2022 Fall Edition

2022 BI-ISIG Scholarship Information

Scholarship Recipients

Affiliation:
Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Brief Summary of how the award helped support my involvement:

I’m excited to be presenting two research studies on important sex and gender considerations in traumatic brain injury at the 2022 ACRM Annual Conference. I’m especially looking forward to this year’s conference which will be held in-person and provides an opportunity for in-depth discussions and networking among top researchers and clinicians in the field of brain injury. I’m very honored to receive the BI-ISIG conference award which will allow me to attend the conference in Chicago, share my final doctoral research and attend sessions held by the BI-ISIG Girls and Women Task Force, which in the past I’ve been very fortunate to attend and participate in, discussing and dismantling inequities in this population. The conference will be an incredible exposure to novel and innovative research, and through this award I’ll also have the opportunity to attend the BI-ISIG Business Summit to officially meet BI-ISIG members, and the Early Career reception which is an incredible opportunity as I complete my doctoral degree and enter a new stage of my career. A chance to be immersed in the world of brain injury research and intellects will be truly wonderful and I’m looking forward to attending the conference!

Affiliation:
Communication Sciences Program- Department of Psychological Sciences
Case Western Reserve University

Brief Summary of how the award helped support my involvement:

The ACRM BI-ISIG has afforded me opportunities to connect with other researchers to push my research forward. Conversations with and advice from my colleagues in the BI-ISIG has supported me in addressing clinically-meaningful research questions in populations that are often under-researched and under-served. This travel award will facilitate more brainstorming and networking that will undoubtedly impact my research projects and hopefully result in translatable findings that supports individuals living with brain injury.

B.Ed. in Education from Concordia University, Faculty of Education
M.A. in Adapted Physical Activity from McGill University, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education
Ph.D. Candidate in Rehabilitation Science from University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine

Affiliation:
Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

Brief Summary of how the award helped support my involvement:

The BI-ISIG Conference Scholarship helped offset my registration and travel expenses related to participating in the ACRM’s 99th Annual conference in Chicago IL., where I attended the BI-ISIG Summit meeting and their Task Force meeting in person and provided an oral presentation about findings related to one of my doctoral studies titled: Feasibility and acceptability of an outdoor walking-group intervention for adults with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury. The oral presentation discussed our mixed-method study and how a 6-week walking-group intervention was indeed feasible and acceptable for adults with moderate-to-severe TBI, as well as the types of sex and gender related considerations involved. As a doctoral trainee in the rehabilitation sciences, who is pursuing an academic career in this field, the opportunity to share my work and engage with professionals through ACRM was an invaluable contribution to my professional development and career growth because it provided me access to a supportive network of peers, necessary resources, and networking opportunities, as well as the opportunity to provide further research contributions among interdisciplinary professionals with common interests in brain injury.

Affiliation:
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Houston

Brief Summary of how the award helped support my involvement:

At ACRM 99th Annual conference, I will present in the Early Career Development Course “Defining, Adapting, and Promoting Your Professional Identity” chaired by Dr. Brian Downer. Also, I am preparing a submission for the late breaking poster session. It is a great honor and financial support to receive this scholarship, which helps to defray costs associated with this conference. This scholarship will benefit my professional development through conference networking with other brain injury researchers and task force members. I had a recent unsuccessful run for the Early Career Officer position but will continue to seek leadership opportunities within the BI-ISIG and ACRM. Additionally, I will continue working with the Disorder of Consciousness Task Force on the pathophysiology of confusion scoping review.

Affiliation:
Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University

Brief Summary of how the award helped support my involvement:

Dr. Jen Weaver is excited to attend the 2022 ACRM Annual Conference and the travel award will support her continued involvement with the BI-ISIG and enable her to network with new and existing collaborators in-person. Dr. Weaver has two symposia examining measurement practices for patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) following a brain injury. One presentation, entitled, “Applying Person-Centered Measurement in Rehabilitation Practice” will describe the process of collaborating with practitioners and family care partners to co-create a visual representation of clinical assessment data. The second presentation, “Should ‘Consistent Movement to Command’ be Included as Criterion for Emerged from Minimally Conscious State”, highlights her more recent collaboration with members from the DoC Task Force. The travel award will foster Dr. Weaver’s integration with the DoC Task Force as she will be able to attend the BI-ISIG and DoC Task Force meetings in-person and learn about additional opportunities to become more engaged in ongoing and future projects.

M.A. Transition Special Education, The George Washington University; Advisory Board Member Rusk ARRT Postdoc Program; Peer Counselor Rusk Brain Injury Day Treatment Program, Advocate and Resource in the NYC brain Injury community

Affiliation:
NYU Rusk Rehabilitation
M.A. Transition Special Education, The George Washington University;
Advisory Board Member Rusk ARRT Postdoc Program; Peer Counselor Rusk
Brain Injury Day Treatment Program, Advocate and Resource in the NYC
brain Injury community

Brief Summary of how the award helped support my involvement:

Receiving the BI-ISIG Scholarship is a special gift this year. Because I must travel with a companion, I would not otherwise have been able to attend. My involvement in the Chronic Brain Injury Task Force has triggered my awareness and interest in other communities. I will make the most of meeting with participants in others such as Girls & Women with ABI, ARGR and Culture & Diversity, getting to know them, and above all about their work. It is the kind of learning that is only possible face-to-face, a true give-and-take. I know a lot about brain injury and disability from the clinical and research to the personal and community. After 20 years of advocacy, outreach, and passion in the field I am immersed in this world from many sides. But even so, it’s clear that what I don’t know is massive and that there is an enormous gap between those who live the reality of brain injury and those who see and treat it. I want to be educated and to educate, to broaden my understanding—starting with my involvement in the Chronic Brain Injury TF. It’s exciting to watch where brain injury practice and research is headed, and to strengthen my ties to the larger brain injury community. I want to be part of the big picture – and in the end do what we all want to do – collaborate, represent the community, and help it thrive. In my opinion, here’s where we start.