Letter From the Editor

Monique R. Pappadis, MEd, PhD

Dear Moving Ahead Readers:

If you missed the 2019 Annual Conference in Chicago, I’m sorry! There were phenomenal speakers making it somewhat challenging to decide where to go next. I’m confident that the 2020 Annual Conference will be even better. As I was working with the Media Committee to prepare this issue, I became curious about the early days of the BI-ISIG. It was unbeknownst to me that 40 years have passed since the development of the “Task Force on Head Injury Rehabilitation” led by Dr. Sheldon Berrol at the 1979 Congress.

The BI-ISIG has a rich history that is worth sharing, particularly to the newer members of the BI-ISIG that may not be aware of our group’s past successes. Therefore, we have begun the beginning plans to highlight BI-ISIG’s successes and history in an upcoming issue. There is an African proverb that translates as, “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” Therefore, we should learn about the past because it provides insight into our present, and ultimately our future.

In this 2020 Winter/Spring issue of Moving Ahead, please read about:

• How the BI-ISIG Early Career Officer, Shannon Jeungst, encouraged her mentees to contribute to the annual conference and become active ACRM members.
• Significant contributions made and awards given at the 2019 IBIA 13^th World Congress of Brain Injury.
• Three BI-ISIG members selected to be highlighted in this issue for their contributions to research and rehabilitation.
• Three emerging leaders in brain injury research with whom all distinguished leaders should connect.
• Task Force updates, including the outstanding work completed by the Chronic TBI Task Force.
• Interviews with the 2019 BI-ISIG Travel Scholarship Recipients regarding how they became involved with ACRM and active with BI-ISIG Task Forces.

This issue would not be possible without the support, hard work and dedication of the Media Committee: Mary Russell, DO, MS, CLCP (Associate Editor), Ghazala Saleem, EdD, MS, OTR/L (Web Associate Editor), and our newest committee members, Michelle Smith, MPH (Social Media Editor) and Nicci Kuhl, OTD, OTR/L, CBIS (Contributing Editor). As always, I share my sincerest gratitude for the ACRM staff members, Terri Compos and Cindy Robinson for their support during the development of Moving Ahead newsletters.

I will continue to challenge our BI-ISIG members to share any updates, new research activities, awards, and accomplishments with us to include in Moving Ahead. Let us brag about you, while also helping you develop new collaborations with other BI-ISIG members!

Monique R. Pappadis, MEd, PhD
Communications Officer, BI-ISIG
Editor, Moving Ahead
Assistant Professor, Division of Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston
Co-Investigator, Brain Injury Research Center, TIRR Memorial Hermann