety is improved by having physicians enter their patient orders, including prescriptions, into computers or computer tablets. There are no more errors due to illegible handwriting. A third HSSC member, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS), is targeting medication errors by combining a culture of safety with high-tech innovations such as computerized physician order entry, robotic pharmacies, and barcoded medicine reconciliation at a patient's bedside. GHS encourages the reporting of all medication-related events, including so-called near misses, to better understand and eliminate the situations that give rise to those events. National studies show that too many employees fail to report near misses because they do not view these as errors. Center of Economic Excellence in Molecular Proteomics for Cardiovascular Disease and Prevention [top] Partners: Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, the University of South Carolina (USC) Led by: Recruiting is underway to fill two endowed chair positions to lead this center. Michael R. Zile, MD, of MUSC serves as center director. Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in South Carolina, accounting for approximately 23 percent of the state's deaths in 2007. Heart failure and heart attacks can be difficult to diagnose and nearly impossible to predict. Research conducted by the Molecular Proteomics Center seeks to better understand cardiovascular disease by exploring chronic heart failure, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and other ailments. The center has identified key biomarkers that can help physicians predict the development of diastolic heart failure; Zile and his team have created a simple blood test that uses these biomarkers to diagnose early heart failure. The identification of these biomarkers has led to the filing of four patents and two license-use agreements with two major medical companies. The important work done in this center may lead to new ways to prevent, treat, and manage chronic heart failure. The center's priorities are creating diagnostic techniques, prognostic risk profiles, and therapeutic management strategies, as well as technology development and transfer. In 2008, the center established a statewide network of five primary care locations linked by a central bioinformatics core to participate in research projects. The core allows patients from across the state who currently suffer from cardiovascular disease or who are at risk of developing heart disease to be screened for heart disease and to share the findings with MUSC researchers. In 2009, 450 patients underwent plasma screenings; through these screenings, 16 plasma proteins were analyzed and a specific biomarker portfolio was created to diagnose and predict left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic heart failure. The research brings researchers one step closer to being able to predict and prevent heart disease. According to Zile, who works closely with research partner Francis G. Spinale, MD, PhD, "The ultimate goal is to devise individualized treatment plans based on a patient's biomarkers." Clinical research improves patient care in the Upstate The Spartanburg Regional Heart Center offers a comprehensive approach to cardiovascular care that includes South Carolina's first accredited Chest Pain Center. Through prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, Spartanburg Regional is helping cardiac patients in the Upstate achieve a rewarding quality of life while controlling the negative effects of heart disease. Research plays an important role in diagnosing and treating heart disease. Spartanburg Regional conducts clinical research at the Heart Center to address issues clinically relevant to South Carolinians and to the world at large. MUSC Heart and Vascular Center is considered among the nation's best South Carolina has one of the highest death rates from heart disease. Nearly one South Carolinian in two will die from heart and vascular problems. To address this epidemic, MUSC has developed a cardiovascular capability that ranks among the finest in America. In 2009, the American Heart Association recognized MUSC as a Gold Medal Winner for Heart Care. The MUSC Heart and Vascular Center is the only comprehensive cardiovascular center in the state, offering the latest advances in pediatric and adult cardiology, interventional radiology, cardiovascular surgery, and heart transplantation. The Heart and Vascular Center also includes programs in disease prevention, research, professional teaching, public health, and community education. Each year, more than 14,000 patients are treated and, according to the University Hospital Consortium, MUSC's outcomes are among the best in the country. The MUSC Heart and Vascular Center is the only one in the state that offers heart transplants; its program ranks in the top 20 percent of heart transplant programs in volume, with consistently excellent outcomes in adult and pediatric patients. Cardiovascular research is a top priority at MUSC. MUSC participates in national clinical trials, offering the newest therapies and translating basic research into applications that immediately benefit patients. Among MUSC's important research assets is the Gazes Cardiac Research Institute, one of the leading centers for heart failure research in the nation. Named in honor of Peter Gazes, MD, the Institute is focused on understanding the causes of and creating new therapies to address heart failure. Its researchers routinely attract millions of dollars in federal grants each year. Their discoveries translate into a brighter future for anyone at risk of heart disease. Center of Economic Excellence in Regenerative Medicine [top] Partners: Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the University of South Carolina (USC) Led by: Richard Swaja, PhD, Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine at MUSC; Martin Morad, PhD, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Health at USC; Xuejun Wen, MD, PhD, Hansjorg Wyss Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine at Clemson The Regenerative Medicine Center is performing research in a rapidly emerging field with the potential to revolutionize health care by restoring, maintaining, or enhancing tissue and organ function. The center concentrates on two areas: (1) therapeutic applications that involve growing tissues and organs for transplantation, and (2) diagnostic applications for testing drug metabolism, uptake, toxicity, and pathogenicity. The center leverages the multidisciplinary talents of Clemson University, MUSC, and USC in the fields of biology, medicine, engineering, and computational sciences. The center has three endowed chairs, Martin Morad, PhD, Richard Swaja, PhD, and Xuejun Wen. With a solid leadership foundation in place, plans for the South Carolina Bioengineering Center have been approved and construction is underway. Located on the MUSC campus, it will provide a focus for statewide regenerative medicine and bioengineering programs and will house researchers from all three universities. Two major projects are in the early stages of development: Morad's work on developing a biological heart pacemaker by genetically engineering cells, and the South Carolina Project, led by MUSC's Roger Markwald, PhD, aimed at the vascularization of biofabricated complex tissues and organs. In 2009, thanks to the efforts of Markwald and his team, South Carolina was awarded a $20 million National Science Foundation grant to establish a statewide alliance in tissue biofabrication, which could lead to the production of human organs. The broad-based alliance includes the state's three doctoral granting research universities, Clemson, MUSC, and USC; and three historically black colleges and universities, Claflin University, South Carolina State University, and Voorhees College. Furman University and USC-Beaufort also are members. These exciting research initiatives offer great promise and have the potential to revolutionize and expand treatment options for patients. SeniorSmart® Center of Economic Excellence [top] Partners: Clemson University, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Palmetto Health, the University of South Carolina (USC) Led by: Sue Levkoff, ScD, SM, MSW, Endowed Chair in Community and Social Support at USC. G. Paul Eleazer, MD, of Palmetto Health and USC serves as center director. Focused on preserving older adult independence through interdisciplinary research, the SeniorSMART® Center is focused on three key areas: SmartHOME® (helping seniors maintain independent mobility inside the home), SmartWHEELS® (helping seniors maintain independent mobility outside the home), and SmartBRAIN® (helping seniors maintain intellectual activity). The economic potential for products and services created by SeniorSMART is tremendous. Baby boomers are becoming "senior boomers" and will wield unprecedented wealth and have different expectations about their homes, health care, and other aspects of life than previous generations. Not only does SeniorSMART capitalize on and enrich existing research strengths in South Carolina such as gerontology and automotive design, it also has the potential to enhance the quality of life for seniors, their families, and caregivers around the world. While the center is housed primarily on USC's Columbia campus, research is being conducted statewide. As part of SmartWHEELS, Clemson University and Greenville Hospital System have ongoing driver simulation studies for driver evaluation and rehabilitation. In 2008, USC, Palmetto Health, and Lutheran Homes of South Carolina signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Software Engineering and University of Kaiserlautern to conduct research under the SmartHOME component that will develop and test technology that enables older adults to live at home longer. Applications may include technology that detects subtle changes in a person's physical condition (such as changes in weight or heart rate) or detects signs of a fall, and then alerts caregivers, family, or a home monitoring service of a potential problem. The Fraunhofer Institute is a prestigious global translational research organization that is best known for creating the technology used in MP3 players. An additional MOU was signed with Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community. SeniorSMART research offers a wealth of opportunities to potential partners and investors interested in emerging technology designed to preserve older adult independence. Clemson University driving the effort to keep seniors mobile The SmartWHEELS component of the SeniorSMART Center is focused on helping seniors maintain the ability to drive safely and on rehabilitating those who have temporarily lost the ability to drive due to health issues. The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and the University's Institute of Engaged Aging (IEA) are leading research efforts that use technology and interventions to improve transportation and physical mobility for older adults. State-of-the-art drive-simulation centers are being developed to evaluate and rehabilitate older drivers. Center experts are also working with automobile manufacturers to create safer vehicles for this growing market. Palmetto Health and USC team up to boost senior mobility Two partners in the SeniorSMART Center established the Palmetto Health-USC Physical Mobility and Research Clinic in Columbia on the campus of Palmetto Health Richland. The clinic studies and treats mobility issues in South Carolina's aging population. The clinic is led by Palmetto Health physical therapist Jonathan Donley, PhD, a faculty member at the USC School of Medicine. His team consists of Palmetto Health and USC experts in physical therapy, geriatric medicine, nursing, exercise science, and social work. Donley says the clinic is a place to assess and apply the latest research techniques. The clinic focused on three areas with the greatest impact on senior mobility: falls—the leading cause of injury and deaths for older adults; stroke—the third-leading cause of death in South Carolina; and persistent back pain—a leading cause of activity-limitation for adults of all age groups. The SeniorSMART Mobility Clinic is being funded by a $930,000 grant from the Duke Endowment and a gift from Columbia businessman Don Tomlin, whose donation helped purchase three state-of-the-art physical therapy machines that are used for research and testing. Center of Economic Excellence in Stroke [top] Partners: Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Palmetto Health, the University of South Carolina (USC) Led by: Robert J. Adams, MD, MS, Endowed Chair in Stroke at MUSC; Marc Chimowitz, MD, Countess Alicia Paolozzi Chair in Translational Neurology at MUSC; Souvik Sen, MD, MS, MPH, Endowed Chair in Clinical Neurology at USC In 2008, the Stroke Center implemented the REACH Stroke Network, a statewide initiative that seeks to make acute stroke care available via telemedicine to small and rural hospitals throughout South Carolina. Led by Robert Adams, the REACH Stroke Network includes REACH MUSC, REACH Palmetto Health-USC, and REACH Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center. An important goal of the REACH Stroke Network is to increase use of tissue plasminogen activators (tPA) such as the drug alteplase, an FDA-approved treatment for ischemic stroke. The drug is effective in returning those suffering from ischemic stroke to good health if administered in a timely fashion. However, its adoption has been slow, particularly in rural communities, because of the lack of neurologists on staff who are trained to evaluate stroke patients and determine whether they are good candidates for tPA. According to Adams, prior to the REACH Stroke Network, tPAs were used in less than 1.5 percent of stroke cases in South Carolina, leaving patients with a high probability of disability or death. In REACH partner hospitals, the use of tPA to treat stroke has quadrupled. The potential for reversing the devastating effects of stroke in South Carolina is now very real. To date, there are 15 REACH MUSC Stroke Network partner hospitals: Georgetown Memorial Hospital, Grand Strand Regional Medical Center (Myrtle Beach), Marion Regional Health System, McLeod Regional Medical Center (Florence), Waccamaw Community Hospital (Murells Inlet), Williamsburg Regional Hospital (Kingstree), Coastal Carolina Medical Center (Hardeeville), Piedmont Medical Center (Rock Hill), Kershaw Health Medical Center (Camden), McLeod Medical Center (Dillon), Springs Memorial Hospital (Lancaster), Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center (Hartsville), Self Regional Healthcare (Greenwood), Loris Community Hospital (Loris), and Seacoast Medical Center (Little River) As REACH MUSC partners, these hospitals now have 24/7 access to stroke experts in MUSC's neurosciences department who provide immediate consultations and help transfer patients to MUSC if necessary. The MUSC REACH Stroke Network also has additional hospitals interested in creating partnerships. The Stroke Center has a long-term vision of developing more effective systems to prevent stroke, to create and test new treatments, and to commercialize new approaches. The center also is spearheading a program to help more South Carolina hospitals obtain designation as JCAHO certified stroke centers, which means they are better prepared to provide comprehensive stroke treatment. Of the four certified stroke centers in South Carolina, two are HSSC members: MUSC and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. Learn how the REACH Stroke Network saved vacationer Elizabeth Lafata's life [video]. Center of Economic Excellence in Healthful Lifestyles [top] Partners: the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the University of South Carolina (USC) Led by: Frank Treiber, PhD, Endowed Chair in Technology Applications to Prevent and Manage Disease and Reduce Risk at MUSC. Steven Blair, PED, of USC and Carolyn Jenkins, DRPH, RD, CDE, APRN-BC-ADM, FAAN of MUSC serve as center co-directors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, South Carolina ranks sixth in the nation in obesity and seventh in diabetes. Chronic diseases such as these have caused the state's public health and economy to suffer. The Healthful Lifestyles Center is addressing this serious issue by focusing its research on developing new technologies for improving health, preventing illnesses, and managing chronic health problems. Under the co-direction of USC's Steven Blair, PED, and MUSC's Carolyn Jenkins, DRPH, the center will develop technology, such as interactive, web-based coaching programs, to help people make healthier lifestyle choices. With health disparities reduced, the health status of South Carolina's workforce will be improved with lower absenteeism and increased productivity in the workplace. Health care costs have great potential to be lowered. The center's leaders hope to create interactive tools that can reach all segments of society, reducing health disparities, improving economic well-being, and enhancing the quality of life in South Carolina. HSSC President and CEO Jay Moskowitz says, "Healthier lifestyles are the first step to improving our state's health status and its economy." Scientific data backs up the fact that lifestyle choices can make the difference between health and disease. Steven Blair notes, "A large national trial demonstrated that a lifestyle program was twice as effective as medication in preventing diabetes in a high-risk population. We believe that technology-based tools can help people prevent and manage chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, senile dementia, obesity, musculoskeletal problems, and loss of function with aging." |
