Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies in Collaboration with the University of Florida
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Brooks and The University of Florida (UF) Reach Research Agreement

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Executive Summary

Brooks Rehabilitation and the University of Florida (UF) have reached a new five-year agreement that will position the Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies, in collaboration with UF, located in Jacksonville, as a world-class research facility.

The agreement increases funding for the Brooks Center by more than $5 million over five years.  As part of its Community Benefit initiative, Brooks will provide $4 million in funding and UF, through its College of Medicine-Jacksonville, will provide more than $1 million. The funding will be used to support research taking place in both Brooks' and UF facilities.

"We are pleased to further develop our relationship with the University of Florida and look forward to the increased research capabilities we will share," said Brooks CEO & president, Doug Baer.  "Our investment in the Center's growth will bring the latest innovations to our patients."

Robert C. Nuss, M.D., dean of the regional campus at UF Health Science Center Jacksonville cited the excellent opportunity the expanded relationship offers Brooks and UF. "The benefits are tremendous for both parties, with the Center's research projects focusing primarily on stroke and other neurological conditions, relating to the population served by both Brooks and UF," he said. "In addition, this arrangement provides an excellent opportunity for us to maximize collaboration between our own Gainesville and Jacksonville campuses."

The agreement will result in the addition of six dedicated, doctoral-level researchers and support staff working at the Brooks Center and at UF Health Science Center-Jacksonville.  Now that the agreement is finalized, the search for a full-time Brooks Center director is in progress.

The Center's mission and vision include a focus on research and improvement of the continuum of care, leading to optimal outcomes and functional improvements for its patients.  More than 20 active research trials are currently under way at the Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies, including 10 stroke-related studies. With this new agreement, Brooks is poised to become a major research entity, and to serve its community through this partnership.

As part of the agreement with Health Sciences at UF and its College of Medicine in Jacksonville the Brooks Center will employ researchers who will collaborate with multiple colleges and centers at UF.  In Gainesville, the Brooks Center also has strong collaborative relationships with the UF College of Engineering, the Aging Center, the McKnight Brain Institute and the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions. In addition, researchers from the Brooks Center also work in partnership with scientists from the Neuroscience Institute at Shands-Jacksonville and the Veteran's Administration in Gainesville.  Collaborative research is also underway between Brooks Center scientists and researchers at the University of North Florida, Duke University, and the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. The clinical setting for much of the research will be Shands-Jacksonville and Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital and its 24 Outpatient Clinics.