The Drucker Brain Injury Center at MossRehab in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania has been designated by the federal government as a Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) since 1997.

Directed by Moss Rehabilitation Researcher Institute (MRRI) Scientists Amanda Rabinowitz, PhD, and Thomas Watanabe, MD, the MossRehab TBIMS provides state-of-the-art, research and potentially lifelong treatments for persons with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and their families in the Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey. Innovative treatments are provided in a comprehensive inpatient and transitional outpatient rehabilitation program; community re-entry programs including a full complement of vocational services; two brain injury Clubhouses; a brain injury residential treatment facility; and an affirmative business providing competitive employment for persons with disability due to TBI. The TBIMS program exemplifies a culture of clinical research integration in which patients across the continuum of care are provided an opportunity to participate in cutting-edge studies to help advance scientific and clinical knowledge.

What is a Model System?

A Model System is a center of excellence for both treatment and research related to a particular disability. It is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

How does a TBI center become a TBI Model System?

NIDRR gives Model System awards to centers with:

• A strong track record of excellent clinical care and treatment. The Drucker Brain Injury Center at MossRehab provides a full continuum of care to persons with TBI and was one of the first centers of its kind on the East Coast.
• The ability to carry out a program of research on outcome prediction and treatment. The Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) runs the Model System research program, which includes projects run locally as well as projects that represent collaborations between MossRehab and other Model System centers. In addition, information on MossRehab TBI Model System patients is added to the national database that contains data from thousands of people with TBI. This database is used to study the factors that predict recovery and outcomes of TBI. More information on the national database including a full listing and syllabus describing all the data elements may be found at the website of the TBI Model System National Data and Statistical Center at Craig Hospital: www.tbindsc.org.
• A superior record of publications, presentations and other knowledge dissemination and teaching on TBI rehabilitation. The leaders and collaborators in the MossRehab TBIMS are nationally and internationally recognized for their professional and consumer outreach efforts. For more information on knowledge generated in the TBI Model System program, see the website of the Model System Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) at www.msktc.org.

  What does the MossRehab TBIMS do?

  Research activities:

  The MossRehab TBIMS conducts longitudinal research in collaboration with other premier centers across the nation, and local research designed to improve traumatic brain injury treatments and outcomes.

  Traumatic Brain Injury Research Studies:

  For the 2007 through 2012 grant cycle, the MossRehab TBIMS investigated the effects of dextroamphetamine (DEX) on attention, engagement in therapy, cognitive and motor speed, and the overall rate of recovery. We also compared our patient outcomes to those of a collaborating hospital in Denmark which has longer and more intensive care than hospitals in the United States. The 2007-2012 Moss TBIMS collaborated with other centers on studies of the natural history of headache after TBI, vocational treatments, and the effects of neighborhood characteristics on TBI outcomes.

  The MossRehab TBIMS includes patients with moderate to severe TBI, either penetrating or non-penetrating, who receive inpatient rehabilitation care at MossRehab and acute care at one of four local Trauma Centers. Participants receive on-going longitudinal follow-up and special opportunities for research participation. Patients with TBI who are not eligible for the TBIMS may also be invited to participate in research. Of course, the clinical continuum of care at the Drucker Center is available to all patients with TBI regardless of research participation.

  Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Consumer Information:

  In addition to its treatment and research activities, our Model System includes:

  • An Advisory Council made up of treatment staff, former patients and members of their families, and community members who are helping us improve our clinical services, research efforts, and educational/outreach activities.
  • Extra follow-up services to help us keep better track of patients who are out of the hospital to make sure they get the services they need.
  • Conferences for persons with brain injury, their families, and professionals in the field, run by our TBIMS in collaboration with other rehabilitation facilities and the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania. (www.biapa.org)

  Contact Us

  The MossRehab TBIMS is based at MossRehab's main campus in Elkins Park, Pa. but is closely affiliated with and can see patients at the MossRehab Tabor Road campus and the Philadelphia Clubhouse location.

  Set up an appointment by calling one of our campuses listed below, or requesting an appointment online:

  Request an Appointment

  MossRehab Elkins Park (Main Campus)
  60 Township Line Road
  Elkins Park, PA 19027
  215-663-6477

  MossRehab Tabor Road
  1200 West Tabor Road
  Philadelphia, PA 19141
  215-456-9594

  MossRehab Clubhouse Philadelphia
  7612 Dungan Road
  Philadelphia, PA 19111
  215-745-5093

  Or contact us through 1-800-CALL MOSS (1-800-225-5667).

  For more information about the MossRehab TBIMS and research opportunities for people with traumatic brain injury, e-mail Amanda Rabinowitz at rabinowa@einstein.edu.