TIRR Foundation

TIRR Foundation Founded as a polio treatment center, TIRR evolved into an exemplary rehabilitation hospital following the discovery of the polio vaccine.

TIRR Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for people who have sustained neurological damage by supporting pioneering research programs and advancements in rehabilitative medicine, and educational programs. The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Foundation (TIRR Foundation) was created in 1987 to support one of Houston's first premier hospitals, The Institute for Rehabilitation an

d Research (TIRR). The hospitals extensive knowledge in the treatment for polio patients was the foundation for their transition to rehabilitative medicine, and specialty care for patients who had sustained catastrophic injuries involving neurological damage. TIRR Foundation's fundraising efforts ensured the hospital had the highly specialized programs and equipment, and the financial resources needed to support the complex medical needs unique to this special population of patients. TIRR Foundation's history is embedded with success in improving the medical care of neurologically injured patients, enhancing the quality of their lives and leading the scientific search for improved treatments and cures. In 2006, the relationship of the foundation and the hospital assumed a new and exciting course. The patient care operations of TIRR and Memorial Health Care Systems merged uniting their extensive experience and resources to further enhance patient care. As an independent foundation, TIRR Foundation continued its impressive course towards improving the lives of those with physical disabilities and expediting the search for improved treatments and cures for spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and stroke. Today, TIRR Foundation impacts the lives of those with physical disabilities through a number of initiatives and projects. TIRR Foundation founded, directs and funds Mission Connect, a collaborative research project focused on the discovery of treatments and cures for central nervous system damage caused by brain injuries and stroke, and paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries. The foundation continues to support summer camps and sports teams for wheel chair dependant children. The foundation's early dedication to improving patient care continues as does the goal to ensure neurologically injured patients receive the highest level of care and greatest opportunity for recovery.

TIRR Foundation is proud to announce the second round of 2026 Travel Award recipients! Offered through Mission Connect’s...
08/27/2026

TIRR Foundation is proud to announce the second round of 2026 Travel Award recipients!
Offered through Mission Connect’s Dr. Raymond J. Grill Excellence Through Mentoring Program, these $1,000 awards empower early-career researchers to share their work, build connections, and advance discoveries in brain and spinal cord injury.

Congratulations to our awardees:

Samantha Alman (UT Austin/Dr. Andrew Gaudet)
Society for Neuroscience (November 14-18, 2026)
REV-ERB activation via SR9009 drives s*x-specific modulation of anti-inflammatory transcriptional programs after spinal cord injury.

Mikayla Deehring (Rice University/Dr. Momona Yamagami)
Summer School on Neurorehabilitation (June 7-12, 2026)
Press Play on Rehab: A Pilot Study of Exergaming for Pediatric Stroke.

Abantika Ghosh (TAMU/ Dr. Dylan McCreedy)
International Symposium on Neural Regeneration (July 19-23, 2026)
Assessing The Role Of L‑Selectin Shedding In Lymphocyte Responses To Spinal Cord Injury.

Uapingena Kandjoze (UT Austin/Dr. Andrew Gaudet)
Society for Neuroscience (November 14-18, 2026)
Macrophage-specific REV-ERB⍺/β Deletion Induces a Pro-inflammatory Phenotypic Shift Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Mustafa Ozturgut (TAMU/ Dr. Dylan McCreedy)
International Symposium on Neural Regeneration (July 19-23, 2026)
Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Time- and Sex-Dependent Transcriptional Signatures of Intraspinal Neutrophils Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Nicole Rehtmeyer (TAMU/ Dr. Michelle Hook)
Society for Neuroscience (November 14-18, 2026)
SCI drives changes in hematopoiesis across bone marrow spaces.

We are proud to support the journey of these talented researchers as they help shape the future of neurotrauma research!

Adult camp 2026 wrapped up with a splash! To continue to expand our adventures we took our group out to the river. What ...
08/24/2026

Adult camp 2026 wrapped up with a splash! To continue to expand our adventures we took our group out to the river. What an amazing experience it was, 37 campers and volunteers floated down the Comal River. Our weekend was full; we started the weekend with an amazing cooking class with Chef Jamie. The campers and staff learned how to make homemade pasta, sauce, and fresh garlic bread. Saturday was a full day of great excitement and adventure as we all set out onto the river, concurring the tube shoots and enjoying the cool water. We finished the weekend with ropes course and zip line fun. Thank you to all the volunteers and community support to make this weekend successful.

The TIRR Foundation is proud to support innovative research that could help advance stroke recovery. Through a recent Fo...
08/24/2026

The TIRR Foundation is proud to support innovative research that could help advance stroke recovery. Through a recent Founders Award for Neurotrauma Research, this Rice Brain Institute collaboration will study how patient-driven robotic therapy may better engage the brain and muscles during rehabilitation.

A new Rice Brain Institute collaboration is bringing together robotics, neuroscience and clinical expertise to explore a more active approach to stroke rehabilitation.

We can’t recap a week at Camp Xtreme with out starting it with AMAZING! Campers spent a week at Camp For All pushing the...
07/07/2026

We can’t recap a week at Camp Xtreme with out starting it with AMAZING! Campers spent a week at Camp For All pushing themselves and their friends to the Xtreme; pushing the limits during human shuffle board, flying high on the ropes course, and chasing each other down in human packman. As we look back at our camp week full of fun, excitement and a little rain I am so grateful for the campers and staff that made it happen.

Mark your calendar for the TEE IT UP with TIRR Golf Tournament on September 21,2026, at BraeBurn Country Club! This year...
04/28/2026

Mark your calendar for the TEE IT UP with TIRR Golf Tournament on September 21,2026, at BraeBurn Country Club! This year, we are proud to honor Vince Ford. Link in the comments!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!Moran Camp Xtreme kicked off its 2026 camp season this past weekend with a Mardi Gras-them...
04/21/2026

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Moran Camp Xtreme kicked off its 2026 camp season this past weekend with a Mardi Gras-themed Spring Break Camp, and what a weekend it was!

Campers enjoyed wheelchair lacrosse, wheelchair basketball, high ropes, horseback riding, archery, and even cooking activities — all while building confidence, friendships, and lasting memories.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this amazing start to the season. We already can’t wait for Summer Camp, June 13–19, at Camp for All!

We’re proud to celebrate the next generation of neurotrauma researchers!TIRR Foundation is pleased to announce the first...
04/15/2026

We’re proud to celebrate the next generation of neurotrauma researchers!

TIRR Foundation is pleased to announce the first round of 2026 Travel Award recipients—each
receiving a $1,000 award through Mission Connect’s Dr. Raymond J. Grill Excellence Through
Mentoring Program.

These awards support early-career scientists as they present their research, expand their
professional networks, and advance discoveries in brain and spinal cord injury.

Congratulations to our awardees:

Anjali Agrawal (TAMU, Dr. Jennifer Dulin)
International Symposium on Neural Regeneration (July 19–23, 2026)
Exploring how neural progenitor cell graft composition can improve recovery after spinal cord
injury.

Akram Esfandani (TAMU, Dr. Jennifer Dulin)
National Neurotrauma Society Symposium (June 14–17, 2026)
Investigating neuroimmune mechanisms of male infertility following spinal cord injury.

Kathy Guerra (UTHealth, Dr. Alexis Bavencoffe)
U.S. Association for the Study of Pain (March 23–26, 2026)
Studying a promising target for chronic pain after spinal cord injury.

Goknur Kara (HMRI, Dr. Sonia Villapol)
National Neurotrauma Society Symposium (June 14–17, 2026)
Reducing neuroinflammation and amyloid pathology after traumatic brain injury.

Elias Muguerza (UTSA, Dr. Chia Hsu)
UT System Trauma Research Symposium (Feb 17–18, 2026)
Examining immune pathways that drive sepsis severity across age and s*x.

Claire Shackleton (UTHealth, Dr. Argy Stampas)
American Spinal Injury Association (April 24–26, 2026)
Addressing barriers to gynecological care for women with spinal cord injury.

These talented researchers represent the future of neurotrauma science—and we are proud
to support their journey.

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3355 West Alabama, Ste 950
Houston, TX
77098

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