We’ve been brought together
This partnership between skilled neurosurgeons, dedicated clinicians, focused researchers
and renowned educators began in 1972. We were the first center in Texas and one of
only a few institutions in the country to fully integrate neurology, neurosurgery, neuro-
by the historic partnership between
radiology and neurorehabilitation. This close collaboration among neurological disciplines
has been and remains the most crucial component of our revolution.
Memorial Hermann and
Today, we continue to drastically transform the field of neuroscience through teaching,
research and comprehensive care. Memorial Hermann has the only program in Houston
UTHealth Medical School.
that offers the full continuum of care from trauma to rehabilitation for children and adults.
We currently stand as the largest provider of neuroscience care in South Texas; in fact,
And we’re united in our endeavor to discover and
deliver the future of neurological care.
patients come from the world over to receive treatment from more than 1,000 UTHealth
physicians across 80 specialties.
Every day, the relationship between our researchers and physicians grows stronger,
enabling innovative procedures to be fully realized faster than ever before. And under
the visionary direction of neurosurgeon Dong Kim, M.D., and neurologist James Grotta,
M.D., our nationally recognized staff is poised to lead modern medicine to extraordinary
heights by further unraveling the mysteries of the brain and nervous system.
Working closely together, Memorial Hermann and UTHealth
are turning possibility into reality.
We’re the only center in Houston that has been selected by the National Institutes
of Health to develop and test new stroke therapies. This ensures that our patients benefit
from early access to potentially lifesaving treatments not available anywhere else in the
region. Among these treatments is the use of the clot-dissolving drug, tPA, for acute
strokes. When tPA is administered within three hours of the onset of stroke, patients are
at least 33 percent more likely to recover with little or no disability. We were the first in
Houston and one of the first in the United States to test this miraculous therapy.
In addition, we’re currently in the midst of a national study that explores the neuroprotective effects of hypothermia in stroke treatment. While moderate hypothermia has
successfully been used to minimize the restriction of blood flow in the brain during
open-heart surgeries since the 1950s, our experts are testing modified treatments that
aim to prevent and reduce neurological damage from acute stroke. To date, 40 patients
have received this groundbreaking procedure, and the results have been nothing short
of astounding.
We have an unprecedented
amount of potential
for new neurological discoveries.”
– James C. Grotta, M.D.
Co-Director – Mischer Neuroscience Institute
Every single one of our researchers and clinicians is driven by an insatiable curiosity.
And it’s because of this mindset that we’re able to continuously make neurological
breakthroughs.
Inside the world-renowned Mischer Neuroscience Institute,
innovation becomes action.
The Mischer Neuroscience Institute is the centerpiece of our revolution. Here, our skilled
staff provides the latest technologies and treatments for common and rare diseases and
disorders of the brain and spinal cord. The Institute also boasts 10 centers of excellence,
A History of Firsts
each supported by a state-of-the-art intensive care unit, and several other dedicated
inpatient facilities to provide a complete continuum of care for neurological patients.
• The first Stroke Center in Houston
• The first to conduct a national, multicenter trial for
hypothermia in head injury
• The first neurosurgery center to offer all advanced
modalities of treatment for complex lesions
• The first in Houston and one of the first in the United States to test tPA for acute stroke
• The first center in Houston to test and prove the efficacy of three disparate treatments for stroke Armed with innovative minds and sure hands, we perform more than 2,000 neurosurgical procedures every year – vastly outnumbering everyone else in Houston. Among
these surgeries are amazing procedures once considered unimaginable, including
implantations of vagal nerve stimulators that allow patients with epilepsy to lead
productive lives; resections of arteriovenous malformations that prevent life-threatening
brain hemorrhage; and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery that makes treatment of brain
tumors safe, quick, effective and painless.
prevention: carotid surgery; administration of antiplatelet drugs, including aspirin; and patent foramen ovale closure
• The first in the region to perform vagus nerve stimulation
• The first clinical magnetoencephalography (MEG)
sensor in Houston
We are poised to
lead the world
in neuroscience.”
– Dong Kim, M.D.
Co-Director – Mischer Neuroscience Institute
By delivering world-class rehabilitation and responding quickly to
neurotrauma, we are not only treating patients, we are transforming lives interrupted by illness or injury.
At TIRR Memorial Hermann, we’re dedicated to helping patients reclaim their lives.
We’ve been recognized as one of America’s best rehabilitation hospitals by U.S.News &
World Report magazine for 21 years – every year of the survey’s existence. Our highly
trained and supportive team of therapists treats a range of disabilities from complex
conditions like brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injury to neurological conditions
including multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Furthermore, we’re one of a select
few United States rehabilitation hospitals designated as a Model System for both spinal
cord injury and traumatic brain injury.
Seconds can make all the difference in emergency situations, which is why we knew it
was especially critical to establish ourselves as a Level I Trauma Center for both adults
and pediatrics – the highest attainable ranking. This designation is awarded to hospitals
offering an entire spectrum of care to thoroughly address patient needs. And to further
expedite trauma transportation, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center is home to
It’s the lives that we touch,
the restoration of hope,
that drive what we do.”
– Carl Josehart
CEO – TIRR Memorial Hermann
Life Flight®, the busiest air ambulance program in the country.
Eleanor
Bound for an Alaskan cruise the next day, Eleanor Curtis prepared for a muchneeded night’s rest at her daughter’s house. But as Eleanor lay down in bed,
she felt something go terribly wrong. She shouted for her daughter and then
emphatically proclaimed she was having a stroke.
The ambulance arrived quickly and rushed Eleanor to the Level I Trauma Center at
Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center where she was promptly assessed by the stroke
team. There, it was determined that she was an ideal candidate for tPA. Eleanor responded exceedingly well to the treatment. She spent five days as an inpatient in the Stroke
Unit at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and then began outpatient rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann.
Under the direction of Dr. James Grotta, UTHealth Medical School and Memorial HermannTexas Medical Center remain the only center in Houston selected by the National Institutes
of Health to develop and test new stroke therapies. Dr. Grotta served as Eleanor’s supervising physician and continues to closely monitor Eleanor’s progress. Today, she lives a
healthy life completely free of debilitating side effects.
“If it were not for Dr. Grotta and the other caregivers at Memorial Hermann, I would not
be here today. I have had 10 healthy years since my stroke and in two weeks will meet
my first great-grandbaby.” – Eleanor Curtis
Seeing people overcome incredible odds is what truly inspires us. The following accounts
are a mere sampling of the numerous success stories made possible by our revolution.
Staman
Luke
On a beautiful June morning in 2009, Staman Ogilvie was 12 miles into a 15-mile
Luke Hollas was barely two when he had his first seizure in 2003. His parents,
bicycle training ride when the unthinkable happened: Without warning or
braking, he crashed headfirst into a parked water delivery truck, crushing his
C7 vertebrae and severely injuring his spinal cord.
Karen and Chuck, feared that their son was dying.
Help arrived quickly, and within 30 minutes of his accident Staman was rushed to the Level
I Trauma Center at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. In the following week, he
endured three critical surgical procedures. He was now a quadriplegic, but Staman was
determined to prove that his life was far from over.
While still recovering from surgery in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit and then beginning
rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann, Staman made a decision to use this experience
for the good of those who currently suffer from a spinal injury or will suffer from one in the
future. Collaborating with his physicians, family and close friends, The Staman Ogilvie Fund
for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery, Rehabilitation & Research was created to assist individuals
It was two years before doctors diagnosed Luke with epilepsy. They prescribed antiepileptic medications, but his seizures persisted and occurred more frequently.
In 2007, Luke was referred to Dr. Gretchen Von Allmen, director of the Pediatric Epilepsy
Program at UTHealth and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. Soon, he was admitted
to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) for seven days of evaluation. The monitoring
revealed that Luke’s seizures were localized in his brain, making him an excellent candidate
for resective surgery.
Karen and Chuck met several times with Dr. Von Allmen and a pediatric neurosurgeon at
Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, who recommended surgery as the best course
of action. In time, Luke’s parents agreed to have their young son undergo brain surgery.
who have been afflicted by spinal cord injury, brain injury or neurological disorders that
In 2008, the surgery was performed at Children’s Memorial Hermann. Three months
traumatically disrupt their lives. The objective of the Ogilvie Fund is to raise $10 million to
later, he returned to his elementary school. Today, Luke experiences no mental deficits
discover practical solutions and to provide hope for people with physical disabilities.
and has been free of seizures for more than two years. He’s simply a healthy, happy boy
“I am determined to help restore patients like me to health, mobility and full life enjoyment.
who enjoys sports and playing with his brother and sisters.
Whether it be on bionic legs or because my own legs have been repaired with cellular
“I cannot say enough about the wonderful care that Luke received in the Epilepsy Monitoring
therapy, I have no doubt that the talented physicians and researchers at UTHealth and
Unit at Children’s Memorial Hermann. The physicians, nurses and staff are absolutely
Memorial Hermann will help me walk again one day.” – Staman Ogilvie
wonderful. They feel like part of our family.” – Karen Hollas
Pioneers. Innovators. Believers.
We are all of these things.
And with you, we can be even more.
We’ve been brought together
With your generosity and commitment,
by the historic partnership between
we can save more lives,
Memorial Hermann and
realize even greater breakthroughs,
UTHealth Medical School.
and make the impossible possible.
And we’re united in our endeavor to discover and
Together, we can revolutionize neuroscience.
deliver the future of neurological care.