Praxis Spinal Cord Institute

Praxis Spinal Cord Institute Praxis is a Canadian-based not-for-profit organization that leads collaboration in spinal cord injury

đź”” ICYMI: How do we ensure promising health innovations actually reach the people who need them?Praxis was recently featu...
04/15/2026

đź”” ICYMI: How do we ensure promising health innovations actually reach the people who need them?

Praxis was recently featured in Business in Vancouver, highlighting a growing approach to closing this gap with charity-led venture funding that supports disability-focused technologies while reinvesting returns back into impact.

It’s about moving beyond research and ensuring innovations are validated, supported, and adopted in real-world care.

Read the full story:
https://www.biv.com/biv-rss-newsletter/bc-not-for-profits-launch-venture-funds-to-turn-research-into-revenue-12104480

Improving access to specialized SCI care starts with education.In collaboration with clinicians at GF Strong Rehabilitat...
04/11/2026

Improving access to specialized SCI care starts with education.

In collaboration with clinicians at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, Praxis has supported a series of webinars designed to provide SCI-specific education for healthcare providers in regional, rural, and remote communities.

These sessions focus on practical, evidence-informed approaches to care—helping clinicians build confidence and deliver more consistent, high-quality support closer to home.

Explore the full webinar series:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc_c0Uolrok2Tk3TQ0YEPgLC2Lvspf94T&si=KobISNsXRjg2YF8t

Are you or someone you know dealing with a spinal cord injury sustained in the last three years? We need your help!The S...
04/10/2026

Are you or someone you know dealing with a spinal cord injury sustained in the last three years? We need your help!

The Spinal Cord Injury and You (SCI&U) program is a special online program designed to help people who have an SCI take charge of their own health.

The coaches in this program aren't just doctors—they are people who also have lived-experience with a spinal cord injury.

SCI&U is a virtual, self paced program that offers health coaching and support. So what makes SCI&U unique?
- Co-designed with people living with SCI
- Virtual, flexible, and self-managed
- Focused on building confidence, health routines & overall well-being

Early testing showed the model is realistic, acceptable, and impactful, highlighting the strong potential of peer-led digital health interventions to support long-term self-management after SCI.

Praxis is proud to support this work to promote self-management for individuals with SCI!

Learn more about testing SCI&U in Canada and the United States from the QR code below
Read more about early testing for the program: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41593819/ & https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3459561/

Building knowledge and confidence to shape SCI research!Instead of just being the people that doctors "study," this cour...
04/08/2026

Building knowledge and confidence to shape SCI research!

Instead of just being the people that doctors "study," this course teaches people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) how to become partners with the researchers.

Praxis’ Dr. Emily Giroux collaborated with UBC and NASCIC to evaluate the SCI Research Advocacy Course (SCI-RAC), which empowers people with lived experience to partner in SCI research.

đź’ˇ Participants reported:

- Had a better understanding of the SCI research process
- Felt more confidence advocating and partnering in research
- Reported positive, impactful learning experiences

This work shows that involving people with lived experience leads to real, meaningful change in SCI research!

đź”— Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-025-01166-x
đź“š Course info: https://nascic.org/product/sci-research-advocacy-course/

Many technologies that could significantly improve life for people with disabilities never make it to market.Bridging th...
04/07/2026

Many technologies that could significantly improve life for people with disabilities never make it to market.

Bridging that gap requires more than strong ideas, it takes the right support, investment, and pathways to adoption.
Praxis was featured in Business in Vancouver, highlighting how a charity-led venture fund model can help move promising innovations forward while reinvesting returns back into impact.

By connecting innovators with clinical insight, lived experience, and strategic capital, we’re working to ensure that solutions don’t stop at research, but reach the people they’re intended to support.

Read more:
https://www.biv.com/biv-rss-newsletter/bc-not-for-profits-launch-venture-funds-to-turn-research-into-revenue-12104480

Download the ISNCSCI app today! This free app is simplifying a complex calculation and making it free to the world.When ...
04/07/2026

Download the ISNCSCI app today! This free app is simplifying a complex calculation and making it free to the world.

When you have a spinal cord injury, the most important question is: "How much can I move or feel?" Doctors use a famous test (called ISNCSCI) to find the answer.

The newly introduced ISNCSCI Algorithm app supports clinicians in calculating motor and sensory impairment and SCI severity and is now available for free.

Follow the link to download on Apple App Store and Google Play.

https://praxisinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/ISNCSCI-Algorithm_postcard_final.pdf

Led by Dr. Brian Kwon and team, this study managed spinal cord perfusion pressure (SCPP) in acute SCI across eight Nor...
04/06/2026

Led by Dr. Brian Kwon and team, this study managed spinal cord perfusion pressure (SCPP) in acute SCI across eight North American hospitals using lumbar intrathecal catheters to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The work shows how complex CSF drainage and intrathecal pressure changes can be in traumatic SCI.

