BOSTON- Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and the Harvard Medical School Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation will begin a historic a 5-year $3 million grant as part of a nation wide Clinical Consortium funded by the Department of Defense. The consortium is formed to conduct a long-term study on the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in the country with this honor and is one of only ten sites nationwide that has been awarded. This grant is an extension of the important partnership Spaulding and fellow Partners HealthCare Massachusetts General and Brigham and Womans Hospitals and the VA Boston have built with the Department of Defense and the United States military to create the best care possible for our returning wounded warriors.

The nine other participating centers are based at academic, Veterans Affairs, and military centers at Dartmouth College, Duke University, Madigan Army Medical Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina/University of South Carolina, University of California, San Diego, University of Cincinnati, University of Maryland, and University of Washington.

Dr. Ross Zafonte, Spaulding Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chair of the Harvard Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation will be the principal investigator for Spaulding study site. 'This again is evidence of the collaboration that is happening between our research community and the Department of Defense in order to advance the care and techniques available to our returning heroes.'

Often called the 'signature injury of the war', recent evidence suggest possibly as many as 1 in 10 soldiers may have suffered a form of some traumatic brain injury. By utilizing centers of excellence and in brain injury and world-class universities as research sites, the study hopes to draw on the decades of experience with these complex injuries to address this new challenge. Spaulding invited Senator John Kerry because of his long and distinguished record of advocating for greater support and resources for returning veterans.

'All those who serve our country deserve the very best available medical care and there is no excuse for the substandard treatment far too many brave service members have received after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,' Senator Kerry said. 'Spaulding Hospital is a world class rehabilitation facility with a proven track record of working miracles with veterans suffering from TBI and other serious injuries. I've seen the results firsthand and am incredibly impressed by the skill, dedication and compassion shown by the doctors, nurses, administrators and staff of Spaulding. This funding is a first step in ensuring that every American who serves their country receives the medical care they deserve.'

Spaulding and Senator John Kerry held a special press conference Monday, September 15, 2008 at 3pm at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Main Campus. Representatives of the research team as well as veterans and their families were on hand. About the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network

A member of Partners HealthCare, The Spaulding Network includes its main campus, a 196-bed facility, located in Boston, MA, and eight outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.

Department of Defense Clinical Consortium Funding

Funded through the DoD Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, the PTSD-TBI Clinical Consortium will attempt to develop more personalized therapies by identifying predictors of favorable treatment response, in order to determine in advance which individuals will respond to which treatments: pharmacological, psychosocial, and complementary or alternative therapies. State-of-the-art technologies such as magnetic resonance neuroimaging techniques and genetic testing will be used to help researchers understand the underlying causes of impairment, and the mechanisms by which successful treatments work.

The multi-center project is part of a $300 million commitment by the DOD to 'prevent, mitigate, and treat the effects of traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury on function, wellness, and overall quality of life for service members as well as their caregivers and families.'

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