The Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System (NWRSCIS) is a regional center of spinal cord injury care, research and education in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington. Programs and services are provided at both the University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center. The mission of the NWRSCIS is to improve the lives of people with SCI through excellent patient care, research and education. We provide specialized…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Presented at the SCI Forum October 25, 2025 Everyone should have an emergency plan for when disaster strikes. In this SCI Forum, Carl Leon, Seattle Office of Emergency Management (OEM), provides an overview of the…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Presented at the SCI Forum September 20, 2023 Chronic pain can be a significant problem for individuals with SCI. It is estimated that 68% of people living with SCI have neuropathic pain and/or musculoskeletal…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Presented at the SCI Forum on March 26, 2025 After a spinal cord injury, people must adapt to changes in their physical abilities while also navigating structural ableism—a system of policies, institutions, and…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod After spinal cord injury, individuals often work with many different rehabilitation therapists and providers across both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as they recover and as function changes over time. We…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod We are joined by Deborah Crane MD, a spinal cord injury physician, to hear about her study looking at the feasibility of short, but high intensity exercise program for people with new SCI. This 2-year study will be…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod After conducting a feasibility trial, Amy Starosta PhD, a rehabilitation psychologist, discusses her new randomized control trial of hypnotic cognitive therapy for pain. This is a 3-year study taking place on the…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod The ADA: What You Need To Know The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination. How well do you understand this law and how it applies to your daily…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. A Panel Discussion: Originally presented on November 4, 2017 at the SCI Wellness Summit. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod People who have just sustained a catastrophic injury like SCI often feel vulnerable, overwhelmed and anxious about the…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. A Panel Discussion: Originally presented on February 21, 2017 After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Women with spinal cord injury are a minority within a minority. Because they make up only about 25% of all people with spinal cord injuries, they can…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Simon Calcavecchia was pursuing his dreams of being a rugby player when he sustained a spinal cord injury. Education and a foray into hip-hop ultimately led him to create a series of children’s books starring the…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Several years after his spinal cord injury, Lan Remme became a poet. We spoke with Lan some time ago about this journey, how he learned to write and pursue this passion, and of the valuable lessons that he learned…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod After spinal cord injury, individuals often work with many different rehabilitation therapists across both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as they recover and as function changes over time. We had the chance…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod COVID-19 has changed our lives dramatically in the last seven months. From constant masking to a jump in telemedicine to quarantining, everyone has seen major disruptions to their daily routines. But what does…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod After spinal cord injury, individuals often work with many different rehabilitation therapists across both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as they recover and as function changes over time. We had the…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod After spinal cord injury, individuals often work with many different rehabilitation therapists across both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as they recover and as function changes over time. We had the…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod After spinal cord injury, individuals often work with many different rehabilitation therapists across both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as they recover and as function changes over time. We had the…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Originally presented on February 10, 2015 Spasticity is an almost universal complication of spinal cord injury, but the way it manifests itself varies enormously from person to person. In this forum, four…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod By Rina Reyes, MD, Amy Icarangal, PT, and Geralyn Bertellotti, OT. Originally presented on January 13, 2015 Spasticity in spinal cord injury is often viewed as a cause of dysfunction and pain. But there is more to…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Loa sustained a C2 spinal cord injury while in the 12th grade. Undaunted, she went on to finish high school with her classmates and entered college the following fall. In this podcast, Loa talks with Jeanne Hoffman,…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod What was it like to be a study participant in a clinical trial at the University of Washington? Find out in this podcast, where Jeanne Hoffman, PhD, interviews Jon, a person with SCI who volunteered for the study…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod A large percentage of people with SCI have frequent pain that can interfere with daily activities. Finding ways to minimize the pain and, when necessary, to move forward in spite of pain, can be essential to…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Chronic (or long-standing) pain is a common problem for people living with spinal cord injury, and it is often very difficult to treat. In this presentation, two UW Rehabilitation Medicine clinicians (Deborah…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Billy Price became paralyzed at the C6 level at age 18, just as he was starting his freshman year of college. Lying in his hospital bed, he could not imagine what his life would look like; the challenges seemed…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Chet Moritz, PhD, is an associate professor in the University of Washington Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rehabilitation Medicine, and Physiology and Biophysics, as well as the co-director for…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Welcome to the SCI Forum podcast, a monthly podcast series produced by the Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System (NWRSCIS) in the University of Washington Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, located in…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Adjustment and mental health problems after spinal cord injury can be complicated and sometimes difficult to talk about. While most people with SCI do not become depressed, it is important to identify and help…
Support the Northwest Regional SCI System by donating at https://give.uwmedicine.org/sci. After listening, give us your feedback using this quick survey: https://redcap.link/sciforumpod Three individuals with spinal cord injuries share their personal journeys of adjusting to life with a spinal cord injury, from initial grief and dark days to finding a path to a fulfilling life and a "new normal."…