Praxis Participates In The ISIC-Hosted Indo-Canadian Workshop For SCI

New Delhi, 11 December 2019: The Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) organised a ‘Design Thinking Workshop’, as a part of the Canada-India Science and Technology Innovation Dialogue, today and discussed various aspects of treating spinal cord injury patients including innovative technologies and sustainable rehabilitation of patients. The dialogue was hosted by the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in collaboration with the India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnerships to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability (IC-IMPACTS) and Praxis Spinal Cord Institute (formerly known as Rick Hansen Institute) in collaboration with leading research agencies of Government of India and supported by Canadian and Indian partners.

Dr. Nemkumar Banthia, CEO and Scientific Director IC-IMPACTS, Mr. Bill Barrable, CEO, Praxis Spinal Cord Institute and Dr. H S Chhabra, Chief of Spine Services and Medical Director of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) participated at the event along with multidisciplinary experts and other dignitaries. The workshop made the delegates interested in the means to innovate for an inclusive society. Felicitated projects included developing artificial hands for spinal injured (ISIC-IITD), tele-medicine based exercises for patients in rural India, means to connect the researchers and portable scanner for data acquisition. A design thinking competition was also organized on the theme “Improving the quality of lives of Spinal Cord Injured and persons with disability”. The innovators presented their products and discussed ways to bring them to the market.

“As a Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence dedicated to the development of research collaborations between the two countries, IMPACTS seeks to bring together researchers, industry innovators, community leaders, government agencies, and community organizations from across India and Canada to work together to find solutions to the key challenges facing the communities. Both the countries have their unique strengths and it is time to leverage each other’s strengths,” said Dr. Nemkumar Banthia, CEO and Scientific Director IC-IMPACTS.

“We, at Praxis, want this world to be free of spinal cord injuries and paralysis that follows it. However, it is very important to keep pushing levels and bring in new technologies and treatment methods to improve the quality of life of those living with SCI. The rapid advancement in science and technology is our key motivation – the ISNCSCI algorithm has been downloaded more than 1,500 times in 168 countries and we have successfully engaged 20,000 SCI-affected people to build an incredible network of partners,” said Mr. Bill Barrable, CEO, Praxis Spinal Cord Institute.

“Spinal cord injury is one of the most devastating ailments. As healthcare providers, we have to aspire for and achieve newer horizons of treatment so that more and more people can be given respite from the clutches of this debilitating physical condition. Spinal cord injury, which may be caused by a simple fall, can render a person completely paralysed for life. There is a need to make people aware of the various aspects of SCI. Besides, rehabilitation of SCI patients is crucial so that they are not left out and can remain productive in spite of the injury – this is one area we need to work on since hundreds of SCI patients staying away from big cities cannot access rehabilitation services and are forced to live life in the margins. We are very proud to host this brainstorming and award session here and hope it will take the advancements deeper into the country,” said Dr. H S Chhabra, Chief of Spine Services and Medical Director of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC).