The Bors Award: legacy of Ernest H. J. "Pappy" Bors, MD.

After World War II, military hospitals in the US were inundated with veterans paralyzed by spinal cord injury. Their complications spanned specialties and subspecialties including pulmonary medicine, orthopedics, neurology, urology, dermatology, surgery and some yet to be developed. Care was hindered by a health care delivery structure based on specialty and a lack of cohesive approach to their complex medical and social problems. Not only did the structure need overhauling, clinicians were needed to care for these “hopeless cripples” and research was needed to find ways to address their many needs in a climate of little support and even less recognition. Even the patients, hardened warriors, often bitter, with no hope for recovery, needed to be convinced that there was a better way. Only a dedicated, aggressive and persistent professional could hope to make any headway in such a difficult situation. In 1944, Ernest H.J. Bors, MD, joined the staff of Hammond General Army Hospital. As assistant chief of urology, Dr Bors was urology consultant to the hospital's Spinal Cord Injury Care Section (1,2). Caring for these most needy veterans inspired him to develop a comprehensive way to oversee all of their needs. Not only did Dr Bors become the foremost expert on neurourology in spinal cord injury, he developed a holistic multidisciplinary approach that formed the foundation for modern SCI centers. His success with his SCI ward attracted the attention of the War Department, which opened the first SCI Center in the nation at Birmingham General Army Hospital (now the Long Beach VA Hospital), and placed Dr Bors in charge. Soon he had 220 patients under his care and disciplinary problems that further complicated the administrative, medical and surgical issues involved in managing this large, innovative unit. The frustrations and responsibilities sometimes overwhelmed Dr Bors, who was known for his crusty, ‘tough love' demeanor. But his equally tough patients, eventually numbering more than 2,500, recognized his underlying deep love and dedication and called their champion, “Pappy”. They called themselves the S.O.B.s (Survivors of Birmingham) and in 1970, more than 700 of them turned out for Pappy Bors' retirement party in Los Angeles—a fitting tribute to a true pioneer in the field of spinal cord injury. Since 1994, the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine has offered an annual award in Pappy's honor—The Ernest Bors Award for Scientific Development, because throughout a career spent fighting for basic resources while caring for thousands of patients many considered ‘hopeless cases', Dr Bors made research and publication a priority. “You learn at the bedside,” he said, and from there, he devised better ways to manage SCI complications by developing protocols for treatment and rehabilitation. He shared his innovative techniques in more than 140 scientific papers and in a major textbook, co-authored by Estin Comarr, MD, Neurological Urology, Physiology of Micturition, Its Neurological Disorders and Sequelae. More than 35 years later, this remains the authoritative text in this field. The Bors Award memorializes this pioneer who “carried the torch of care and research and opened the way for better care” of all individuals with SCI (3) by recognizing the achievement of young investigators and supporting their ongoing efforts. The winning authors represent the spectrum of spinal cord injury research (see box). The guidelines for the Bors Award are published in each issue. Entries are judged by a panel of editors convened by the Editor. The winner is invited to present the paper at the annual conference and receives recognition and a cash prize. The Editorial Board encourages students, fellows and residents to share in the legacy of Dr Bors by seeking answers to problems faced by individuals with SCI and sharing their findings with the readers of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine.