MSKTC Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems

Organizations that Host Model System Centers Ranked by U.S. News

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 14:20:00 +0000

U.S. News evaluated 1,083 hospitals for rehabilitation and ranked the best-performing ones based on their care for patients recovering from many illnesses including spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and burn injury. We present the ranking of rehabilitation facilities that house the currently funded Model System centers below.

Ranking 1: Shirley Ryan Abilitylab

Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System

Ranking 2: TIRR Memorial Hermann

Ranking 3: Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

Ranking 4: Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation

Ranking 5: University of Washington Medical Center

Ranking 6: Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Ranking 7: Shepherd Center

Southeastern Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System

Ranking 8: Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Hospitals

Rusk Rehabilitation Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Ranking 9: MossRehab

Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Ranking 10: Craig Hospital

Ranking 11: UPMC Mercy

Ranking 12: New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell

Ranking 13: Baylor Scott and White Institute for Rehabilitation-Dallas

North Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Ranking 14: Mount Sinai Hospital

Ranking 15: Carolinas Rehabilitation

Carolinas Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Research System

Ranking 16: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Northern California Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Ranking 17: Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital

Ranking 17: UT Southwestern Medical Center

Ranking 19: WakeMed Health and Hospitals-Raleigh Campus

Ranking 20: MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital

Ranking 21: Magee Rehabilitation Hospital-Jefferson Health

Regional SCI Center of the Delaware Valley

Ranking 22: University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital

Ranking 23: Johns Hopkins Hospital

Ranking 24: MetroHealth Medical Center

Northeast Ohio Regional Spinal Cord Injury System

Ranking 25: University of Michigan Hospitals-Michigan Medicine

University of Michigan SCI Model System

Ranking 26: Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center

Ranking 26: Emory Rehabilitation Hospital

Ranking 26: Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center

Ranking 29: Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center

Ranking 30: JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute at Hackensack Meridian Health

JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Ranking 31: Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Ranking 32: UW Medicine-Harborview Medical Center

Ranking 33: St. David’s Medical Center

Ranking 34: Banner Boswell Medical Center

Ranking 34: OhioHealth Rehabilitation Hospital

Ranking 36: Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital

Ranking 36: Tampa General Hospital

Ranking 38: WellStar Kennestone Hospital

Ranking 39: Sarasota Memorial Hospital

Ranking 40: Providence St. Jude Medical Center

Ranking 41: Swedish Medical Center-Cherry Hill

Ranking 41: UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital

Ranking 43: Atrium Medical Center-Middletown

Ranking 44: Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin

Ranking 44: Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian

Ranking 46: Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital

Ranking 47: St. David’s North Austin Medical Center

Ranking 48: CarolinaEast Medical Center

Ranking 48: Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas

Ranking 48: University of North Carolina Hospitals

TBI Model System Researchers Publish Position Statement on Disorders of Consciousness in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 16:09:00 +0000

TBI Model System researchers recently, in collaboration with the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Evidence and Practice Committee (ACRM EPC), published a position statement, “Minimum competency recommendations for programs that provide rehabilitation services for persons with disorders of consciousness: A position statement of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems,” in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The position statement discusses practice guidelines and minimum competencies of the clinical programs for the treatment and support of individuals with disorders of consciousness. The recommendations fall into several categories: diagnostic and prognostic assessment, treatment, transitioning care/long-term care needs, and management of ethical issues. Authors from the currently-funded TBI Model System centers include: Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (Joseph Giacino, PhD; and Ross D. Zafonte DO), Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (John Whyte, PhD), Tampa Polytrauma Rehabilitation TBI Model System Center (Risa Nakase-Richardson, PhD), JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute TBI Model System (Brian Greenwald, MD), Indiana University School of Medicine / Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana TBI (Flora Hammond, MD), and Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System (Alan Weintraub, MD). View the article here.

TBI Model Systems Researchers Planned and Participate in the North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS) 15th Annual Conference (ABI2020)

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 15:31:00 +0000

TBI Model Systems researchers have been critical in the planning of and many will present at the North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS) 15th Annual Conference (ABI2020). The event will be held February 26-29 in New Orleans, LA. For more information about the conference, view the conference program here.

The following TBI Model System researchers assisted in planning ABI2020:

Alan Weinstraub, MD, Medical Director for the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System and Medical Director of the Brain Injury Program at Craig Hospital, will serve as conference chair for the North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS) 15th Annual Conference (ABI2020). With the theme ‘Best Practices in Brain Injury Medicine and Neurorehabilitation: Improving Outcomes Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration,’ this conference will be the premier educational event for multidisciplinary medical professionals involved in brain injury in North America in 2020. Learn more about this honor here.

TBI Model System researchers serve on the Educational Planning Committee for the North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS) 15th Annual Conference (ABI2020). Committee members are from the following currently-funded SCI Model System centers: Indiana University School of Medicine / Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana TBI (Flora Hammond, MD; and Dawn Neumann, PhD), Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (Joseph Giacino, PhD; and Ross Zafonte, DO), JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (Brian Greenwald, MD), and the Department of Veteran Affairs-funded Tampa Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center (Risa Nakase-Richardson, PhD, FACRM). Learn more about this committee here.

The following TBI Model System Researchers will present at ABI2020:

Joseph T. Giacino, PhD (Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System) will present, “Disorders of Consciousness: The Implementation of Guideline Recommendations for Interdisciplinary Clinical Rehabilitation Practice: An Interactive Hands-On Course.”

Ross Zafonte, DO, FACRM (Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System) will present the plenary lecture, “Lessons Learned from the Extremes.”

Brian Greenwald, MD (JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute Traumatic Brain Injury Model System) will present, “Autonomic and Immunologic Dysfunction following TBI.”

Dawn Neumann, PhD, FACRM (Indiana University School of Medicine / Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana TBI) will present, “Social Cognitive Impairments-Clinical and Scientific Approaches to Evaluation and Intervention.”

Dawn Neumann, PhD, FACRM (Indiana University School of Medicine / Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana TBI) will present, “Relations of Social Inferencing Skills after Brain Injury and Attributions of Intent, Hostility, and Blame,” as part of the Accepted Oral Scientific Papers on Cognitive/Language Rehabilitation.

