Dr. Samuel Stover: Promoting Health and Participation Through Leadership in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine

Abstract

Stover, MD, contributed to the recognition and growth of the field in numerous ways. He was one of the individuals who was instrumental in the establishment and growth of the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) of Care program in the United States. The program continues, to this day, to provide cutting-edge care for persons with traumatic onset SCI and the infrastructure for applied SCI research. The SCIMS’s primary aim has always been to improve the health and quality of life of this population. Stover was a key player in the development of the National SCI Dataset, which has been the model for a number of similar clinical research databases for persons with other acute and chronic disabling conditions. He is responsible for the development of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Standards for Neurological Classification of SCI and chaired the first committee in 1980. Stover’s research reflected his keen awareness of the importance of lifetime follow-up care for persons with SCI and the need for prevention and optimal treatment of the high-risk secondary complications of these unique patients. He always recognized that these potential complications would seriously impede his patients’ full participation in society and impact their quality of life.