Faculty Research
Faculty in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine are engaged in a broad scope of research topics to discover new knowledge and advance solutions for patient care in the field of rehabilitation. Many focus on Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury and Pain Medicine related research projects due to our affiliation with the South Texas VA.
Pain
Prospective case series: Reducing the abuse liability of prescription opioids in recreational drug users: A pilot study
Primary Investigator: Dr. Ameet Nagpal
Narrative review: 1 year update of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (Leet, Egan) – COMPLETED & PUBLISHED
Primary Investigator: Dr. Ameet Nagpal
Narrative review: Peripheral joint radiofrequency ablation (Seale) – COMPLETED & PUBLISHED
Primary Investigator: Dr. Ameet Nagpal
Prospective case series: Simplicity Radiofrequency Ablation Demonstrates Greater Functional Improvement Than Analgesia: A Prospective Case Series (Brennick) – COMPLETED & PUBLISHED
Primary Investigator: Dr. Ameet Nagpal
Cadaveric dissection: Innervation of the Posterolateral Femoro-acetabular Joint: A Cadaveric Seris (Brennick, Clark, Leet) – COMPLETED & PUBLISHED
Primary Investigator: Dr. Ameet Nagpal
Virtual Reality in the Management of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Scoping Review (Kibler, Tata, McGreary, Raghunandan)
Primary Investigator: Dr. Ameet Nagpal
Caudal Epidural Steroid Injections: A Systematic Review on Behalf of the Spine Intervention Society
Primary Investigator: Dr. Ameet Nagpal
Spinal Cord Injury
Vasomotor and Sudomotor Activity During Heat Stress in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury
Primary Investigator: Trbovich, M
Agency: Career Development Award-2, Rehabilitation and Research Development
Role: PI
Period: 1/2017 – 6/30/2022
The goal of this project is to examine the vasomotor and sudomotor responses during heat stress and then utilize topical agents to manipulate areas of intact skin blood flow and sweating responses to elucidate the underlying neurological controls of each.
Capsaicin 8% patch in persons with spinal cord injury, a randomized controlled trial
Primary Investigator: Trbovich, M
Agency: Foundation for PMR – Milbank SCI Rehabilitation Award
Role: PI
Period: 1/2017 – completion
The goal of this project is to collect pilot data on the efficacy of the capsaicin 8% patch for neuropathic pain in persons with spinal cord injury.
Elucidating sympathetic vasoconstrictor mechanisms of autonomic dysreflexia in persons with spinal cord injury
Co-Investigator: Trbovich, M
Agency: VA Rehabilitation Research Development, SPIRE
The goal of this project is to elucidate if the peripheral vasoconstriction during autonomic dysreflexia is due to increased post synaptic alpha receptor hypersensitivity vs. increased neural release of norepinephrine and co-transmitters.
Passive heating as an accessible and tolerable strategy to improve the inflammatory profile and cardiometabolic health in people with spinal cord injury
Primary Investigator: Trbovich, M
Agency: VA Rehabilitation Research Development, SPIRE
Cardiometabolic disease is the leading cause of death in persons with SCI. The goal of this project is to elucidate if the chronic passive heat stress will improve cardiometabolic parameters in persons with spinal cord injury.
Traumatic Brain Injury
QI project (pseudo research): Assessing patient flow between DoD and VA.
Primary Investigator: Dr. Rebecca Tapia
Large data set in the outpatient clinic and trialing outcomes in the PNS population, which has IRB exemption approval from UT and VA.
Primary Investigator: Dr. Rebecca Tapia
General
A national telemedicine project (survey), that needs to have a quick turnaround
Primary Investigator: Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez