By Monique Pappadis, MEd, PhD
BI-ISIG Early Career Officer

The Executive Committee of the BI-ISIG would like to congratulate our three BI-ISIG Early Career Annual Conference Travel Scholarship recipients who attended the ACRM Annual Conference in Chicago and are actively involved in the BI-ISIG Disorders of Consciousness (DOC) Task Force. They were recognized during the BI-ISIG Summit Meeting, which was held on Thursday, 3 November 2016 from 12:45 PM – 2:15 PM.

The 2016 Annual Conference scholarship recipients are:

Katherine O’Brien, PhD

Dr. O’Brien serves as the primary Clinical Neuropsychologist for the Disorders of Consciousness Program and is the Program Manager for the Brain Injury Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, TX. Dr. O’Brien is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine. She is actively involved in education, program development, and clinical research surrounding the Disorders of Consciousness Program. She participates in the Family Education Committee of the BI-ISIG DOC Task Force.

Yelena Bodien, PhD

Dr. Bodien is a Research Fellow at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Instructor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. Her research interests include investigating the neurobiology of severe brain injury and developing multimodal (e.g., neuroimaging and behavioral) tools for assessment and prognosis of this patient population. Dr. Bodien is an active member of the ACRM BI-ISIG and Disorders of Consciousness Task Force.

Shital Pavawalla, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Pavawalla is a board certified neuropsychologist who has worked in acute inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. In addition to providing patient care, she has also been a leader in the development and implementation of program-wide evidence-based practices and protocols for treatment and management of moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. Her research interests include issues pertaining to the full continuum of severity of traumatic brain injuries, ranging from assessment limitations and outcomes of disordered consciousness to non-neurological factors that impact concussion recovery.

2017 BI-ISIG Travel Scholarship

Applications for the 2017 BI-ISIG Early Career Mid-Year Meeting Travel Scholarships will be accepted starting in December with a 3 February deadline. Watch ACRM eNews and your inbox for details coming soon!