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The Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee (MSAC) is an interdisciplinary committee that serves in an advisory capacity to National Spinal Cord Injury Association’s Resource Center, Spinal Cord Central.
Our Mission
The mission of the MSAC is to maximize the quality of life of all people living with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D). We envision a world in which all people living with SCI/D have access to every opportunity that improves health and quality of life.
We achieve this by:
- Providing information and guidance in medical/other health care-related topics
- Identifying and addressing health care policy issues that impact the SCI/D community
- Informing the SCI/D community of the latest advancements in research relevant to their health and independence
Who We Are
The MSAC is comprised of representatives of the multidisciplinary health care community including clinicians, scientists, researchers and other professionals, as well as a lay representative of the SCI/D community who has a basic comfort level with medical and scientific dialogue. The focus of the committee is on the health and well-being of those with SCI/D.
MSAC members provide the clinical and scientific expertise necessary to ensure that National Spinal Cord Injury Association can offer the very best information and resources to the SCI/D Community. By offering valuable professional support, we can empower more people living with SCI/D to make informed decisions and exercise his/her rights regarding health matters. This information is provided as an educational service and is not intended to serve as medical advice. Anyone seeking specific medical advice or highly technical questions should consult his or her own physician.
For more information regarding MSAC, please email info@spinalcord.org.
Committee Members
Christine Sang, MD, MPH, Chair of MSAC
Christine Sang, MD, MPH received her medical degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and her Master of Public Health at Harvard University. After completing her clinical training in anesthesiology at John Hopkins Hospital, she continued her postgraduate clinical research training at Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health where she served as Associate Medical Director of the Pain Research Clinic. Currently she is the Director of the Translational Pain Research Program at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her own research program systematically evaluates novel potential analgesics in Phases Ia (First-in-Man) through III clinical trials to target selective mechanisms of pain, particularly in central neuropathic pain following spinal cord injuries. Dr. Sang has served on the Board of Directors of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association and is the founding chairman of its Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee (MSAC).
Kim Anderson-Erisman, PhD
Dr. Anderson-Erisman is a Research Associate Professor and the Director of Education for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Her research has focused on translational investigations and bridging the gap between basic science, clinical science, and the public community living with spinal cord injury (SCI). Her training spans the spectrum of SCI research, from cellular and molecular studies as a graduate student, to whole animal and behavioral studies as a post-doctoral fellow, to human clinical research while a faculty member at the University of California, Irvine, and now the University of Miami. In addition to pursuing her own research regarding chronic injury, she serves as the scientific interface to the public for the diverse array of research being conducted at The Miami Project and is now also managing their first cellular transplantation clinical trial.
Florence C. Barnett, MD
Dr. Barnett works as a neurosurgeon in a private practice in the metropolitan Atlanta area. She trained at the Medical College of Georgia in treatment of complex spine injuries as well as spinal cord and brain injury. Dr. Barnett is interested in ongoing treatments investigated through the auspices of the NSCIA.
Stanley Ducharme, PhD
Dr. Ducharme is a clinical psychologist and Diplomate in Sex Therapy who specializes in working with people who have physical disabilities. He has been associated with Boston University Medical center throughout his career and maintains a private practice at the medical center. He speaks frequently at conferences on topics of psychological adjustment, sexual health and quality of life after SCI.
Kathleen Dunn, MS, RN, CRRN, CNS-BC
Ms. Dunn has worked in the field of rehabilitation nursing since 1975, and exclusively with clients with SCI since 1984. She has worked in both private sector acute rehabilitation facilities and in a VA SCI Center, as a staff nurse, educator, and clinical nurse specialist and rehabilitation case manager. She is published in the field, speaks and teaches nationally and internationally, and is the recipient of numerous professional awards. She has functioned as moderator on the CareCure website and its predecessors since 1997.
Ann “Downey” Hinrichs, MSPT, CLCP
Downey Hinrichs has been a physical therapist for over 20 years specializing in catastrophic rehabilitation with an emphasis on SCI. She has worked in a variety of settings including a Model Center for SCI rehabilitation. Currently, she works as an independent consultant and clinician in the northern VA area.
Sara J. Klaas, MSW, C-ASWCM
Sara is currently the Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Service at Shriners Hospital for Children in Chicago. Sara has been at Shriners Hospital for over 23 years. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and social work from Mundelein College and her master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work. Sara has been on the adjunct faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a frequent guest lecturer and is published in the field of pediatric spinal cord injury
Patrick Maher; Board of Directors, United Spinal Association
Patrick is Past President of the board of directors of NSCIA. He has worked extensively in the DME, rehabilitation technology and healthcare industry. He has served the disability community extensively since the onset of his spinal cord injury in 1981.
Lawrence C. Vogel, MD
Dr. Vogel has served as the medical director of the Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury Program at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Chicago (SHC) since 1983. He holds a primary appointment as Professor of Pediatrics at Rush Medical College. Dr. Vogel is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and in the Subspecialty of Spinal Cord Injury Medicine. He is the current President of the American Spinal Injury Association and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine as well as Past President of the American Paraplegia Society. As a research scientist, he has authored over 110 peer-reviewed journal articles and nearly 20 book chapters along with 250 presentations or posters and 20 instructional courses at national and international meetings.
