image_pdfimage_print
Broward’s First Free-Standing Children’s Hospital marks the 25th institution to join the Research Collaboration
 
August 29 2019 – Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, part of Memorial Healthcare System in Florida has joined the Cerebral Palsy Research Network (CPRN).  Heather Spader, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon and Monica Arroyo, MD, a pediatric neurologist, will be the site principal investigators (PIs) representing Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in the network.  The mission of CPRN is to improve outcomes for people with cerebral palsy through high quality clinical research and quality initiatives. Adding Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital marks the first hospital to join the prestigious network in South Florida and adds to the diversity of patient population in the cerebral palsy registry.
 
“Being accepted for membership into the CPRN is an important milestone for the spasticity program at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital,” said Dr. Spader. “With our current and continued institutional growth, the CPRN is an additional way to participate in high-quality research alongside other large institutions that are leaders in the field of spasticity.”
 
Dr. Spader’s research and publication of “Risk factors for baclofen pump infection in children: a multivariate analysis” in the Journal of Neurosurgery in 2016 was developed in conjunction with the PI of CPRN’s quality improvement initiative, Dr. Robert Bollo, to reduce intrathecal baclofen pump infections.  Dr. Spader is the sixth neurosurgeon to join CPRN as a principal investigator and will contribute to the CPRN clinical registry’s capture of neurosurgical interventions for children with cerebral palsy.  
 
Dr. Arroyo joins a growing segment of pediatric neurologists in the network as CPRN expands its research into epilepsy, dystonia and neonatal brain development issues in CP.
 
According to CPRN, adding Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital gives representation of Southern Florida in the network and adds to the diversity of patient population in the cerebral palsy registry. The Children’s Hospital is the 25th center to engage in this collaborative research effort. 
 
For more information about Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Neuroscience Center, visit https://www.jdch.com/services/neurology.