Investigators from Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (Joseph T. Giacino, PhD; and Ross Zafonte, DO, FACRM) and Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System (Alan Weintraub, MD) will present “Managing Disorders of Consciousness: Transforming Guidelines into Clinical Practice: Case Presentation Format with Panel of Experts.”

Anthony Lequerica, PhD (Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury System) will present, “Lifetime Exposure to Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurobehavioral Symptoms Among Spanish-speaking Individuals from an International Sample,” as part of the Accepted Oral Scientific Papers on Integration and Lifelong Living.

Lenore Hawley, MSSW, LCSW (Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System) will present, “Successful Lifelong Living after ABI: Self-Advocacy, Empowerment, and Resource Facilitation.”

Ross Zafonte, DO, FACRM (Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System) will present, “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: A Clinical and Scientific Update.”

Alan Weintraub, MD (Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System) will moderate the panel, “Complimentary and/or Alternative ABI Rehabilitation Treatments: Consensus Opinions and Debates on HBO, rTMS, TCDCS, Stem Cell Therapies, and Holistic Supplements. Ross Zafonte, DO, FACRM (Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System) is an expert clinical/research panelists on this panel.

TBI Model System Researchers Present at 13th World Congress on Brain Injury

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 13:57:00 +0000

TBI Model System researchers presented at the 13th World Congress on Brain Injury held March 13-16, 2019, in Toronto, Canada. This conference is the largest gathering of international professionals working in the field of brain injury.

Lisa Payne, PhD, Lenore Hawley, MSSW, Jessica Ketchum, PhD, Clare Morey, MA, and Angie Philippus, BA, researchers at Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System, presented “Improving well-being after traumatic brain injury through volunteering: A randomized controlled trial.”

Candy Tefertiller, PT, Kaitlin Hays, PhD, Audrey Natale, OT, Denise O'Dell, PT, Jessica McKinney Ketchum, PhD, Mitch Sevigny, MS, CB Eagye, MS, Angela Philippus, BA, and Cindy Harrison-Felix, PhD, researchers at Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System, presented “Ready to be steady: Results from a randomized controlled trial to address balance deficits after traumatic brain injury (TBI).”

Geraldine Martens, PhD, Yelena Bodien, PhD, and Joseph Giacino, PhD, researchers at Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented "Behavioral markers of recovery of consciousness after severe brain injury."

Kristen Dams-O'Connor, PhD, Wayne Gordon, PhD, Alex Landau, BA, Lisa Spielman, PhD, and Eric Watson, PhD, researchers at New York Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented "Treatment of post-TBI fatigue with light exposure."

Jeanne Hoffman, PhD, researcher at University of Washington Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented "TWILIGHT: RCT of phototherapy."

John Whyte, PhD, co-principal investigator at Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, along with Ingrid Poulsen, Pengsheng Ni, Marianne Eskildsen, and Rikke Guldager, presented "Development of a measure of nociception and pain for patients with severe brain injury."

Dmitry Esterov, DO, Thomas Bergquist, PhD, and Allen Brown, MD, researchers at Mayo Clinic Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented "Predictors of neurobehavioral symptom reporting in a community based sample with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)."

Arielle Resnick, PT, DPT, NCS, Irene Ward, DPT, NCS, Erin Donnelly, PT, NCS, Jacquelyn Candras, Marisa King, PT, DPT, Justine Mamone-Lucciola, Stefanie Migliaccio, Allison Miller, and Anthony Lequerica, PhD, researchers at Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury System, presented "Predicting the need for supervision following traumatic brain injury."

Yelena Bodien, PhD, Geraldine Martens, PhD, and Joseph Giacino, PhD, researchers at Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented "When will he talk to me? Mapping the time course of recovery of communication in patients with disorders of consciousness following severe brain injury."

Ross Zafonte, DO, and Grant Iverson, PhD, along with Jenkin Mok, Douglas Terry, Brucee Maxweell, Paul Berkner, and Magdalena Wojtowicz, researchers at Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented "The impact of migraine history and short sleep duration on preseason symptom reporting in adolescent student athletes."

Ross Zafonte, DO, Joseph Giacino, PhD, Michael Bergin, PhD, and Felipe Frengi, MD, researchers at Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented "Huperzine A in the treatment of cognitive and mood deficits after severe and moderate TBI."

Candace Tefertiller, PT, Kaitlyn Hays, PT, DPT, Jessica Ketchum, PhD, Audrey Natale, PT, DPT, Denise O'Dell, Mitch Seveigny, and Cynthia Harrison-Felix, researchers at Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System, presented "Ready to be steady: Virtual reality and balance after traumatic brain injury."

Jennifer Marwitz, MA, Jeffrey Kreutzer, PhD, Adam Sima, PhD, Kristin Graham, PhD, Nancy Hsu, PsyD, and Herman Lukow, PhD, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented "Efficacy of a couples intervention to promote relationship quality after traumatic brain injury."

Jennifer Bogner, PhD, John Corrigan, PhD, and Chelsea Kane, PsyD, researchers at Ohio Regional Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented "Randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention for substance misuse following moderate or severe TBI."

TBI Model System Researchers Contribute to Textbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 3rd Edition

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 18:09:00 +0000

TBI Model System Researchers Collaborate on Recently Published Articles

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 19:25:00 +0000

A host of TBI Model System researchers from the Rocky Mountain Spinal Injury System (RMRSIS) published the following articles:

"Physical, Cognitive, and Psychosocial Characteristics Associated with Mortality in Chronic TBI Survivors: A National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study." Authors of the article include Therese O’Neil-Pirozzi, ScD, CCC-SLP; Jessica Ketchum, Ph.D.; Flora Hammond, M.D.; Angela Philippus, B.A.; Erica Weber, Ph.D.; and Kristin Dams-O’Connor, Ph.D. View the abstract here.

