Dr. Yuying Chen, co-director of CEDHARS and professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, has received a 2-year, $199,029 research grant from the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Research Foundation to lead a national study examining the demographic profile of and long-term outcomes after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) 

The study will integrate and analyze data from the two largest SCI databases in the U.S.,  the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems National Database (SCIMS-NDB) and the Veterans Health Administration Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders Registry (VHA-SCIDR). 

The project, titled “From Injury to Outcomes: A National Study of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Trends Using Harmonized SCIMS and VHA Data,” will begin March 1, 2026, and run through the end of February 2028.

“This project is really about bridging two systems that have operated in parallel for decades,” Chen said. “By bringing these datasets together, we can finally look at national-level trends in injury, survival and causes of death in ways we couldn’t before.”

Bridging Civilian and Veteran Health Systems

The SCIMS-NDB has tracked demographic trends and rehabilitation outcomes for individuals with SCI for more than 50 years and currently includes data from more than 38,000 individuals nationwide. However, fewer than 10 percent of participants in the civilian-based database are Veterans.

Meanwhile, the VHA-SCIDR, established in 1994, captures longitudinal medical and functional data for Veterans receiving specialty SCI care across the VA system and includes nearly 28,000 Veterans with traumatic SCI.

“Veterans typically receive care through the VA, while civilians come through rehabilitation hospitals like ours,” Chen said. “That separation has created two very rich datasets that rarely interact. This project allows them to finally ‘talk’ to each other.”

Using parallel and integrative statistical analyses, Chen’s team will examine:

• National demographic and injury trends across civilian and Veteran populations
• Mortality rates and life expectancy following traumatic SCI
• Causes of death and whether those patterns differ between civilian and Veteran populations

The study will also evaluate whether Veterans represented in the civilian SCIMS database reflect the broader Veteran population and apply statistical weighting models to improve the generalizability of findings.

“At its core, this is an exploratory project designed to uncover new patterns in the hope to produce robust, generalizable insights into the demographic, injury, and mortality trends of people living with SCI in the United States,” Chen said. “And very often, good data leads to even better questions.”

Building on Prior PVA Support

This new award builds on a previous PVA-funded pilot project in 2023 that identified shared data elements between the two databases and demonstrated the feasibility of harmonizing SCIMS and VA data.

“We now know we share at least 87 core variables across the systems,” Chen said. “That groundwork allowed us to move confidently into this larger national study.”

Beyond scientific discovery, Chen says the project also reflects a broader goal of improving collaboration between civilian and federal health systems.

“I’ve always felt it was a missed opportunity that these two systems rarely worked together,” she said. “This grant opens the door to true cross-system learning.”

National Team of Experts and Advocates

The project brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers, clinicians, statisticians, and individuals with lived experience from UAB, the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) and the VA system. 

Key personnel include:

• Yuying Chen, MD, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator) – UAB professor, epidemiologist and director of the National SCI Statistical Center.
• Rachel Cowan, Ph.D. (Co-Investigator & SCI Advocate) – Associate professor at UAB and principal investigator of the UAB SCIMS Center; she also brings lived experience with spinal cord injury.
• Richard Kennedy, MD, Ph.D. (Co-Investigator & Biostatistician) – National expert in longitudinal and clinical outcomes research.
• Phillip Klebine, MA (SCI Advocate) – Former NSCISC director of knowledge translation with decades of experience adapting research for public audiences.
• Michael DeVivo, DrPH (Consultant) – International authority on SCI mortality and life expectancy.

The VA partnership includes Jennifer Sippel, Ph.D.; Bridget Smith, Ph.D.; Stephen Burns, MD; Dezon Finch, Ph.D.; and Brian Bartle, MPH, who together support national VA data management, analysis and clinical interpretation.

Advancing SCI Research and Care

Findings from the project are expected to inform rehabilitation practices, Veteran-specific care strategies, long-term health surveillance and public policy.

“This work strengthens the scientific bridge between civilian and Veteran health systems,” Chen said. “Ultimately, that means better evidence, better care and better outcomes for people living with spinal cord injury, regardless of where they receive treatment.”