TIRR Foundation

The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Foundation seeks to improve lives for people w/sustained central nervous system damage through injury or disease.

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

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 sex-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!

#TirrFoundation #MissonConnect

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

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.
#campxtreme #TirrFoundation #camp #Comalriver

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

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.

https://t.co/1ObaS14QvJ

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

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 bio!

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Moran Camp Xtreme kicked off the 2026 camp season with a Mardi Gras–themed Spring Break Camp this weekend at Morgan’s Camp! Campers enjoyed wheelchair lacrosse, basketball, high ropes, horseback riding, archery, and cooking.

See you at Summer Camp, June 13–19 at Camp for All!

#MoranCampXtreme #AdaptiveSports #TIRRFoundation

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

TIRR Foundation is proud to announce the first round of 2026 Travel Award recipients from Mission
Connect’s Dr. Raymond J. Grill Excellence Through Mentoring Program.

These $1,000 awards support early-career researchers as they present their work, build networks, and
advance neurotrauma research.

Congratulations to:

Anjali Agrawal (Texas A&M / Dr. Jennifer Dulin)

Akram Esfandani (Texas A&M / Dr. Jennifer Dulin)

Kathy Guerra (UTHealth / Dr. Alexis Bavencoffe)

Goknur Kara (TIRR Memorial Hermann / Dr. Sonia Villapol)

Elias Muguerza (UTSA / Dr. Chia Hsu)

Claire Shackleton (UTHealth / Dr. Argy Stampas)

These emerging scientists are tackling critical challenges in SCI, TBI, pain, and recovery and bringing us closer to meaningful advances in patient care.

#MissionConnect #NeurotraumaResearch #TIRRFoundation #ResearchMatters

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

TIRR Foundation is investing $2.04M through Mission Connect to expand the spinal cord injury research core at Texas A&M’s Institute for Neurology (TAMIN)—building on a $1.5M investment in 2016.

Texas A&M is once again matching the gift to accelerate SCI discovery.

#MissionConnect #SCIResearch #TIRRFoundation

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

We would like to extend a big thank you to Caleb J. Bashor, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Biosciences at Rice University, for his presentation on “Using Synthetic Biology Approaches to Enhance the Safety and Efficacy of Cell-Based Therapy” at our March Mission Connect meeting.

We appreciate Dr. Bashor for sharing his knowledge and research with our members and for being a part of Mission Connect.

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

Thank you to Sandra Garraway, PhD for presenting “I Wish I Knew This Then” at Texas A&M University on Feb. 27 through Mission Connect’s Dr. Raymond J. Grill Excellence Through Mentoring Program.

Her reflections on a 30-year journey in science inspired the next generation of researchers.

#MissionConnect #Neuroscience #WomenInScience #TAMU

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

Mission Connect welcomes Matthew Lin, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor at UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School and attending physician at TIRR Memorial Hermann.

Dr. Lin earned his MD from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed a brain injury medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. Board-certified in PM&R and brain injury medicine, his clinical interests include traumatic brain injury, stroke, and anoxic brain injury.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Lin!

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

Mission Connect is excited to welcome our new member, Matthew P. DeBerge, PhD, who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine at UTHealth Houston, McGovern Medical School. Dr. DeBerge's primary research interest focuses on the physiology of inflammatory responses and how their regulation, or dysregulation, contributes to homeostasis or disease.

As an immunologist, Dr. DeBerge has studied a range of topics, including the role of T cells in lung injury during respiratory viral infections and the role of macrophages in tissue repair following cardiac injury. His current research aims to understand how cardiovascular disease can trigger innate and adaptive immune responses, ultimately leading to neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction.

We are thrilled to have Dr. DeBerge join our team!

#Tirrfoundation #MissonConnect

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

🧠 March is Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Millions of people live with the effects of brain injuries. This month we recognize survivors, caregivers, and clinicians working every day to support recovery and improve lives.

Help us raise awareness and support the brain injury community.

#BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

Mission Connect extends its sincere thanks to Seoung Hoon Park, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston, for his presentation, "Restoring Post-Stroke Locomotion: From Biomechanical Modulation to Neural Stimulation and Towards Their Synergy."

We are grateful to Dr. Park for sharing his expertise and innovative research and for contributing to an informative and thought-provoking discussion with our Mission Connect members.

#TIRRfoundation #UH #science #research #missionconnect

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

On Tuesday, February 10, the TIRR Family Executive Committee held its first meeting of 2026. Dr. Alexis Bavencoffe, Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology at UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School, served as the guest speaker. He presented his research, “Targeting the MIF Signaling to Alleviate Chronic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury.” The committee was highly engaged and intrigued by his presentation and expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to learn about his important work.

We thank Dr. Bavencoffe for sharing his research and look forward to hearing more as his work continues to advance.

#TIRRfoundation #Science #TIRRfamily #UTHealth

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

TIRR Foundation thanks Shine Chang, PhD, from MD Anderson, for her outstanding presentation, “Thriving as a Scientist: Strategies for Today's Sociopolitical Culture”. This career-building workshop was hosted by TIRR Foundation and Mission Connect through the Dr. Raymond J. Grill Excellence through Mentoring Program.

#Tirrfoundation #MDAnderson #science #Research

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) Foundation has named Georgene Hergenroeder, PhD, associate professor in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School, as the recipient of the Dr. Pramod Dash Injury Research Award.

At the Taste of TIRR Celebrity Chefs Dinner on Oct. 23 at River Oaks Country Club, Hergenroeder received the award for her seminal discoveries in the field of traumatic brain injury.

"I am honored to receive this award, named after an outstanding leader in the traumatic brain injury field," Hergenroeder said. "Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability. Consequences of TBI may include cognitive deficits, emotional and behavioral difficulties, physical and sensory impairment, and increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases. This award provides support for future TBI studies aimed at alleviating the negative impact of TBI."

#TIRR #TIRRfoundation #Science #research #MissonConnect

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

We are thrilled to celebrate the outstanding poster presentation winners of Mission Connect’s 2025 Neurotrauma Symposium!

These emerging scientists impressed our reviewers with innovative ideas, rigorous methods, and bold approaches to understanding and treating brain and spinal cord injuries. Their work reflects the strength of Mission Connect’s collaborative research community and the future of neurotrauma discovery.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners—your science inspires progress, hope, and possibility.

#BrainInjuryResearch #SCIResearch #NeurotraumaResearch #TIRRFoundation #ScienceMatters

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

At the November 21, 2025, Mission Connect Neurotrauma Symposium, Dr. Jae K. Lee delivered an outstanding presentation, “Wound Healing Mechanisms in the Injured CNS,” to an audience of more than 160 attendees. His talk was extremely well-received and highlighted important advances in our understanding of repair processes in the injured central nervous system.

#TirrFoundation #neuroscience #MissionConnect

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

TIRR Foundation is pleased to announce that @PokamPunam at Texas A&M University has been awarded a $200,000 grant from Mission Connect for her outstanding research project, Uncovering the role of spreading depolarizations in post-traumatic epilepsy pathogenesis.

#TIRRfoundation #researcher #MissionConnect

[TIRR Foundation @TirrFoundation]

Thank you to everyone who supported TIRR Foundation’s Taste of TIRR Dinner with Houston legends — Johnny Carrabba, Dimitri Fetokakis, and Ziggy Gruber. It was an incredible evening filled with great food, great stories, and lots of laughs for a great cause.

We were also proud to recognize this year’s award recipients: Jerry Johnston Andrew Award for Spinal Cord Injury Research Nick Tran, PhD – Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Eugene Alford Robotics and Rehabilitation Research Award Momona Yamagami, PhD – Rice University

Dr. Pramod Dash Brain Injury Research Award Georgene Hergenroeder, PhD – UTHealth Houston

We’re so grateful to our chefs, sponsors, and guests who made the evening such a success.