"Obesity and Overweight Problems Among Individuals 1 to 25 Years Following Acute Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury: A NIDILRR Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study. Authors of the article include Laura Dreer, Ph.D.; Jessica Ketchum, Ph.D.; Thomas Novack, Ph.D.; John Corrigan, Ph.D.; Jennifer Bogner, Ph.D.; Elizabeth Felix, Ph.D.; Douglas Johnson-Greene, Ph.D.; and Flora Hammond, M.D." View the abstract here.

"Social Competence Treatment after Traumatic Brain Injury: A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial of Interactive Group Treatment versus Non-Interactive Treatment. Authors of the article include Cynthia-Harrison-Felix, Ph.D.; Jessica Ketchum, Ph.D.; Jody Newman, MA, CCC-SLP; Lenore Hawley, MSSW, LCSW ; Clare Morey, MA, CCC-SLP; Cynthia Braden, MA, CCC-SLP; CB Eagye, MS; William Walker, MD; Kathleen Bell, MD; Scott Millis, Ph.D.; James Malec, Ph.D.; and Laura Howe, JD, Ph.D." View the abstract here.

Model Systems Researchers selected as Fellow of American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 16:12:00 +0000

The following Model Systems researchers were awarded the Fellow of American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine designation:

Yu-Ying Chen, M.D., Ph.D., FACRM, Project Director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center; Professor & Director, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Thomas F. Bergquist, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, FACRM, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Mayo Brain Injury Outpatient Program
Kristen Dams O'Connor, Ph.D, FACRM, Associate Professor, Director, Brain Injury Research Center; Research Director, Mount Sinai Injury Control Research Center
John DeLuca, Ph.D., Project Director of the Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Model System; Senior Vice President for Research, Kessler Foundation

TBI Model Systems Researchers Presenting at 12th World Congress on Brain Injury

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 18:52:00 +0000

The following list reflects TBI Model System Centers who reported their participation at the 12th World Congress on Brain Injury, held March 29-April 1, 2017:

Robert G. Kowalski, MD, MS, of the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System (RMRBIS) presented the symposium, “Disorders of Consciousness Following Traumatic Brain Injury." Authors: Robert G. Kowalski, MD, MS; Flora M. Hammond, MD; Risa Nakase-Richardson, PhD.
Jessica M. Ketchum, PhD, of the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System (RMRBIS), presented the abstract, "Epidemiology of associated medical conditions and treatment complications in patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury in the U.S." Authors: Jessica M. Ketchum, PhD, Juliet K. Haarbauer-Krupa, PhD; CB Eagye, MS; Jeneita Bell, MD, MPH; John D. Corrigan, PhD; Flora M. Hammond, MD; Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD; A. Cate Miller, PhD; Melissa C. Hofmann, MS; Gale G. Whiteneck, PhD; Robert G. Kowalski, MD, MS.
Robert G. Kowalski, MD, MS, of the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System (RMRBIS), presented, "Acute Ischemic Stroke Following Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Incidence and Impact on Outcomes." Authors: Robert G. Kowalski, MD, MS; Juliet K. Haarbauer-Krupa, PhD; Jeneita Bell, MD, MPH; John D. Corrigan, PhD; Flora M. Hammond, MD; Michel T. Torbey, MD, MPH; Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD; A. Cate Miller, PhD; Melissa C. Hofmann, MS; Gale G. Whiteneck, PhD.
Robert G. Kowalski, MD, MS, of the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System (RMRBIS), presented, "Incidence of associated medical conditions and treatment complications, and impact on outcome following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury." Authors: Robert G. Kowalski, MD, MS, Juliet K. Haarbauer-Krupa, PhD; Jessica M. Ketchum, PhD; CB Eagye, MS; Jeneita Bell, MD, MPH; John D. Corrigan, PhD; Flora M. Hammond, MD; Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD; A. Cate Miller, PhD; Melissa C. Hofmann, MS; Gale G. Whiteneck, PhD.
John Whyte, MD, PhD, co-director of the Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, and Tessa Hart, PhD, director of the Moss TBIMS, presented the symposium, "You Can't Assess Treatment Efficacy if You Can't Define the Treatment: Challenges and Solutions in Specifying Non-Pharmacologic Treatments." They were joined by co-presenter Marcel Dijkers, PhD, who is co-Investigator in the Mount Sinai TBIMS.
Jeffrey S. Kreutzer, PhD, of the Virginia Commonwealth Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented the Jennett Plum Lecture, “Lessons Learned about Caregivers after Traumatic Brain Injury."
Jennifer H. Marwitz, MA, of the Virginia Commonwealth Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, presented the abstract, “Efficacy of an Intervention to Promote Resilience and Adjustment after Traumatic Brain Injury.” Authors: Jennifer H. Marwitz, MA; Nancy H. Hsu, PsyD; Jeffrey S. Kreutzer, PhD; Herman R. Lukow, PhD; Ana Mills, PsyD; Adam Sima, PhD; Abigail Welch, BS, BA.
Mary Joan Roach, PhD and Michael Kelly, MD, of the Northeast Ohio Regional Spinal Cord Injury System (NORSCIS), presented a poster, The Impact of Age on Functional Outcome and Mortality in Patients Admitted to Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation.
Simon Driver, PhD, of the North Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Model System presented, "Describing Weight Loss History among Individuals with TBI."
Hoffman J, Lucas S, Stacey A, Bell K, Temkin N, and Dikmen S., of the North Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Model System presented, "Five Year Headache Trajectories after Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury."
Womack K, Callender L, Dubiel R, Bell K, Driver S, and Shafi, S., of the North Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Model System presented, "Dopamine Imaging in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Association with Functional Outcomes."

