2024 Fall Edition

Travel Scholarship Award Recipients

Robiann Broomfield, Ph.D. in Psychology (Clinical Psychology); Postdoctoral fellow for 2024-2026 cohort
Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

The BI-ISIG award enabled me to actively participate in the conference, deepening my engagement with the Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group and expanding my professional network. This experience has been invaluable for my growth in the field of acquired brain injury. My goal is to bring rehabilitation neuropsychology to Jamaica, and this SIG is instrumental in helping me understand how and why I should adapt measures and interventions for the population I will be serving, particularly in exploring culturally relevant approaches for non-pharmacological interventions.

Natalie Gilmore, PhD, CCC-SLP
James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, Tampa, FL

The BI-ISIG Scholarship provides me the opportunity to actively engage in ACRM 2024 where I will present an oral paper highlighting gaps in evidence for care of persons with disorders of consciousness, a project that originated with members of the BI-ISIG DOC Task Force. Attending the conference will allow me to make richer, in-person connections with other brain injury professionals that I have been working with on projects only virtually throughout the year, while also learning about the latest advances in brain injury rehabilitation research and clinical practice and generating ideas for future research projects with the BI-ISIG and other task forces.

Patricia Grady-Dominguez, PhD, OTR/L
Department of Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University

The BI-ISIG Travel Award enables me to attend the full 2024-2025 ACRM Annual Conference, where I will be building my network, presenting symposia, posters, and a pre-conference institute. I am also a member of the Early Career Mentoring Program, which provides invaluable experiences and relationships to help me grow into a successful independent career scholar. I am also the recipient of a BI-ISIG Task Force Funding Award; this travel scholarship allows me to meet with collaborators and further our research into measurement for patients with disorders of consciousness.

Flora Nikolaou, PhD Clinical Psychology
Post Doctoral Researcher at the Center for Applied Neuroscience (CAN); University of Cyprus

Receiving the BI-ISIG scholarship and attending the ACRM conference represents a significant milestone in my professional journey, reinforcing my commitment to advancing research on brain injury. My participation in ACRM up to now has empowered me to contribute meaningfully to the field, while fostering invaluable connections with leading experts and peers who share my passion for this critical work and this scholarship will help to do so.

Laurie Rippon, MA SpED/ABI
NYU Langone Rusk Institute.

Receiving this scholarship from the BI-ISIG helps me see how my participation within ACRM has grown. I have become involved with projects in more areas of interest than I could have imagined. Learning how they connect to brain injury, gives me a natural way to collaborate. With each conference I am able to attend, I discover new connections and topics I am drawn to and follow.

Minutes from 2023 BI-ISIG Summit 

October 31st, 2023

• Welcome/EC/ Mission & Vision—Angelle Sander
  • Congratulations and welcome to your new and returning EC members for 2022-2024!
  • Dr. Sander affirmed the vision, mission, and goals of the BI-ISIG.
• Secretary’s Report—Amanda Rabinowitz
  • Changes to BI-ISIG Bylaws: 2023: None to report now. Suggested revisions have been sent to the Policy and Procedures Committee and are under review. ACRM-wide review of Policies and Procedures currently being conducted to standardize across community groups.
• Treasurer’s Report—Michael Fraas
  • Michael presented the BI-ISIG balance sheets for 2020-2023.
  • The end of year reserve balance at the end of 2023 was $49,625.
• Communications Update—Mary Beth Russell & Nicci Kuhl
  • Thanks to the 2022-2024 Media Committee!
  • The Moving Ahead 2022, Fall Edition: https://acrm.org/acrm-communities/brain-injury/bi-isig-news/moving-ahead-fall-2022/
  • Social Media accounts were publicized, and the new social media initiative, Meet Our Task Force Chairs, was announced.
• Program Update—Julia Haarbauer-Krupa
  • The BI-ISIG is responsible for programing the BI-ISIG Special Symposium and two named lectures- the Sheldon Berrol Memorial Chautauqua Leture and the Mark Ylvisaker Memorial Pediatric Brain Injury Symposium.
  • Dr. Haarbauer-Krupa announced the topics and speakers for this year.
• Chronic BI Task Force Update- ‘Sheryl Katta-Charles & Candice Osborne
  • Accomplishments 2023:Wider dissemination of the Physician Tip Card (BI-ISIG Project Funding Award); Facilitated discussions with other BI organizations to promote wider dissemination of published I/EPs – BIAA, NASHIA; Brainline, Completed collaboration with Ohio BI Advisory Committee members, Initiated expansion of the questions and content of USMLE chronic brain injury specific test items for medical students: I/EPs published and in-progress on topics related to BI: invisible disability, disclosure and stigma; cognitive prosthetics; brain injury and substance abuse
  • 2024 Goals: Enhance medical education and increase physician awareness about prognosis, outcome trajectories, chronic brain injury (cBI), and long-term needs. – Initiate and continue projects focused on knowledge translation targeted at various community providers commonly serving individuals with cBI (e.g., Primary care, psychiatry, emergency services, etc.): Improve education and awareness of people living with the effects of brain injury (BI) about prognosis, outcome trajectories, cBI, and long-term needs via I/EPs to be submitted to APMR, and improve dissemination/accessibility of I/EPs
• Culture & Diversity in TBI Task Force—Patricia Garcia & Devan Parrott
  • 2023 Accomplishments: BI-ISIG Task Force funding award, “Strategies to Enhance Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Samples in TBI Rehabilitation Research.”; ACRM symposium, “Culturally Sensitive Strategies for Recruitment and Retention of Research Participants from Underserved Groups” (at 2:00 pm today): Projects underway include a Scoping review in collaboration with the Cognitive Rehabilitation TF.
  • 2024 Goals: Initiate new projects with an emphasis on inter-disciplinary collaborations; Disseminate results of current projects/efforts (ACRM 2024 conference, Archives); Recruitment of new members; Support member-initiated projects and any necessary collaboration
• Disorder of Consciousness TF Update—Yelena Bodien
  • 2023 Accomplishments: BrainLine Family Education website is mocked up and funding is secured to make the website live; Challenging Behaviors Survey – manuscript in preparation; Post-traumatic Confusional State (PTCS) Pathophysiology – compiling evidence tables and updating literature ; 3 new TBIMS projects;
  • 2024 Goals: Continue with ongoing Collaborations with the American College of Surgeons the Neurocritical Care Society Curing Coma Campaign, and IBIA/NABIS; 5+ ACRM Annual Meeting presentations; MSKTC Factsheet on Consumer Translation of the DoC Minimum Competency Recommendations; 3 Peer-reviewed Publications
• Cognitive Rehabilitation TF Update—Amy Rosenbaum, Yelena Goldin, Tom Bergquist
  • 2023 Accomplishments: Official launch of ACRM CR 2nd Edition Manual and Textbook; Development of manual companion website (in collaboration with ACRM leadership); Launch of updated core ACRM CR live and virtual training programs; Development and launch of NEW ACRM Pediatric CR Training Program (in large part due to efforts of the Pediatric CRTF); Received feedback on CR course from key stakeholders during 2023 spring meeting; Project leads attended didactic sessions on implementation science by TBIMS Implementation SIG; Provided systematic review training for TF members; Completed article reviews for updated EBR of Computerized CR Interventions; Completed Phase 1 of updated EBR of CR effectiveness in other medical populations (team & initial rater training complete; literature search & EPC review in process); Completed Phase 1 and beginning Phase 2 of Care Partner Cognitive Strategies Toolkit, including an environmental scan (gathering and rating resources) and creation of pilot toolkit
  • 2024 Goals: initiate updated EBR of CR effectiveness 2015-2020 (pending funding support); Initiate EBR of CR effectiveness in medical populations with cognitive impairment; Expand CR training curriculum; Complete survey research to guide development of future trainings and support international implementation of the CR trainings; Develop additional products for Care Partner Cognitive Strategies Toolkit (phase 2) and focus on implementation (phase 3)
• Girls and women with ABI Task Force Update—Brooke Holt
  • 2023 accomplishments: New international membership; Monthly calls for knowledge exchange, support, mentorship, guest speakers; Awarded the Deborah Lee Price Poster Award; Symposia with International Representation: IPV & Brain Injury – coordinated by ABI Task Force Member; Systematic review: Rehabilitation & IPV; Development of Brain Injury IPV Screening Tool
  • 2024 Goals: Recruitment of new members; Monthly calls for knowledge exchange, support, mentorship, guest speakers: Publication if I/EP on TBI and IPV; Deborah Lee Price Poster Award; Symposia: Sex & Gender; Review mTBI and sex & gender considerations in clinical practice: Clinical guidance documents
• Mild TBI Task Force Update—Noah Silverberg
  • 2023 Accomplishments: Diagnostic criteria for mild TBI completed, endorsed by ACRM Board of Governors, and published; Numerous conference and CME presentations on the new ACRM diagnostic criteria for mild TBI; Editorial on collaboration with the international Concussion in Sport Group
  • 2024 Goals: Implementation tools for the new ACRM diagnostic criteria for mild TBI
• Pediatric-Adolescent TF Update—Juli Haarbauer-Krupa & Drew Nagele
  • 2023 Accomplishments: Planned the Mark Ylvisaker Memorial Symposium; Dr. Jiabin Shen is completing surveys of healthcare professionals looking at the social determinants of health; Collaboration with the National Coalition on Children’s Brain Injury (NCCBI): Melissa McCart, Jennifer Lundine, and Brenda Eagan-Johnson now lead this group; Transition to Adulthood Working Group Systematic Review: Led by Dr. Jaclyn Stephens and Dr. Jiabin Shen. This group received funding from BI-ISIG to conduct a literature review, manuscript in progress.
  • 2024 Goals: Continuation of the Mark Ylvisaker Memorial Pediatric Symposium; Build collaborations with Pediatric Rehabilitation  Networking Group and Pediatric Stroke Group; Support Member – initiated projects and collaborations; Encourage new members, including parents of children who have experienced a brain injury.
• Early Career Update—Raj Kumar
  • Congratulations to year’s winners of BI-ISIG Early Career Annual Conference Scholarships!
• Awards Update—Tolu Oyesanya
  • Congratulations to all award winners!
  • 2023-2024 Task Force Fund Requests are tentatively due April, 2024.
• The 2023 Brain Injury Association of America Sheldon Berrol, MD Clinical Service Award and William Fields Caveness Award were awarded. Congrats to the winners!