Underserved, racial and ethnic minority communities are experiencing higher rates of COVID-19 cases and associated mortality compared to whites due to long standing social and structural inequities that also drive disparities in chronic diseases such as stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Patients with underlying chronic diseases who are recovering from COVID-19 depend on the support of family and friends (informal caregivers/care partners) who are being exposed to the same pandemic and racial stressors, exposure that can affect the health and quality of life of both partners. The primary goal of this study is to test the efficacy of an adapted, telehealth-enhanced intervention that targets barriers impacting family illness management behaviors of Black/African American (AA) adult COVID-19 survivors and carepartner dyads for improved quality of life and COVID/chronic illness health related outcomes.

We propose to enroll 150 individuals with acute stroke admitted to MUSC over the next 12 months and randomize them into increased frequency and usual care PT treatment groups. This study will be designed as a randomized control trial. Patients who agree to participate, will be assigned (at random) to either a treatment group which will receive more frequent intensive therapy services or to the control group (treatment as usual) which will receive the standard amount of therapy services currently provided in the hospital setting (~3-5 times per week). By studying the balance, walking and success of patients in the treatment group compared with the standard of care group- we hope to better understand the effect of more frequent physical therapy services on a patient's independence post stroke.

Hand and arm disability after stroke has a profound, negative impact on functional ability and independence. Basic science research suggests that recovery requires high repetitions of task-specific practice. Enough practice cannot be completed during therapy sessions, requiring patients to perform additional task practices at home on their own. Adherence to these home task practices is often limited and is likely a factor reducing the effectiveness of rehabilitation post-stroke. This project will create a system to objectively track stroke survivors' hand and arm task practice at home. The quantity and quality feedback from the system is expected to optimize effective task practice at home by patients. The system is expected to also enable adherence- and progress-driven clinic visits to maximize efficiency of therapy service.

To assess comparable efficacy of aphasia therapy administered via telerehab (aphasia remote therapy; ART) to aphasia therapy administered in clinic (in-clinic therapy; I-CT).

Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the U.S. and many Veteran stroke survivors live with severe disability. Despite recent advances in rehabilitation treatments many stroke survivors have persistent physical and mental difficulties such as reduced arm and leg function, difficulty thinking, and depression.
Developing treatments that address these problems is necessary to improve long-term recovery for stroke survivors. Aerobic exercise (AEx) can improve physical and mental function, and reduce depression. Additionally, AEx may enhance physical rehabilitation by making the brain more receptive to, and consequently improving the response to a rehabilitation treatment. Therefore, combining AEx with physical rehabilitation has the potential to improve multiple parts of stroke recovery. This study will examine the effect of combining AEx with physical rehabilitation on physical and mental function in stroke survivors. By gaining a better understanding of the effects of this combined intervention we aim to advance the rehabilitative care of Veteran stroke survivors.

TESLA is a multicenter trial in which patients with moderate-large acute ischemic stroke infarcts will be assigned to either best medical management alone (including intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (IV rtPA)) or intra-arterial treatment (IAT) with mechanical thrombectomy added to best medical management.

Mechanical thrombectomy will be performed with FDA-approved thrombectomy devices in accordance with the instructions for use (IFU) and under FDA Investigational Device Exemption G190006. Patients will be enrolled at up to 35 U.S. centers and 5 European centers over an anticipated three-year period, with an additional year for trial closeout.

Following a stroke, many individuals have a high risk of falls, which can negatively influence quality of life. Unfortunately, current treatments have not effectively addressed this problem. This study investigates whether two methods of delivering mechanical perturbations during walking have the potential to improve post-stroke walking balance and reduce real-world fall incidence.

The purpose of this research project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile health (mHealth) application in improving adherence to hydroxyurea therapy in patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Participants will be asked to install an application on their phone that will remind them to take their medication regularly. It notifies the participants when it is time to request a refill, it tracks their hydroxyurea use, and it gives them information on their medication. It also has resources that could be helpful for the ongoing care of their sickle cell disease. This is a 24-week project with 3 study visits. The first study visit will be at the beginning of the study period (enrollment or baseline visit), the second will be at approximately 12 weeks, and the third is at the end of the 24 weeks. At each visit, participants will complete a survey, share with us their experience with the application, and share with us where they refilled their medications. Some participants will also be asked to complete an interview at the end of their final study visit. Patient participants will receive a $25 Walmart Gift card at each of visits (including an additional $25 gift card for the optional interview) for their participation.

The study team is recruiting 20 adults with spasticity due to chronic stroke and 20 adults with no neurological injuries for a 2 day study. In people with chronic stroke, one of the most common and disabling problems is spasticity (increased muscle tone or muscle stiffness). The purpose of this research study is to examine effects of dry needling on the nervous system (pathways between the muscle, spinal cord, and brain) in people with spasticity due to chronic stroke. Dry needling is a procedure in which a thin, stainless steel needle is inserted into your skin to produce a muscle twitch response. It is intended to release a knot in your muscle and relieve pain.

The total study duration is 2 days. The first visit will take about 3 hours, during which dry needling will take place, and the second visit will take about 1 hour. During both visits you will be asked to participate in examinations of reflexes (muscle responses to non-invasive nerve stimulation) and arm/leg function.

After a stroke, many people experience a language impairment called aphasia. One of the most debilitating types of aphasia is non-fluent aphasia. Non-fluent aphasia is defined by significantly reduced speech production, with the speaker producing only a few words or even less. Speech entrainment therapy (SET) is a treatment that has been shown to increase fluency in people with non-fluent aphasia. Our study looks to define the best dose of SET that leads to sustained improvements in spontaneous speech production.
Participants who are eligible will undergo baseline language testing, an MRI, and will be randomized into one of 4 treatment groups: SET for 3 weeks, SET for 4.5 weeks, SET for 6 weeks, and no treatment (control group).