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BRAIN INJURY ALLIANCE OF OREGON
A member of the Western States Brain Injury Alliance |
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BRAIN INJURY ALLIANCE OF OREGON
A member of the Western States Brain Injury Alliance |
Friday Keynote Speaker
Harriet Zeiner, PhD
Clinical
Neuropsychologist
Palo Alto Veteran Affairs Hospital Polytrauma Center
For 17 years, Dr. Zeiner has been a clinical neuropsychologist with the Palo Alto VA, one of four leading national sites treating active duty personnel injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. She has been the lead neuropsychologist on Palo Alto VA's inpatient polytrauma unit for the past several years. "Polytrauma" is a term designating multiple systems trauma including brain injury; it is the signature wound category from improvised explosive devices (IED) found in current combat theaters.
With her extensive experience in the continuum of care required for adults with brain injury, Dr. Zeiner has established outpatient centers for brain injury treatment in both the U.S. and Denmark.
She is a highly visible spokesperson for service personnel returning home with “hidden head
trauma” and has appeared on NPR, California Connected, and the McNeil-Lehrer
report. Her work has also been covered in Rolling Stone, the New York Sunday
Times, National Geographic and the Ladies Home Journal. Dr. Zeiner is a
graduate of USC with a doctorate from UC Berkeley and is one of the authors
of the Veterans Health Initiative on Traumatic Brain Injury, an online CME
course for physicians.
Dr. Zeiner reports that the evolution of treatment for TBI has it improved since the
war on terror and the VA is treating huge numbers of new cases. The
treatment is always "improved" by increasing experience with the wounded.
The nature of medical progress is that it is always built on the backs of
those injured in war, and the improvements in medicine then are transferred
to the civilian sector. Remember that 100,000 civilians are head injured
every year. This is true for the current conflict as well. We now know that
integrating treatment for both the patient and their families, continuing
treatment while signs of improvement exist (not based on whether or not they
are insured), treating well into the integration into home/work and
providing case management services, using current technology for memory and
higher order problem solving difficulties- all of these "work". Are they a
"cure", no. Function has been lost, and we are attempting to "restore" and
"improve" the patient to a higher level of independence. There is no "cure"
for loss of brain cells. There is treatment.
Saturday Keynote Speaker
Marie Therese Gass
An emigree from Canada, Ms. Gass grew up in Oregon and taught high school core subjects to students who formerly hated school. She has done post-graduate work in art, writing, French, and psychology, and starred in community theatre the first year she retired from teaching. Ms. Gass's interests are eclectic, though she had focussed on teaching and exhibiting visual arts, on writing books, and on landscaping until her husband fell off the roof 7 years ago. Since then, she has read and extensively studied books about brain injury, spoken online to many tbi survivors and caregivers, and written her third publicly available book: The Caregiver's Tale: The True Story of A Woman, Her Husband Who Fell Off the Roof, And Traumatic Brain Injury. The Foreward is written by the renowned William Winslade, with endorsement by Professor Emeritus of Nursing (OHSU and Dean of Southern Oregon University), Esther Halvorson-Hill. Pre-publication copies have been printed especially for this conference.
Jay Uomoto, Ph.D.
Director,
Polytrauma Program,
Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology, VA Puget
Sound Health Care System, Seattle
Ph.D., Fuller
Graduate School of Psychology , 1985
Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology
Jay Uomoto, Ph.D., or as his patients and staff refer to him as “Dr. J”, is currently a rehabilitation and neuropsychologist for the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, WA. He works in the Polytrauma Program and the Rehabilitation Service Care Line at the VAPSHCS. He has held academic and clinical positions at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Shepherd Center Acquired Brain Injury Program, Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, and Seattle Pacific University. He maintains a private neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology practice, and has a passion for playing guitar and keyboards.
McKay Moore Sohlberg,PhD
McKay Moore Sohlberg,PhD., Associate Professor, Communication Disorders and Sciences, Area of Special Education, College of Education, 5261 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5261 mckay@uoregon.edu
McKay Sohlberg is widely known for her pioneering work in the field of cognitive rehabilitation. She has worked as a clinician, researcher, and administrator in the development of programs to assist individuals with brain injury to reintegrate into the community at maximal levels of independence. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of methods to manage acquired deficits in attention, memory, and executive functions.
Dr. Sohlberg has been active at the state level serving as an advocate for persons with brain injury and their families. In the Communication Disorders and Sciences program at the University of Oregon, Dr. Sohlberg teaches courses on neuroanatomy, service delivery, and rehabilitation methods for acquired cognitive disorders, dementia, and aphasia. Her current research project is called Think and Link: Email for People with Cognitive Disabilities.
Gene van den Bosch
Executive
Director, BIAWA
Before his appointment as Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Washington in October 2006, Mr. van den Bosch served as an association executive, college and judicial educator, and director of offices for public policy and government affairs, financial development, and public relations.
He directed the Brain Injury Association of Arizona, Arizona Head Start Association, Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Greater Chicago, Epilepsy Society of Arizona, and the Arizona Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
Mr. van den Bosch directed the office of Public Policy and Government Affairs for the Arizona Association of Homes and Housing for the Aging. While in that position, he served on the Arizona Senate Ad Hoc Study Committee on Workforce Development and Caregiver Wages and chaired its sub-committees for Reimbursement and for Public Awareness. He also chaired a 30-association-member advocacy coalition to improve systems for older adults – the Arizona Senior Action Project (ASAP).
As adjunct faculty, Mr. van den Bosch taught Communication and Leadership courses at universities and colleges - most recently at The Evergreen State College. He was Senior Educator for the Washington Courts where he developed curriculum guidelines for the training of Washington's certified professional guardians. He has trained several groups in areas such as inter-cultural communication, developing collaborations, and strategic planning. He also wrote feature articles for The Arizona Republic.
Mr. van den Bosch achieved an M.A. in Speech Communication from Northern Illinois University and an M.P.A in Public Administration from Arizona State University.
Head of the Neuropsychology Section, VA Medical Center, Portland, OR
Research Psychologist, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at OHSU
Dr. Storzbach is a Clinical Research Psychologist and Head of the Neuropsychology Section at the Portland VA Medical Center (PVAMC) and a Postdoctoral Fellow at CROET in the Behavioral and Psychological Assessment Laboratory. He received his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and received his postdoctoral training in clinical neuropsychology at the PVAMC. His clinical research background primarily is in the assessment and treatment of neuropsychological dysfunction in various clinically impaired populations. The main focus of his research work at CROET has been consultation, planning, and execution of epidemiologic field research investigating possible neuropsychological effects of various toxic exposures of such groups as Gulf War veterans, orchard workers, and migrant workers and families. Dr. Storzbach has additionally participated in the development and validation of computerized assessment systems, including the Behavioral Assessment and Research System (BARS), a computerized test system for use in toxicology research, and the Health Screening System (HSS), a computerized questionnaire system. He has recently become increasingly involved in piloting and planning for implementation of additional neuroscientific technologies such as EEG and MRI in behavioral neurotoxicology research at CROET.
Storzbach, D., Rohlman, D., Anger, W.K., Binder, L.M., Campbell, K. and members of the Portland Environmental Hazards Research Center (2001) Neurobehavioral deficits in Persian Gulf veterans: Further evidence from a population-based study. Environmental Research 85, 1-13.
Storzbach, D., Campbell, K., Anger, W.K., Binder, L.M., Rohlman, D., McCauley, L. and members of the Portland Environmental Hazards Research Center (2000) Psychological differences between veterans with and without Gulf War unexplained symptoms. Psychsomatic Medicine, 62, 726-735.
James
M. Sardo, Ph.D.
Program Manager and PTSD Specialist for the Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP), Portland VA Medical Center
Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU), Portland, Oregon
Major, USAF
Reserves, BSC, 446 Aeromedical Staging Squadron, McChord Air Force Base
Tacoma, Washington
Dr. Sardo received his Ph.D. from SUNY Binghamton in 1998 and completed advanced training in PTSD at the Portland VAMC in 1999. As the Program manager for the SATP, he is engaged in administrative duties and in the provision of individual and group services for the treatment of substance abuse. Dr. Sardo consults with the Regional Liver Transplant Team and participates in the Northwest Hepatitis C Resource Center. His research interests include both the etiology and treatment of Alcohol Dependence and the efficacy of skill-based management of PTSD. Dr. Sardo serves in the United States Air Force Reserves as a member of the Mental Health Rapid Response Team attached to the 446 ASTS at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington. Dr. Sardo recently completed a four month deployment to Iraq where he provided a range of mental health services while attached to 332nd EMDG.
Robert
W. Butler, Ph.D., ABPP
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, OHSU
Robert Butler, Ph.D., has been associate professor pediatrics and psychiatry at OHSU since 1995. He conducts seminars in neuropsychological testing for the residents in child and adolescent psychiatry. He received an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of West Florida in 1975, an M.A. in clinical psychology at the University of Alabama in 1981, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Ohio State University in 1985, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at UCLA in 1987.
Prior to coming to OHSU, Butler held positions on the clinical faculties at
University of California, San Diego Medical Center, and Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University Medical College in New
York.
Clinical psychology and clinical neuropsychology are his research specialty
areas. Dr. Butler has been awarded a three-year grant by the National Cancer
Institute for his project, "Cognitive Remediation for Childhood Cancer
Survivors," in collaboration with investigators at The Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University
of Rochester, Children's Hospital at Los Angeles, St. Jude's Children's
Research Hospital, Children' Hospital Medical Center at Cincinnati, and the
AMC Cancer Research Center.
Martin D. Russo
DeSales University, 1982
Day-Timers, Inc – Healthcare Relationship Manager
By the time he was 17 years old Martin had suffered through four sports related concussions, the last one leading to an amnesiac episode. Fortunately Martin has not had another occurrence in the last 30 years. He considers himself to be one of the lucky survivors of traumatic brain injury, especially since he has not had any known lasting effects of the multiple concussions other than a “forgotten” 18 hour period.
Little did Martin realize that 26 years after his last TBI he’d find himself face-to-face with this silent epidemic once again – this time with an opportunity to assist the TBI community by helping to develop a life changing product. In 2003 Martin was approached by Lisa Keller, and Sandra Knutson – creators of the Brain Injury Recovery Kit® (BIRK). As the Healthcare Relationship Manager for Day-Timers, Inc, Martin was asked by Keller and Knutson to help further develop their Kit by sourcing, producing, and marketing this one-of-a-kind product. It took only a single visit by the energetic Lisa Keller to convince Martin that the Brain Injury Recovery Kit was not a great product, it was a new positive approach which helped not only those who suffered a TBI, but their families too. According to Martin, “I am thrilled to be a part of the successful healing process used by individuals in managing life after sustaining a brain injury”.
In 2005, Martin had to once again face the devastating outcomes of TBI when his younger brother suffered a massive stroke which greatly affected his planning and memory functions, caused tremendous mood swings, and greatly decreased motor skills on his left side. Thanks to the use of the Brain Injury Recovery Kit, Martin was able to work with his parents and 5 siblings to better understand what was happening to their son and brother and how they could assist in his recovery. Martin also worked with his brother through some of the exercises in the BIRK, albeit on a limited basis due to geographical constraints. “I truly believe that my family and my brother were better prepared to go through the recovery process because of the BIRK”, stated Martin. Never did he ever think he would need to use the tools in the Brain Injury Recovery Kit, but as Martin mentioned, “life is funny that way, just when you least expect it, it smacks you square in the jaw…thank goodness I met Lisa Keller and Sandy Knutson, not only did they help cushion life’s blow, they taught my family to fight back.”