Praxis-supported research highlights the need for further studies to improve early SCI care. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004925

đź“° Network NewsThe SFU Debbie Scarlett Award celebrates researchers who work collaboratively with the medical community p...
04/03/2026

đź“° Network News

The SFU Debbie Scarlett Award celebrates researchers who work collaboratively with the medical community putting research into practice.

🎉 We’d like to give a special congrats to Daniel Kurtz and Philippe Phan for winning the 2026 Debbie Scarlett!
🏆 Praxis supported Daniel Kurtz through a grant in 2024 summer and Philippe Phan is a Praxis collaborator.

Their paper, Machine Learning Classification of Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy into Clinically Relevant Clusters and Development of an Adoptable Clinical Algorithm, was named Best Paper at the 2026 Canadian Spine Society Scientific Conference.

Read more at https://www.sfu.ca/ceri/ceri-programs-/ceri-awards/award-recipients-2025.html

Get all our recent updates from ongoing work in translating discoveries and best practice into improved treatments in th...
04/02/2026

Get all our recent updates from ongoing work in translating discoveries and best practice into improved treatments in the Praxis Solutions Newsletter.

Our latest edition:

📰 From the ISNCSCI App and progress on SCI standards across Canada, to events and the BC Education Series, there’s so much happening!

Plus, get the latest update on the ABT Expo, clinical education, primary care in SCI, and recent publications. Stay in the loop on care, research, and innovation!

Sign up here 👉 https://mailchi.mp/praxisinstitute/praxis-spinal-cord-injury-solutions-17665858

đź“Ł Conference AlertDoctors and researchers working with people with disabilities: this upcoming conference will showcase ...
04/01/2026

đź“Ł Conference Alert

Doctors and researchers working with people with disabilities: this upcoming conference will showcase a broad range of topics, including exciting tech like robotics and AI in helping patients heal better.

Join us at the 26th ISPRM & CAPM&R World Congress: Transforming Rehabilitation, Connecting Worlds on May 17–21, 2026, in Vancouver, Canada.

We’re thrilled to see so many network members featured at this global physiatry event, offering world-class education, inspiring keynotes, and valuable networking opportunities.

Key topics include:

- Neurological recovery & surgical restoration
- Advancing spinal cord injury care
- Equity & healthcare access
- Bone health & cervical myelopathy
- SCI outcomes, sexual health & aging

View the full program and register here: ISPRM 2026 World Congress https://isprm2026.eventscribe.net/

New Insights on Spinal Cord Perfusion Pressure After Acute SCITo help spinal cord injuries (SCIs) heal, Praxis collabora...
03/31/2026

New Insights on Spinal Cord Perfusion Pressure After Acute SCI

To help spinal cord injuries (SCIs) heal, Praxis collaborator Dr. Brian Kwon tried draining fluid to improve blood flow to the injury site. The key learning was that these injuries blocked the drainage, and while this method didn't improve recovery, the patients required less blood-pressure medication and helped doctors understand why SCIs are so difficult to treat.

So how did Dr. Kwon approach this study, and why is this a great opportunity for further study?

For nearly 20 years, clinicians have relied on mean arterial pressure (MAP) targets to guide early care after SCI. Emerging evidence, however, suggests that spinal cord perfusion pressure (SCPP) the difference between MAP and intrathecal pressure may better predict recovery.

Dr. Kwon’s study managed SCPP in people with acute SCI across 8 hospital sites in North America using lumbar intrathecal catheters to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The work shows that CSF drainage is complex in traumatic SCI, and the link between drainage and intrathecal pressure changes is not straightforward.

This Praxis-supported research highlights the need for further study to optimize early care and improve outcomes for people with SCI. Read more here: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004925

Happening Tomorrow at Noon-Pacific! Praxis SCI Accelerate Demo Day! Join us virtually to meet innovators shaping the fut...
03/31/2026

Happening Tomorrow at Noon-Pacific! Praxis SCI Accelerate Demo Day!
Join us virtually to meet innovators shaping the future of spinal cord injury care.

Hear pitches from our graduating cohort — Astek Diagnostics, Limitless, and XSENSOR, as they present their cutting-edge technologies.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9617726718590/WN_bShnkpuRRKK0UF8KjjkCLQ #/registration

Don’t miss this opportunity to see how new innovations are striving to shape the standard of care for SCI.

Address

6400-818 W 10th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V5Z1M9

Telephone

+16048272421

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