TBI Model System Center Researchers Participate in the Eleventh World Congress on Brain Injury

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 13:54:00 +0000

The following list reflects researchers from TBI Model System Centers that reported presenting at the Eleventh World Congress on Brain Injury held March 2-6, 2016:

Tessa Hart, PhD, principal investigator of the Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model System chaired a pre-Congress workshop, Cognitive Rehabilitation in the Real World: Merging the Evidence Base with Individual Needs. As part of the workshop, Dr. Hart presented, The Problem of Treatment Specification: Treatment Theory as an Organizing Framework for Cognitive Rehabilitation and Problem-Solving Training in TBI: Merging Standardization with Flexibility
John Whyte, MD, Ph.D., co-principal investigator of the Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, was part of a pre-Congress workshop, Disorders of Consciousness, speaking on pharmacologic treatment. Dr. Whyte also presented ACRM/TBI Model System-sponsored Minimal Competency Recommendations for Programs that Provide Rehabilitation Services for Persons with Disorders of Consciousness: A Discussion of the Implications for International Deployment
Cynthia Harrison-Felix, Ph.D., Jessica Ketchum, Ph.D., Flora Hammond, MD, Kristen Dams-O’Connor, Ph.D., John Corrigan, Ph.D., and A. Cate Miller, Ph.D., presented the poster presentation, Mortality Secondary to Accidental Poisoning After Inpatient Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury
Gale Whiteneck, Ph.D., Jeffery Cuthbert, Ph.D., John Corrigan, Ph.D., and Jennifer Bogner, Ph.D., delivered the presentation, Prevalence and Correlates of a Lifetime History of TBI in the Adult, Colorado Population
Ellen Hada, Coralynn Long, Michelle Smith, MPH, CHES, and Tamara Bushnik, PhD, principal investigator of the Rusk Rehabilitation TBIMS at NYU and Bellevue delivered the presentation, The Influence of Country of Origin and Attitudes Towards Healthcare, Language Preference, and Health Outcomes in TBI Patients
Tamara Bushnik, PhD, Michelle Smith, MPH, CHES, and Brian Im, MD, presented the poster presentation, Role of Acculturation in Rehabilitation Outcomes
Ellen Hada, Michelle Smith, MPH, CHES, and Tamara Bushnik, Ph.D., presented the poster presentation, Beyond the Bars: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Incarceration
Robert G. Kowalski, Alan H. Weintraub, and Donald J. Gerber of the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System delivered the platform presentation, Hydrocephalus Predicts Outcome Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Jennifer Marwitz, MA, Jeffrey Kreutzer, Ph.D., Adam Sima, Ph.D., and Herman Lukow, Ph.D., of the Virginia Commonwealth Traumatic Brain Injury Model System delivered the presentation, Marital Instability Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Using Social Media to Promote your Research: MSKTC Suite of Tools and Information

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 15:03:00 +0000

MSKTC produced a webinar titled Using Social Media to Promote Your Research; a recording of the webinar is available here: http://www.msktc.org/Model-Systems-Grantees/webinars. This webinar was designed to help the attendees understand the pervasiveness of social media; understand who uses social media; learn about the uses for different social media platforms; think about what they can do with social media; learn about the steps needed to manage social media; and see how a few Model Systems are effectively using their own social media. As a follow up to this webinar, researchers can develop a social media strategic plan using the following three tools developed by the MSKTC:

Guide for Developing an MSKTC Social Media Plan: This document is a go-to reference for researchers to navigate different social media platforms and to plan, execute, monitor and optimize their social media efforts;
MSKTC Social Media Development Workbook: This workbook accompanies the Guide to help researchers work through all aspects of a social media plan to communicate about their research;
MSKTC Social Media Development Content Calendar: This Excel sheet helps researchers map out their use of social media by adapting it to the frequency with which they plan to use social media.

The tools can be found here: http://www.msktc.org/Knowledge-Translation/Social-Media-Guide.

In addition to the webinar and tools developed by MSKTC, a web clinic on social media analytics was held to review the types of analytics available for three platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Participants discussed how to use that data to inform and improve research dissemination and outreach through social media. The web clinic introduced best practices in using analytics, measuring engagement through analytics, creating data reports, and knowing what questions to ask of the researcher’s organization if they do not manage their own social media platforms. A recording of the web clinic is available here: http://www.msktc.org/Model-Systems-Grantees/webinars.

Model System Researchers to Present at the 92nd Annual American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Conference

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 15:30:00 +0000

Model systems researchers will participate in the 92nd Annual American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Conference in Dallas, TX, October 25-30, 2015. The list of Model Systems researchers who have submitted conference presentations to the MSKTC can be found below. Additional information can be found in the conference program.

Rusk Rehabilitation Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

Researchers presented three posters focused on their unique patient population:

Factors associated with changes in body mass index after TBI (Amanda Childs, PhD)
The effect of social integration on psychosocial variables one year post-TBI (Ellen Hada, Research Associate)
The effect of employment status on psychosocial variables one year post-TBI (Natalie Jenkins, MA, Research Associate).

In addition, Lucia Wexler-Smith, PhD who is an Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training post-doctoral fellows was selected to present the project, Disordered Eating, Weight, and Physical Activity Concerns in Rehabilitation Outpatients with Acquired Brain Injury, as part of NIDILRR Young Investigators panel.

Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System

Dr. Allen Heinemann, from Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System will act as key speaker at:

Progress and Report of the ACRM Measurement Networking Group Applied Cognition Task Force ( Key Speakers: Dr. Carrie Ciro PhD, OTR/L FAOTA, Dr. Allen Heinemann PhD, FACRM, Dr. Amy Herrold PhD, Dr. Patricia Heyn PhD, Dr. Sonya Kim PhD)
International Activities to Promote Implementation of Standardized Measures in Medical Rehabilitation Practice (Key Speakers: Dr. Allen Heinemann PhD, FACRM, Dr. Jan Nordvik; Prof. Marcel Post, PhD, Dr. Coen A.M. van Bennekom MD, PhD)
Training Assistive Technology: New Research and Best Practices (Key speakers: Laurie Ehlhardt Powell, Dr. Tessa Hart PhD, Dr. Allen Heinemann PhD, FACRM, Dr. Linda Resnik, PT, PhD)
Meet the Archives’ Editors: Authorship, Reporting Guidelines, and Reviewing in Medical Rehabilitation (Key Speaker: Dr. Allen Heinemann PhD, FACRM)
Preventing Wheelchair Breakdowns: Is DIY Maintenance the Solution? What’s Important and How to Teach It? (Dr. Trevor Dyson-Hudson, MD, Dr. Allen Heinemann PhD, FACRM, Dr. Lynn Worobey, PhD)

Additionally, MRSCICS research scientist Dr. Anne Deutsch RN, PhD will join Dr. Heinemann and others in presenting the session, Quality Measures for Inpatients Rehabilitation Facilities. (Key Speakers: Laura Coots, Dr. Anne Deutsch, Dr. Allen Heinemann, Dr. Melvin Ingber, & Dr. Poonam Pardasaney).

National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center

Yuying Chen, is presenting the poster, Fall-induced spinal cord injury: external causes and implications for prevention.

Yuying Chen, is presenting the symposium, Economic impact of spinal cord injury. This symposium is collaborative work among the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, University of Washington Spinal Cord Injury Model System (Jeanne Hoffman), and Southeastern Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System (Jim Krause and Yue Cao).

New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center

Miriam Brody, is presenting the poster, Development of a Peer-Led Phone Intervention for Goal-Setting Primary Healthcare Needs in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.

David Rosenblum, is presenting the poster, Development of the New England Spinal Cord Injury Toolkit for Peer-to-Peer Clinical Education.

Hannah Mercier, is giving an oral presentation titled, Rehospitalization is Associated with Persistent Negative Effects among Adults with Spinal Cord Injury.

University of Michigan Spinal Cord Injury Model System

Denise Tate, Martin Forchheimer, Rachel Hartwig, and Claire Kalpakjian are presenting the poster, The Bowel and Bladder Treatment Index (BBTI): A New Tool to Assess Bowel and Bladder Management in SCI.

Heather Becker, Margaret Nosek, Claire Kalpakjian from are presenting the symposium, Sexuality and Health in Women with Spinal Cord Injury.

Gina Jay, Susan Charlifue, Margaret Campbell, Brooks Wingo, Martin Forchheimer, Victoria Allen, Phillip Requejo, Ivan Molton, Denise Tate are presenting the poster, Prevalence of Comorbidities and Secondary Conditions among Persons Aging with Spinal Cord Injury/Disease (SCI/D): Pilot Study Results.

Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury System

Irene Ward, Anthony Lequerica, and Denise Krch, are presenting the poster, The Association Between Motor Findings at Discharge and the Need for Supervision at 1 Year After Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Irene Ward, Anthony Lequerica, and Lawrence Lai, Neil Jasey and Nancy D. Chiaravalloti, are presenting the poster, Premorbid Concussion and its Effects on Recovery Following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Giselle Vivaldi, Anthony Lequerica, Irene Ward, Neil Jasey, Denise Krch, and Nancy D. Chiaravalloti, are presenting the poster, Effect of Bladder Dysfunction on Disability and Community Participation in Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury

Michael Boninger will present the John Stanley Coulter Award Lecture, From Neuroprosthetics to Wheelchairs: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Assistive Technology.

Dr. Lynn Worobey, PhD will present the workshop, Preventing Wheelchair Breakdowns: Is DIY Maintenance the Solution? What’s Important and How to Teach It? (In conjunction with Dr. Trevor Dyson-Hudson, MD and Dr. Allen Heinemann PhD)

The poster, Preliminary Results on Effectiveness of Group Wheelchair Skills Training among Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury, was selected as winner of this year’s SCI-ISIG Best Poster Award (Dr. Lynn Worobey, PhD, Dr. Lee Kirby, MD, Dr. Michael Boninger, MD)

Indiana University School of Medicine / Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana TBI Model System

Dr. Lance Trexler will receive the 2015 ACRM Distinguished Member Award from the American Congress of Rehab Medicine at the annual meeting in Dallas, TX.

Preconference workshops:

Samantha Backhaus, Summer Ibarra; and Thomas Bergquist (Mayo Clinic) are presenting the workshop, Brain Injury Coping Skills Group.

Gordon Horn, Frank Lewis (Neurorestorative); Paula Kersten, Tori Harding, Russell R, Christina Papdimitriou , James Malec are presenting the workshop, Diversity of outcomes: From person-centered to international neurorehabilitation perspectives.

Symposia:

Jacob Kean, Kristen Dams-O/Connor, Flora Hammond, et al are presenting the symposium, Healthcare utilization following brain injury in veterans: perspectives from the va and the private sector.

James Malec, Jacob Kean; Irwin M. Altman, Shannon Swick (Rehab Without Walls); Vicki Eicher, Mary Pat Murphy (ReMed); Thomas Murphy (Inventive Software Solutions) are presenting the symposium, Post-hospital Brain Injury Rehabilitation Outcomes: Report from the National OutcomeInfo Database.

Risa Richardson, JohnWhyte, Joseph Giacino, Flora Hammond, Brian Greenwald, David Katz, Ross Zafonte, Mark Sherer, Zasler N, Weintraub A, David Arciniegas, Sunil Kothari S are presenting the symposium, Building capacity: Formal introduction and implementation of recommendations for the management of persons with disorders of consciousness.

Sue Ann Sisto, David Katz, Ross Zafonte, Flora Hammond, Michael Jones, Bradley Kurowski are presenting the symposium, How do I start, maintain or lead rehabilitation as a practicing physician, clinician or clinical researcher.

Lance E. Trexler, Sumer Ibarra, Devan Parrott are presenting the symposium, Improving return to work and school outcomes after acquired brain injury through resource facilitation: Translating evidence into practice.

Oral presentation:

Hammond F, William Sauve, Paul Shin, Aliso Viejo, Fred Ledon, Charles Davis, Charles Yonan, Joao Siffert are presenting an oral presentation titled, Safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of Dextromethorphan/Quinidine for pseudobulbar affect in patients with traumatic brain injury: PRISM-II.

Jim Malec, Gale Whiteneck, Jennifer Bogner (OSU) are presenting an oral presentation titled, Another look at the PART-O: Scoring to optimize sense and psychometrics.

Poster presentation:

Angelle M. Sander, Kacey L. Maestas, Monique R. Pappadis, Flora Hammond, Robin A. Hanks are presenting the poster, Sexual functioning of partners of persons with traumatic brain injury.

Larissa Swan, Edwin C. Haskins, Theresa Mull, Samantha Backhaus, James Malec are presenting the poster, Systematic implementation of cognitive rehabilitation in an outpatient brain injury treatment setting.

