Concussion and the Road to Recovery: Navigating Obstacles, Overcoming Challenges, and Striving for Tailored Multi-Disciplinary Care #100

TUE 1 NOV // 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Primary Content Focus: Brain Injury

Secondary Content: Clinical practice (assessment, diagnosis, treatment, knowledge translation/EBP)

Studies have demonstrated that 80-90% of patients with concussion have symptom resolution within 7-10 days. For the 10-20% of patients with persisting symptoms, a multidisciplinary approach to care is essential. The presenters are clinicians/researchers from an academic multi-disciplinary concussion center; experts in the evaluation and treatment of the complex patient. The presenters will emphasize obstacles and challenges to recovery with areas that are often missed including oculomotor deficits, sleep disorders, headache management, and cervicogenic disorders. Presentations will include interactive case studies. Presenters will instruct in evaluation, treatment, and return to function, with novel translational approaches to push standard of care.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learn the critical components of initial physcian exam and specialized headache and sleep exams
Learn the essential components of a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to assessment and treatment
Provide practical and creative evaluation and treatment techniques for the complex patient with vestibular, oculomotor, musculoskeletal and speech and language dysfunction
Instruct in structure and effectiveness of psychoeducation and coping and compensation groups for treating patient with complex concussion

KEY WORDS

Concussion
Post concussion syndrome
cerebral concussion

FACULTY

Joseph Adams, PT, DPT, NCS
Senior II Physical Therapist, NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Joseph Adams is a Senior Physical Therapist in the Vestibular Department of the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine. He is a board certified clinical specialist in Neurologic Rehabilitation with advanced training in Vestibular Rehabilitation. He is a faculty member at Rusk’s Neurologic Residency program, and he is also an assistant professor at Touro College. He has presented on degenerative neurologic conditions at the National Physical Therapy Association’s national conference and on anxiety and vestibular disorders at the American College of Rehabilitation Medicine. He has two articles pending publication in peer reviewed journals on post concussion syndrome and he is actively involved in ongoing research within the Vestibular Department at Rusk.

Tara Denham, MA, PT
Program Manager, NYU Langone Medical Center Rusk Rehabilitation

Ms. Denham is one of the leading experts in the field of Vestibular Therapy. In 1990, she founded the renowned Vestibular Physical Therapy Center at Rusk Rehabilitation, New York University Langone Medical Center ( NYULMC). Ms. Denham has been a practicing Physical Therapist for 31 years. She received her Masters of Physical Therapy degree from New York University in 1983. She is also an American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) certified Vestibular clinician, in addition to being one of the course instructors for the annual APTA certification course. She is the Outpatient Physical Therapy Program Manager at Rusk Rehabilitations’ Ambulatory Care Center and is a faculty member at NYULMC. Ms. Denham lectures extensively on the topic of Vestibular Therapy Rehabilitation to physicians, nurses, allied healthcare professionals, students and the community. In her role as the Outpatient Program Manger and as a vestibular clinician she works with a diverse population of patients including patients who have sustained a concussion and traumatic brain injury.

Steven R. Flanagan, MD
Chair, Rehabilitation Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Dr. Flanagan is highly recognized, nationally and internationally, as one of the leading experts in the area of brain injury rehabilitation, Dr. Steven Flanagan joined NYU Langone Medical Center in 2008 as Professor and Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine and Medical Director of Rusk Rehabilitation after serving as Vice Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine from 2000-2008. While at Mount Sinai, Dr. Flanagan and his colleagues developed a seamless continuum of care for people with brain injury that was unique in New York State. He serves on numerous medical advisory boards, including the India Head Injury Foundation, the Brain Trauma Foundation, and the Brain Injury Association of New York State. He is a peer reviewer for several scientific journals, chaired the Central Nervous System Membership Council of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine, currently chairs the Medical Education Committee and sits on its Board of Governors. He authored numerous chapters and peer-reviewed publications, and participated in both federally and industry sponsored research. He served as Panel Chair for the TBI/Stroke Group for the VA Merit Review from 2007-2013.

Dr. Flanagan received awards from several organizations, including the Brain Injury Association of New York State, Attending Physician of the Year Award from the Department of Nursing, and Teacher of the Year from the residents in Rehabilitation Medicine at Mount Sinai. He has been continually listed as one of America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly since 2010.

Felicia Fraser, PhD
Psychologist, NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Dr. Fraser is a Psychologist at Rusk Rehabilitation, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY. She earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Neuropsychology from Fordham University. After completing an internship in Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at Rusk Rehabilitation, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Neuropsychology at the Center for Cognitive Assessment. As a post-doctoral fellow, she provided neuropsychological evaluations to individuals with a wide range of conditions, including mild traumatic brain injury. Following fellowship, she returned to Rusk Rehabilitation, where she is part of an interdisciplinary team assessing and treating individuals with concussion, mild traumatic brain injury, post-concussion syndrome, and other conditions. At Rusk Rehabilitation, she assisted with development of a group psychotherapy program designed for individuals with post-concussion symptoms.

Neera Kapoor, OD, MS FAAO, FCOVD-A
Associate Clinical Professor, NYU Langone Medical Center Rusk Rehabilitation

Dr. Kapoor is an Associate Clinical Professor at NYU-Langone Medical Center’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. She was an Associate Clinical Professor at SUNY-College of Optometry for 21 years and is the former Chief of Vision Rehabilitation Services at SUNY-College of Optometry’s University Eye Center (UEC) in New York City. Dr. Kapoor has co-authored 30 peer-reviewed articles, 9 textbook chapters, and 25 poster presentations, as well as having lectured regionally, nationally, and internationally, regarding vision and acquired brain injury.

Sanjeev Kothare, MD
Director Pediatric Sleep Program, NYU Langone Medical Center

Dr. Kothare is the Director of the Pediatric Sleep Program at NYUMC and Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone Medical School. He received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees from Bombay University in 1983. He received a Diploma in Child Health from the College of Physicians & Surgeons and his MD with a specialty in pediatrics from Seth GS Medical College at Bombay University in 1985. After residency training in pediatrics at Seth GS Medical College, he completed a chief residency in pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. He then trained as a resident in pediatric neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and continued to do a fellowship in electroencephalography (EEG) and sleep disorders at Duke University Medical Center. He was the Chair of the Childhood Sleep Disorders and Development Steering Committee at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2011-13). He serves on the editorial board of Journals “Pediatric Neurology” and “Sleep Medicine”, and is the neurology advisor to the “Sleep Wake Disorders” group of DSM 5, and ICSD3. He has edited two books entitled “Sleep in Childhood Neurological Disorders” & “Parasomnias”. He has over 150 peer reviewed publications and over 30 review articles and book chapters. Dr. Kothare has recently been appointed as the chair of the Pediatric OSA Workgroup of the Outcome Measures Task Force (2013-14) of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Donna Langenbahn, PhD, FACRM
Associate Director of Psychology, Outpatient Services, NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Dr. Langenbahn is Clinical Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU School of Medicine, and Associate Director of Psychology – Outpatient Services, Rusk Rehabilitation, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY. She has worked in the area of acquired brain injury (ABI) assessment and treatment for over 30 years, and has presented nationally and internationally on these topics. From 1991 through 2012, she was a member of an NIH-funded Rusk research team exploring the treatment of deficits in executive functioning and problem-solving following mild traumatic brain injury and other ABI. She is contributing author/co-editor of the Cognitive Rehabilitation Manual: Translating Evidence-based Recommendations into Practice, a resource training guide for professionals. She is co-author on four evidence-based reviews of the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation in treating cognitive impairment after TBI, stroke, and other medical conditions that affect cognition. From 2000 to 2006, she was part of an interdisciplinary Rusk team assessing and treating individuals with mild traumatic brain injury, and concussion, and she currently manages Rusk’s neuropsychological assessment and treatment team providing services to adults with concussion.

Yuka Matsuzawa, PsyD
Senior Psychologist, NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Dr. Matsuzawa specializes in neuropsychological assessment and treatment with individuals who have neurologic disorders. She completed her internship in rehabilitation neuropsychology at NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation working in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Her post-doctoral fellowship was completed in rehabilitation research and clinical neuropsychology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She has published in the area in the area of traumatic brain injury and community reintegration. She currently is engaged in neuropsychological assessment, treatment, and research at NYU Langone Medical Center Rusk Rehabilitation in Outpatient Psychology Adult and Concussion Center Services.

Mia Minen, MD, MPH
Director Headache Services, NYU Langoe Medical Center

Dr. Minen is Director of Headache Services at the NYU Langone Medical Center. She has a clinical practice, conducts research, and teaches the NYU medical students and residents. Prior to coming to NYU, she did her residency training at Columbia University’s Neurological Institute and then her fellowship training in Neuropsychiatry-Behavioral Neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and then her fellowship training in Headache Medicine at the Graham Headache Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She also holds a Master’s of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She is interested in improving headache diagnosis and management across medical specialties, and she has authored over ten research articles. In addition, she has presented her research to audiences at annual meetings of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society.

Geraldine Pagnotta, MPT, MPH
Director, Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Network and Concussion Center, NYU Langone Medical Center

Ms. Pagnotta, MPT, MPH is a physical therapist with over 17 years of experience in areas including cardiac, vestibular, inpatient and outpatient rehab, women’s health and administration. She is the Director of the NYU Langone Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Network and Concussion Center. She received a Master of Physical Therapy from Hahnemann University and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University. In her role as director of the Rehabilitation Network and Programming, she has worked extensively in programming, creating opportunities for the community to access critical information about concussion, injury prevention, and exercise. She oversees a Network of 100 private rehab practices affiliated with NYULMC with locations throughout the tri-state area in addition to being an integral member of the team in the development and implementation of the NYU Concussion Center. She is responsible for daily operations, policy development, programming and marketing for Center. She has co-directed several professional conferences and has served on the medical team for major sporting events including the NYC Marathon. She is involved in research and has worked with the Concussion Center team in establishing and facilitating the Concussion Center Research Steering Committee and is a member of the Rusk Research Committee.

Mia Palazzo, PT, DPT, OCS, Cert. MDT
Program Manager, NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Mia Palazzo is Program Manager of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and The Sports Performance Center at the Center for Musculoskeletal Care at NYU Langone Medical Center. Mia is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedics (OCS) through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). She is also certified by the McKenzie Institute in the Mechanical Diagnosis and Treatment of the Spine (MDT). Mia earned her Master’s in Physical Therapy from Long Island University and went on to receive her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Temple University. Her areas of specialty and interest include concussion related neck pain, mechanical spine disorders and running related injuries. As Program Manager of the Sports Performance Center Mia has been an integral part of the development and implementation of the internationally known Running Lab at NYU Langone Medical Center.

John Ross Rizzo, MD
Physician, NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Dr. Rizzo is a physician scientist at NYU Langone Medical Center’s Rusk Rehabilitation, where he is an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a cross-appointment in the Department of Neurology. He leads the newly formed Visuomotor Integration Laboratory (VMIL), where his team focuses on eye-hand coordination, as it relates to acquired brain injury (ABI). He is currently completing a K12 grant through the Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program (RMSTP), focusing on the temporal coupling of ocular motor to manual motor activity in acquired brain injury. He is also a Co-PI on a multi-disciplinary grant from the NY State Department of Health called the Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program (ECRIP), focusing on afferent and efferent vision in concussion. He has numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, in addition to domestic and international patents filed for his rehabilitation tools.

Edna Schneider, MA, CCC-SLP
Clinical Specialist, NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Ms. Schneider is a highly regarded practitioner and presenter in speech-language pathology, with more than 30 years of clinical experience and a deep focus on issues of stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, and neurogenic disorders as a Clinical Specialist in Rusk Rehabilitation’s Department of Speech-Language Pathology, NYU Langone Medical Center. She received her bachelor’s degree at Emerson College, Boston, and completed her master’s degree at C.W. Post College in Long Island, NY. She was fellowship trained at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific in Hawaii and professionally trained under the mentorship of Martha Taylor Sarno. In addition, she has been an adjunct professor at Pace University, in NYC, a consultant for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and coordinator for the Aphasia Community Group Program at Rusk Rehabilitation. Her research has been published in the Cleft Palate Journal and she is a contributing author to the Advance newsletter for Speech Language Pathologists. Edna’s motivational literature has been featured in Ladies’ Home Journal.

Mara Sproul, RN, MPA, CRRN, RN-BC
Program Manager of NYU Langone Concussion Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Ms. Sproul is a registered nurse with 20 years of experience in rehabilitation, pediatrics, geriatrics, cardiology, and nursing administration. She is certified in geriatric and rehabilitation nursing and has a Master’s in Executive Public Administration from New York University, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Mara has a Bachelor of Science from Molloy College of Nursing in New York. In her role as the Concussion Center Program Manager, she manages, coordinates and implements all aspects of patient care, as well assisting with the development of the multidisciplinary Center. Mara is constantly striving to improve creative ways to foster a dynamic learning environment for patients and family members, and to promote the highest quality care and with the goal of continuous improvement. She is a member of the International Nursing Honor Society – Sigma Theta Tau, Association of Rehabilitation Nursing, American Association of Neuroscience Nurses and the American Association of Neurology.

Margaret Waskiewicz, MS, OTR/L
Supervisor, NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation

Ms. Waskiewicz is an occupational therapist with 10 years of experience. She has worked primarily with the neurological population in acute care, inpatient and outpatient settings and is currently the unit supervisor of the adult outpatient unit at NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Rehabilitation. At this time, she treats patients with vision deficits as a result of a neurologic injury and concussion patients. She is also an adjunct professor at New York University and Long Island University. Ms. Waskiewicz has presented at national conferences including ACRM, AAPM&R and AOTA. She has been published in the special interest section for the American Occupational Therapy Association.