Strength through community.

Founded in 1952 as Florida’s first accredited medical school, the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine is one of the nation’s premier academic medical institutions and the #1 NIH-funded medical school in Florida. With eight programs ranked in the top 25 nationally for federal research funding, Miller School faculty are advancing medicine across neurology, neurosurgery, genetics, stem cell therapy, spinal cord injury, and rare disease, many of the very conditions at the center of the I AM HEARD Coalition’s mission.

The Miller School is home to The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the world’s largest spinal cord injury research center, and the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, which is developing regenerative therapies for neurological and spinal cord disease. Its Department of Neurological Surgery ranks fourth in the nation in NIH funding, and the school is a designated clinical site for the NIH’s Undiagnosed Diseases Network, a program that exists specifically to serve patients who have fallen through the cracks of conventional medicine.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the United States. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, VUMC combines world-class patient care with cutting-edge research and training, advancing medicine across virtually every specialty, including neurology, neurosurgery, and rare disease.

For patients navigating complex spinal and neurological conditions like syringomyelia and Chiari malformation, access to a premier academic medical center matters enormously. VUMC’s neuroscience program brings together specialists in neurosurgery, physical medicine, pain management, and autonomic disorders, many of the exact conditions the I AM HEARD Coalition community faces daily.

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis is the world’s largest and most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center, housed within the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. For more than four decades, its international team of scientists, physicians, and clinicians has pursued a singular mission: to find a cure for paralysis and improve quality of life for everyone living with spinal cord and neurological injury. In 2026 the program was named the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Health Care Heroes Award recipient.

The Miami Project’s research spans neuroprotection, biomaterial-based spinal cord repair, secondary complication management, and cutting-edge neurological treatments. Its work directly intersects with the conditions at the heart of our community, including spinal cord injury, syringomyelia, and the complex neurological disorders that follow.

Based in Franklin, TN, Vita Nova Stem Cell Professionals is a physician-led regenerative medicine practice founded by Dr. Hemal V. Mehta, MD, board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine, fellowship-trained in interventional spine and pain medicine, with 25 years in practice. He moved into regenerative medicine after concluding that long-term opioid therapy was an unacceptable endpoint for chronic pain patients, and built Vita Nova around what he saw when patients came off those medications and regained function.

Vita Nova uses autologous stem cells exclusively (cells taken from your own body) along with PRP, A2M, IV therapy, and medical-grade red light therapy. Their mission centers on advanced, evidence-guided regenerative therapies delivered safely and transparently, and they are candid with patients when they don’t believe a therapy will help. For a community that has heard too many promises, that honesty matters.

Rho Nutrition was founded on a simple principle: supplements should actually work. Co-founded by Ryan Bishop and George Padilla, both veterans of the supplement manufacturing industry, Rho was built to bring integrity to a space where quality is often sacrificed for profit. Every Rho formula starts with clean, clinically studied ingredients delivered through a next-generation liposomal system that wraps nutrients in tiny fat-based carriers to support absorption at the cellular level, the same bioavailability technology once available only through IV and injection.

Rho’s line includes NAD+, glutathione, curcumin, creatine, and more, all third-party tested, manufactured in an FDA-registered, GMP-certified facility in Colorado, and free from sugar, gluten, dairy, GMOs, soy, and artificial additives. Now available at Sprouts Farmers Market nationwide.

Spicey makes clean, powerful heat therapy patches built for people who live with real pain. Their mission is straightforward: kick pain’s butt, naturally. Each patch is made with only six all-natural, pronounceable ingredients and contains zero harsh chemicals, latex, capsaicin, or menthol. Air-activated and completely portable, they require no cords, electricity, or refills; tear open the pouch and go.

Spicey outperforms every major competitor on the specs that matter most: reaching up to 149°F (compared to ThermaCare’s 100°F), lasting up to 12 hours, and covering more surface area at 8" x 4". Both the patch and packaging are recyclable and eco-friendly.