TBI Model Systems Researchers Work Published in Five Publications

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 18:15:00 +0000

TBI model systems researchers from multiple sites collaborated on publications that were recently published in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Journal of Neurotrauma, Journal of Head Trauma and Rehabilitation, the Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Traumatic Brain Injury, and the International Journal of Telerehabilitation. View the citations and abstracts on the below.

Brown AW, Watanabe TK, Hoffman JM, Bell KR, Lucas S, Dikmen S. Headache after traumatic brain injury: a national survey of clinical practices and treatment approaches. PM R. 2015 Jan; 7(1):3-8. Abstract

Eum RS, Seel RT, Goldstein R, Brown AW, Watanabe TK, Zasler ND, Roth EJ, Zafonte RD, Glenn MB. Predicting institutionalization after traumatic brain injury inpatient rehabilitation. J Neurotrauma. 2015; 32(4):280-6. Abstract

Brown AW, Leibson CL, Mandrekar J, Ransom JE, Malec JF. Long-term survival after traumatic brain injury: a population-based analysis controlled for nonhead trauma. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2014 Jan-Feb; 29(1):E1-8. Abstract

Bergquist, T.F., Yutsis, M., Micklewright, J. (2014). Comprehensive assessment. In Sherer, M., Sander, A; (Eds.). Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Traumatic Brain Injury. New York, NY: Springer. Abstract

Bergquist, T.F., Yutsis, M., Sullan, M.J. (2014). Satisfaction with Cognitive Rehabilitation Delivered via the Internet in Persons with Acquired Brain Injury. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 6 (2): 39-50. Abstract

2014 Mitchell Rosenthal Award Announced

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:44:00 +0000

Mitchell Rosenthal, PhD, who passed away at age 58 in early 2007, played a significant role as a researcher, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model Systems National Data Base (NDB) curator, and program administrator in the TBI Model Systems program. While he was not at the birth of the TBI MSs, he became involved while at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan and Wayne State University in Detroit, assuming in 1990 the position of Project Director for the Southeastern Michigan TBI Model System, and becoming Project Director for the National Database and Statistical Center (NSDC) in 1993. When he moved to the Kessler Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Center in 1999, the funding for the NDSC was moved to the Northern New Jersey Model System.

As a principal curator of the NDB, Rosenthal implemented a number of innovations to improve the quality of the data and especially to enhance the role of the TBI NDB and the TBI Model Systems program in the world of TBI research. Among the former are the creation of an online NDB syllabus and the implementation of site visits to TBI MSs. In the latter category are, for instance, the initiation of a research registry for MSs collaborations on NDB analyses, and the creation of an expanded version of “Facts and Figures,” a quarterly newsletter describing NDB information, the clinical and research programs of individual MSs, and other information of interest to clinicians and consumers. Rosenthal gave many talks at meetings of clinicians and researchers, in the United States and internationally, in which he presented the purpose, methods, and contents of the NDB. He also started a program of distributing copies of the NDB syllabus to researchers in the United States and elsewhere, resulting in emulation of the NDB, or significant components of it, in many locations.

By virtue of his role as NDSC Project Director, Rosenthal chaired the TBI Model Systems Project Directors group, which plays a central role in planning, monitoring, and evaluating all TBI Model Systems’ cooperative efforts, including the NDB, module research, and many other activities; the TBI Model Systems played a role in, for example, the first two TBI Interagency Conferences, for which Rosenthal was on the planning committee. In his leadership capacity, he set the agenda for the semiannual Project Directors meeting (in consultation with NIDRR staff), chaired the group’s meetings, and followed up between meetings to make sure that the various committees and task forces performed their work and coordinated with one another.

In addition, Rosenthal was a prolific user of the NDB data. He (co)authored about 20 papers that used information from the data set to investigate topics such as the measurement of community integration, the resource cost of TBI rehabilitation, differences in outcomes between minorities and whites, and the prediction of long term outcomes in general and of employment in particular.

In 2008, the TBIMS Project Directors established the Rosenthal Award, to keep his legacy alive and inspire new generations of investigators. The award initially was given biannually to the best paper published in a peer-reviewed journal that uses NDB information to investigate some aspect of TBI, its treatment or natural history.

The Award for the 2006-2007 period was won by William C. Walker MD, Jennifer H. Marwitz MA, Jeffrey S. Kreutzer PhD, Tessa Hart PhD, and Thomas A. Novack PhD for their article “Occupational Categories and Return to Work After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Multicenter Study” (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2006, 87(12) 1576-82)

The Award for the 2008-2009 period was won by Jeffrey S. Kreutzer PhD, Lisa J. Rapport PhD, Jennifer H. Marwitz MA, Cynthia Harrison-Felix PhD, Tessa Hart PhD, Mel Glenn MD, and Flora Hammond MD for their article “Caregivers' well-being after traumatic brain injury: a multicenter prospective investigation” (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2009, 90(6) 939-46)

Given the increase in the number of papers published each year, the award was made an annual one in 2010.

The Award for 2010 was won by Tessa Hart PhD, Mark Sherer PhD, Nancy Temkin PhD, John Whyte MD, PhD, Sureyya Dikmen PhD, Allan Heinemann PhD, and Kathy Bell MD for their article “Participant-proxy agreement on objective and subjective aspects of societal participation following traumatic brain injury. (Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. 2010, 25(5):339-48)

The Award for 2011 was won by Gale Whiteneck PhD, Marcel Dijkers PhD, Allen Heinemann PhD, Jennifer Bogner PhD, Tamara Bushnik PhD, Keith Cicerone PhD, John Corrigan PhD, Tessa Hart PhD, Jim Malec PhD, and Scott Millis PhD for their article “Development of the Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools-Objective for use after traumatic brain injury”. (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2011, 92(4):542-51.)

The Award for 2012 was won by Cynthia Harrison-Felix PhD, Scott E. D. Kreider MS, Juan C. Arango-Lasprilla PhD, Allen W. Brown MD, Marcel P. Dijkers PhD, Flora M. Hammond MD, Stephanie A. Kolakowsky-Hayner PhD, CBIST, Chari Hirshson PhD, Gale Whiteneck PhD, and Nathan D. Zasler MD, FAAPMR, FAADEP, DAAPM, CBIST for their paper “Life Expectancy Following Rehabilitation: A NIDRR Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study”. (Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. 2012;27(6):E69-80.)

