James Rains is a Professor of the Practice at the Georgia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering. He works closely with healthcare professionals, foundations, and medical companies to address unmet clinical needs. Prof. Rains is heavily involved in mentoring startups that spin out of Georgia Tech. He holds 17 patents and founded a medical device startup. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, he spent 13 years developing products for Stryker and Smith & Nephew. He has been involved with CSF since 2014, and was a part of the team that developed the Bobby Jones Golf Classic golf car. This golf car is now available for purchase thru CSF and enables those with mobility challenges to be able to play golf.
I am very excited about the opportunity to help achieve CSF’s mission. Specifically, I feel like there is an opportunity to address the lack of awareness of Chiari and Syringomyelia. Bobby Jones CSF has made significant strides in this area, and they are on the path for greater successes. I am also excited about the work that Bobby Jones CSF is doing in educating patients, families, and clinicians to better understand the conditions, the treatments, and the new research ongoing in this area. It is quite notable to see how The Foundation has brought together clinicians and researchers to harmonize the understanding, classifications, and treatments for Chiari and Syringomyelia patients. Lastly, as Vice-Chairman, I want to help in gather more donors/partners so that additional research and outreach efforts can be supported. I feel that given my experience, network, and passion, that I may be able to contribute towards these efforts.