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Neuroscience Center Dedicated On April 7. 1986 First Lady' Nancy Reagan vis- ited NRH to dedicate the Loyal Davis Neurosci- renowned neurosurgeon. Dr. Davis was Chi- cago's first brain surgeon and chairman of Northwestern tJniversity's department of Stlr- gery for 31 years. Speaking before 200 patients, staff, donors, at~d ambassadors, Mrs. Reagan said that "'F, very time I am in a hospital, I can't help thinking of my father.., thetimes [ went on rotmds with him, the times I watched him work. From that. I learned so much about the doctor-patient relationship. He showed me how important that relationship is and the need to respect each and every, patient as a hun~all being with all the fears and ten- sions they have. ':ks I look around it means a great deal to me personally to see that my father's legacy' is National R~habilitafion thsp~tal Summer 1986 A member of the Washington Health~are Corporation (I tO r) Mrs_. Dgvts with hush_an, d Dr. Richard___Davis, brother of Nancy Reagan, John McDanlel, president of the Washington Healthcare Corporation, and Edward Eckenhoff, president of the National Rehabilitation Hospital, look on as Mrs. Reagan told the crowd, ~it gave me a really deep inner satisfaction and helped me realize the importance of giving of ourselves to others7 referring to her work as a nurses' aide in a £hicago hospital during World War 11. very much alive:' Mrs. Reagan concluded, her voice cracking with emotion. The 40-bed Loyal Davis Neuroscience Cen- ter provides combined programs of treatment, research, and training to advance the rehabili- tation of persons impaired by central nervous system injury or disease. Prior to the dedication Mrs. Reagan met with many of NRH's major donors in the ther- apeutic recreation area. She then stopped by the 2W unit to speak with patients and share words of encouragement. According to one pa- tient, Mario Roberts, "This was the best ... you don't get to meet the President's wife every. day!" ~ Nancy Reagan accepts a bouquet of white roses and a thank-yoo from 16 year-old Kim Jackson on bchalf of all NRll patients and stalX Jackson, now' an outpatient, is a member of a local wheelchair basketball team and works as a peer counselor at her high school. T113230275

Summer means cookouts, b~cycle riding, and swtmraing. This is the time of the year when we enjoy the outdoors. But suramertlrae fun can result in great tragedy. Dit,tng accidents are a spinal cord injury. Horsepla..¥ and careless behavior around water may result in tragic consequence& Play it safe this summer. Think before you act. Researching the Benefits of Functional Electrical Stimulation Aerobic fitness, diet control, wellness, and health maintenance have become very popular concepts with Americans recently. For a variety of reasons, however, spinal cord injured (SCI) persons have difficulq,, ap- plying these concepts to their lives. This problem has led to research efforts designed to identify methods for improving health maintenance among individuals with spinal cord injury. Research results during the past decade indicate -il~ exercising induced electrical stimulation helps to reduce compli- cations associated with paralysis and may improve aerobic fitness and psychological well being. With this in mind, the National Rehabilitation Hospital will conduct a study of the physiological and psychological effects of using functional electrical stimulation (FES) ~tp exerc~i_se paralyzed legs. ~ 8am McFarland, NRH's director of rehabilitation - engineering, and John Aseff, M.D., associate director of medicine for outpatient services, will head this re- search effort. Utilizing an instrumented pedal ergome- ter (a stationary bicycle) which enables controlled ex- ercise of paralyzed legs, McFarland and Aseff will investigate whether a SCI patient who exercises fre- quently on an ergometer using functional electrical stimulation will experience au aerobic effect similar to that of an able-bodied person who exercises at the same rate on the machine. Using advanced measuring and data analysis instruments in the NRH perform- ance diagnostic laboratory, the research team expects to compare performances of both paralyzed and able- bodied research volunteers. As McFarland explains, '~robic fitness is particu- larly difficult for SCI persons to attain because of the greatly reduced mass of muscles that can participate in the exercise. Further complications to maintaining good health include the effects of muscle paralysis on circulation, pulmonary function, body mass, tempera- ture regulation, and bone strength, in addition to loss of sensation and a tendency toward reflex spasms of the muscles. "There is recent clinical evidence suggesting that FES may have beneficial effects, including enhanced aerobic exercise, retraining of partially paralyzed muscles, increased muscle mass, reduction of spasms, Sam McFarLand explains the capabilities of various computerized testing equipment in the performance diagnostic laboratory while Cathy Hanich, physical therapy service, tries her hand at a visual tracking system. improvement of cardiovascular and pulmona~ func- tion, and possibly even bone strengthening. In addi- tion to the functional and physiological effects, the SCI person may also derive benefits in cosmetic ap- pearance and self-image? Roughly defined, FES excites intact nerves and causes paralyzed muscles to perform purposeful movements, FES has been used for more than twenty years as a treatment modality aimed primarily at re- training partially damaged neural pathways, strength- ening muscles, increasing range of joint motion and reducing spasticity. More recently, it has become the focus of clinical and public attention as a method for regaining complex, coordinated movements in other- wise paralyzed limb systems such as the legs and hands. Despite the dramatic progress in understanding FES as a proven modality for muscle exercise, McFar- land notes that additional research is required to fur- ther investigate its therapeutic uses and its potential risks. McFarland stresses that NRH plans to proceed with a controlled, thorough examination of what FES has to offer for persons with spinal cord injuries. ~ T! 13230276

Honoring Those with Spirit The National Rehabilitation Hospital recently honored four outstanding individuals for having courageously risen to the challenges of physical adversiV During an evening of lively entertainment, each honoree received a Victory of the Human Spirit award. Senator Robert Dole, (R-Kan.), left almost com- pletely paralyzed from a World War II mine explosion, has regained all but the use of his right arm after lengthy rehabilitation. Actress Ann Jillian has not cur- Aailedhermctingcateer_after ha_v_in_g had a double ma.stectomy last year. Political activist Ted Kennedy Jr., who lost a leg to cancer, told the audience that he re- jects the term "physically handicapped;' preferring the term "physically challenged~' Upon receiving his award, singer Teddy Pendergrass commented, 'I am pleased to have been left on the face of this earth to continue to do what I love bestbmake musiC' Pen- dergrass sustained spinal cord injury in a car accident four yea~s ago. Representative Tony Coelho (D-Calif.), an epilep- tic, and White House press secretary James Brady served as national co-chairmen. Brady, who was se-- verely brain injured in 1981 when hit by a bullet aimed at the president, received a standing ovation as he walked slowly across the stage, using a cane, to open the gala event. "I still laugh better than I talk;' Brady told the capacity crowd. Hosted by actor Robert Guillaume, the fundraiser at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts offered an array of entertainment, including~nton Marsalis, Marie Osmond, Henny Youngman, Ed Lsner, Lynda Carter, and Lee Greenwood. The Ambassador of Portugal and Mrs. Mathias, and the Ambassador of Turkey and Mrs. Elekdag were the international co-chairmen for the event. ~ (I to r) Honoree Ann Jillian with entertainersMarie .... Osmond, Katherine Helmond, Robert Guillaume, Suzette Charles, and W~nton Marsalis. Marilyn Cook, director of the NRH Learning Resource Center and the Washington Hospital Center Medical Library, with husband Richard. Host Robert Gutllaume, star of the television series "Benson~' and Rep. Tony Coelho (D-Calif.) share a few moments backstage after the show. T113230277

Ted KeonedyJr. and Ann Jillian posed for photographs after receiving their awards. Jillian said she hope the show would inspire people with physical impairments ~to get off the bench and back into the game.~ Actor Robert Blake presented Senator Dole with his Victory of the Human Spirit a~m-d. am plea.~ed to ,'bare my experh~ace witO pe~pIe around the world ~n hopes that it will reach sonwone in to'ln.~ cirurn.~tances uml glre them the courag~ to go on." .~a. Robert Dole ;R-Kan.J Edward Eckenhoff, president of NRH, and Mary Doremus, president of the National CHALLENGE Committee of the Disabled, Inc., at the Kennedy Center. John Goldschmldt, M.D., NRll medical director (r), enjoys dinner with Nathan Cope, M.D. and guest. Cope is chief of both the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Stanford University Medical Center, and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Serzlces at Palo Mto Veterans Administration Medical Center. T!13230278

New Directors Elected The NR_H Board of Directors recently elected LeRoy (Terry) Eakin III and Monsignor Harold Murray to serve on the Board. Mr. Eakin is senior vice president of the Holladay Corporation, a real estate development firm. He is a past member of the board of directors of the D.C. Builders basociation. His civic activities include the Chevy Chase Club, St. David's Church, and Virginians for Dulles. Monsignor Murray, director of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, holds member- ship to numerous health care associations such as the American College of Hospital Administrators, the Asso- ~~f Clinical-Pastoral-Education;-and-the Ameri- can Public Health Association. ~ Employees Are Our - Best Resource With just over 570 employees now working at NRH, the employee resources staff is well over the recruit- ment hump. An additional 150-200 employees will be hired, primarily in the clinical services, as the two re- maining nursing units are opened. The reasons people state for wanting to work at NRlt are manyfold, the most common being the chal- lenge and opportunity of opening a facility. Others have attributed the friendliness of the employees as being the real attraction to NRH. According to Constance McDonald, assistant ad- ministrator, employee resources, "The NRH staff is stellar. They're really great; not only technically com- petent but packed with personality too~' The employee resources staff, administrators and service directors, with the help of the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, have tirelessly sifted through over 13,000 resumes and applications this past year to find these outstanding employees. If you have questions about employment opportu- nities please call the employee resources office, (202) 877-1715. ~ In the News... Lauro Halstead, M.D., newly appointed director of the post-polio program and interim director of the spinal cord injury, program, previously worked at the Texas Institute of Rehabilitation Research ... Jan Humphreys was installed as NRH chaplain... Bonnie Hurwitz, director of therapeutic recreation, co-chaired the "Professional Issues Forum" of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association. ~. Harold Kranz, formerly at the neighboring Children s Hospital Na- tional Medical Center, is the new director of marketing and public affairs... Lawrence Prokop, D.O., a physiatrist, recently joined the medical affairs staff ... Paul Rao, Ph.D., director of speech-language pathology, has been-appointedadjuncLprofessor,_De-~ partment of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park... Mary Romano, ACS~, director of social work, presented "Family Response to Traumatic Head Injury Revisited" at a symposium sponsored by Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital ... Angelita Ross, M.D. is the newest member of the at- tending staff at NRH. ~ Six patients and more than 150 NRlt employees and friends joined hands on the Mall on May 25; 1986, for the Hands Across America event. Mid-Atlantic Coca-Cola invited the Hospital to participate in the event. An unexpected visit from boxer Sugar Ray Leonard raade the day particularly memorable for (I to r) physical therapists Diane Ruiz, Diane Tinti-Wald, and Lod Moran, and inpatient Mario Roberts and his sister Antoinette. While visiting NRH in April, Ted Kennedy Jr. stops to chat with patient Reginald 6illis and physical therapist Deb Denney. Ti13230279

Bullets Score Big at NRH A press conference was recently held at NRH by the Washington Bullets basketball team to introduce this year's top two draft picks, John Williams and Anthony Jones. Following the conference the new NBA pros visited patients throughout the Hospital. ] • Patient John Hughes, with grandson Mark Hughes standing ............ by, getsan autograph.from John Williams Pat|ent John Shobe and Anthony Jones talk about the upcoming.basketball season. _ T!13230280