The Award for 2013 was won by John Whyte MD, PhD, Risa Nakase-Richardson PhD, Flora M Hammond MD, Shane McNamee MD, Joseph T. Giacino PhD, Kathleen Kalmar PhD, Brian D. Greenwald MD, Stuart A. Yablon MD, and Lawrence J. Horn MD for their article “Functional outcomes in traumatic disorders of consciousness: 5-year outcomes from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems” (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2013; 94(10):1855-60.)

The Award for 2014 was won by John D. Corrigan, PhD, Jeffrey P. Cuthbert, PhD, MPH, Cynthia Harrison-Felix, PhD, Gale G. Whiteneck, PhD, Jeneita M. Bell MD, MPH, A. Cate Miller, PhD, Victor G. Coronado, MD, MPH, and Christopher R. Pretz PhD for their article “US population estimates of health and social outcomes 5 years".

TBI Model System Work Featured in Four Publications

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 15:02:00 +0000

Recent work published by investigators at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Center (UPMC-TBI) demonstrates that inflammation in the first week and in the first 6 months after injury is predictive of global outcome, depression, and impulsive and/or suicidal behavior. Inflammation after TBI, and its relationship to physiological functions, is an increasingly relevant topic for patient oriented research. Every individual’s inflammatory response after injury is unique and can be affected by, among other things, previous exposure to trauma or illness, severity of injury, or individual genetic differences. Validation of this work could lead to future patient care protocols for identifying inflammatory profiles that adversely impact outcomes, personalizing treatment and monitoring, and facilitating recovery after TBI. View the publications below.

Diamond ML, Ritter AC, Failla MD, Boles JA, Conley YP, Kochanek PM, Wagner AK. IL-1B associations with posttraumatic epilepsy development: A genetics and biomarker cohort study. Epilepsia. 2014 Apr 22.

Access the abstract here.

Kumar RG, Boles JA, Wagner MD. Chronic inflammation after severe traumatic brain injury: Characterization and associations with outcome at 6 and 12 months postinjury. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2014 Jun 4.

Access the abstract here.

Juengst SB, Kumar RG, Arenth PM, Wagner AK. Exploratory associations with Tumor Necrosis Factor-a, disinhibition, and suicidal endorsement after traumatic brain injury.Brain Behav Immun. 2014 Jun 10. pii: S0889-1591(14)00163-9.

Access the abstract here.

Juengst SB, Kumar RG, Failla MD, Goyal A, Wagner AK. Acute inflammatory biomarker profiles predict depression risk following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2014 Feb 28.

Access the abstract here.

The Mitchell Rosenthal Award

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 16:17:00 +0000

By virtue of his role as NDSC Project Director, Rosenthal chaired the TBI Model Systems Project Directors group, which plays a central role in planning, monitoring, and evaluating all TBI Model Systems’ cooperative efforts, including the NDB, module research, and many other activities the TBI Model Systems played a role in, for example, the first two TBI Interagency Conferences. In his leadership capacity, he set the agenda for the semiannual Project Directors meeting (in consultation with NIDRR staff), chaired the group’s meetings, and followed up between meetings to make sure that the various committees and task forces performed their work and coordinated with one another.

In addition, Rosenthal was a prolific user of the NDB data. He (co)authored about 20 papers that used information from the data set to investigate topics such as the measurement of community integration, the resource cost of TBI rehabilitation, differences in outcomes between minorities and whites, and the prediction of long term outcomes in general and of employment in particular.

In 2008, the TBIMS Project Directors established the Rosenthal Award, to keep his legacy alive and inspire new generations of investigators. The award initially was given biannually to the best paper published in a peer-reviewed journal that uses NDB information to investigate some aspect of TBI, its treatment or natural history.

The Award for the 2006-2007 period was won by William C. Walker MD, Jennifer H. Marwitz MA, Jeffrey S. Kreutzer PhD, Tessa Hart PhD, and Thomas A. Novack PhD for their article “Occupational Categories and Return to Work After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Multicenter Study” (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2006, 87(12) 1576-82)

The Award for the 2008-2009 period was won by Jeffrey S. Kreutzer PhD, Lisa J. Rapport PhD, Jennifer H. Marwitz MA, Cynthia Harrison-Felix PhD, Tessa Hart PhD, Mel Glenn MD, and Flora Hammond MD for their article “Caregivers' well-being after traumatic brain injury: a multicenter prospective investigation” (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2009, 90(6) 939-46)

The Award for 2010 was won by Tessa Hart PhD, Mark Sherer PhD, Nancy Temkin PhD, John Whyte MD, PhD, Sureyya Dikmen PhD, Allan Heinemann PhD, and Kathy Bell MD for their article “Participant-proxy agreement on objective and subjective aspects of societal participation following traumatic brain injury. (Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. 2010, 25(5):339-48)

The Award for 2011 was won by Gale Whiteneck PhD, Marcel Dijkers PhD, Allen Heinemann PhD, Jennifer Bogner PhD, Tamara Bushnik PhD, Keith Cicerone PhD, John Corrigan PhD, Tessa Hart PhD, Jim Malec PhD, and Scott Millis PhD for their article “Development of the Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools-Objective for use after traumatic brain injury”. (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2011, 92(4):542-51.)

The Award for 2012 was won by Cynthia Harrison-Felix PhD, Scott E. D. Kreider MS, Juan C. Arango-Lasprilla PhD, Allen W. Brown MD, Marcel P. Dijkers PhD, Flora M. Hammond MD, Stephanie A. Kolakowsky-Hayner PhD, CBIST, Chari Hirshson PhD, Gale Whiteneck PhD, and Nathan D. Zasler MD, FAAPMR, FAADEP, DAAPM, CBIST for their paper “Life Expectancy Following Rehabilitation: A NIDRR Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study”. (Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. 2012;27(6):E69-80.)

Given the increase in the number of papers published each year, the award was made an annual one in 2013.

Model System Host a Consumer Conference

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 18:42:00 +0000

The Northern New Jersey TBI System (NNJTBIS) hosted a consumer conference titled, Brain Injury: The Challenge of Change, on October 11, 2013 which was a big success. After welcoming remarks from Drs. Nancy Chiaravalloti and John DeLuca, the keynote speaker, Scott Chesney, gave an inspiring presentation drawing upon his own experience of living with a disability and finding his path in life. Other speakers presented on personal development, utility of social media in making connections, and the benefits of yoga. Dr. Chiaravalloti informed the attendees about current TBI research and presented some of the latest research findings. This was followed by a panel discussion on relationships after TBI. The conference was well attended and well received.

Congratulations to Ohio Regional Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 17:35:00 +0000

The Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University, home of the Ohio Regional Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, has been designated lead agency for planning and policy related to brain injury for the state of Ohio. The Brain Injury Program held its first meeting of its Advisory Council on October 24, 2013. The program will promote access to services, explore new options for delivery of care, and establish a traumatic brain injury surveillance system to collect information on the incidence and prevalence of brain injury in Ohio. Activities include educating consumers, professionals and policy-makers and identifying resources for individuals who have experienced a brain injury and their families.

Individuals and Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Needed for a Health Information Needs Study

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 19:53:00 +0000

Individuals with a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), individuals with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Veterans with a Traumatic Brain Injury are invited to participate in a telephone interview about patients’ health information needs.

Participants must be over 18 and will be compensated $75.

The study is funded by the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and carried out by the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center at the American Institutes for Research in collaboration with George Mason University.

The goal of the study is to understand the patient’s information needs to help improve the quality, clarity, and relevance of information available to individuals with a spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, and other stakeholders.

Contact: If you are interested, please call (202) 403-5600 or email msktc@air.org.

MSKTC Releases a New Audio Described Video for the Hot Topics Module

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:45:00 +0000

The MSKTC has recently released an audio described video for the Hot Topic Module: Relationships after Traumatic Brain Injury. This video is part of the hot topics module which consists of a suite of resources to help individuals with traumatic brain injury and their partners enjoy meaningful and fulfilling relationships. Access the video with audio description here.

MSKTC Exhibits at 2013 Promising Practices for Healing Psychological Trauma of Service Members, Veterans, Family, and Community

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:53:00 +0000

The MSKTC participated in the 2013 Promising Practices for Healing Psychological Trauma of Service Members, Veterans, Family, and Community on May 10, 2013 in Fairfax, Virginia. During this event MSKTC staff displayed and highlighted the work of the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems and distributed factsheets based on TBI Model Systems research. View the conference program for additional information.

Dr. Jeffrey Kreutzer – “Ask Me Anything” On Reddit (AMA)

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:47:00 +0000

The MSKTC invites you to join Dr. Jeff Kreutzer, director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, as he answers questions about traumatic brain injury (TBI), common changes in family and couples’ relationships, and strategies to be successful. This session will be held on May 22, 2013 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST on Reddit! For more information visit the MSKTC Web site.

To learn more about Dr. Kreutzer's work: http://www.pmr.vcu.edu/Department/directory/faculty/jkreutzer/jkreutzer.aspx

Click here to view a video about Dr. Kreutzer's work with one couple after a traumatic brain injury: http://www.msktc.org/tbi/Hot-Topics/Relationships/Relationships-after-TBI

Would you like to join the discussion? Here is what you need to do:

To join the discussion, create a free Reddit account here (all you need is a username and a password to join: https://ssl.reddit.com/login)
Check back here at on Wednesday, May 22 at 12:50 pm EST. At that time, we’ll post a live link to the Ask Me Anything (AMA) thread.
If you have any questions about participating in the event, please email my colleagues at the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center: MSKTC@air.org. They are prepared to help you!

TBI Model Systems Wins Telly Award

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:52:00 +0000

Relationships After Traumatic Brain Injury, a video produced by the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC), was awarded a Bronze Telly Award for outstanding achievement in the category of Internet Online Video: Education. The 12-minute video shows the impact of traumatic brain injury on a couple’s relationship and how the couple worked with researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Center to improve their relationship. The video was produced as part of the Hot Topics module series. View the video here.

TBI Model System Co-Sponsors Conference

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:53:00 +0000

Virginia Commonwealth University Traumatic Brain Injury Model System and Brain Injury Services co–sponsored the 37th Annual Conference, Rehabilitation of the Adult and Child with Brain Injury: Practical Solutions to Real World Problems held May 1st -3rd in Williamsburg, Virginia. This conference highlighted traumatic brain injury model systems research and clinical programs, and included internationally renowned speakers and attracted more than 150 participants. Neil Brooks, a visionary brain injury researcher and clinician presented the keynote Rosenthal Memorial Lecture. Presentations addressed a wide variety of topics including executive function disorders, sports concussion, cognitive support technologies, behavior management, neuropsychological assessment, community-based treatment, and family intervention. Planning for the 2014 conference is now underway and the planning committee requests suggestions relating to speakers and topics. Visit the conference website for more information.

Creativity in Caregiving

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:21:00 +0000

On August 18, 2012, Thomas ("TC") Maslin was robbed and brutally assaulted while walking home in his Washington, DC neighborhood. His attack left him in a coma, fighting a severe traumatic brain injury that has required multiple surgeries. In the nearly nine months following his injury, TC, his wife, Abby, and son, Jack, have worked tirelessly as a team to help recover TC's severely impaired language and physical abilities. Using her expertise as a teacher and former therapist, Abby shares some of the wisdom that has helped guide her husband's recovery and put their family on a path to healing. Learn more about the principles that helped this couple move forward here.

Resource Highlight: Couples Relationships After Traumatic Brain Injury

noreply@blogger.com (MSKTC Administrator) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:13:00 +0000

The MSKTC is pleased to announce our new factsheet Couples Relationships After Traumatic Brain Injury. After traumatic brain injury (TBI), many couples find that their relationship with each other changes dramatically. Learn more about couples' relationships after a TBI by accessing the factsheet here.