Kathleen R. Bell, MD
Project Director , UW TBI Model System
Kathleen R. Bell, M.D. is a Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and has been the Medical Director of TBI Rehabilitation at University of Washington Medical Center since l996. She attended Temple University Medical School and completed a residency at the University of Washington in Rehabilitation Medicine. She also completed an NIHR Switzer Fellowship, studying cortical control of motor activity.
For 20 years, she has concentrated her clinical care, teaching, and research in the area of TBI in a variety of settings. She has been the Project Director for the UW TBI Model System for the past three years and previously the Co-Project Director. Her research interests have included efficacy of rehabilitation interventions, sleep and pain disorders in TBI, the treatment of depression after TBI, and medical education. She is the Principal Investigator for a CDC funded study on telephone interventions and follow-up in mild TBI. In addition, Dr. Bell is conducting a multi-center study on telephone intervention in moderate to severe TBI, funded by NIDRR. Dr. Bell is on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. In addition, Dr. Bell has been an invited participant in the CDC Experts Panel on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
Paul Cordo, PhD
Director,
Neurological Sciences Institute, OHSU
Paul Cordo, PhD, earned his graduate degree from the State University of New
York. He continued his education in physiology and bioengineering as a
postdoctoral fellow at OHSU’s Neurological Sciences Institute and was
recruited to the NSI faculty in 1982.
Dr. Cordo has led the effort to develop the resources needed to build a new
state-of-the-art research facility on the west campus and to double the size
of the NSI research faculty. He is the founding president of the Oregon
Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience.
Dr. Cordo studies the proprioceptive coordination of voluntary movements in
humans. One approach is to investigate sensory strategies for activating
muscles during movement by examining motor performance, biomechanics,
kinematics and muscle activity. Another approach is to investigate the
coding of proprioceptive information by recording electrophysiologically
from individual sensory receptors during the performance of motor tasks. His
clinical research focuses on potential roles of proprioception and motor
activity in TBI/stroke rehabilitation.
Tim Titolo, Esq.
David Kracke, Esq.
Admitted: Oregon State Bar in 1990; U.S. District Court of Oregon, 1991
Since 1998, David has practiced with Nichols and Associates, a well
respected Portland law firm. His practice focuses on the representation of
individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury, general business
litigation, personal injury representation and various probate matters. His
ability to apply diverse case law into specific fact patterns has resulted
in two Oregon Supreme Court decisions of first impression, which decisions
have expanded the scope of plaintiff’s rights in the State of Oregon. He
also spearheaded the effort to change a portion of Oregon law that was
detrimental to victims of carjacking. In addition to his legal expertise,
Mr. Kracke’s strong knowledge of medical issues enhances his ability to
represent injured individuals.
Mr. Kracke sits on the board of directors of the Brain Injury Association of
Oregon. He is recognized by his peers as an expert in the representation of
brain injured individuals and has successfully represented many TBI
sufferers and their families. His firm has recovered numerous six and seven
figure verdicts and settlements on behalf of victims of TBI. He also writes
a column for the Headliner, the newsletter of the Brain Injury Association
of Oregon. Those columns can be found at www.biaoregon.org.
Muriel D. Lezak, Ph.D., ABPP
Neuropsychologist
Dr. Lezak obtained a doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 1960. In 1966 she
joined the staff of the Veterans Administration Medical Venter in Portland,
OR where she worked with brain I damaged patients on both the acute wards
and in rehabilitation, including injured Viet Nam veterans just returning
from that war. This lead to a VA funded research project in which an initial
interest in cognitive aspects of brain injury evolved into a broader study
of the emotional and psychosocial consequences of head trauma. This study
engendered the on-line 28-item Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory for
documenting functioning in the three areas which, together, cover the
totality of significant behaviors and activities of brain damaged person:
Ability, Adjustment, Participation (www.tbims.org/combi/mpai/M2Pi.pdf).
In the late 1960’s Dr. Lezak began an open-ended group for family members of
brain damaged patients with continued for 20 years. Veterans’ and their
families’ experiences were the source for her many articles and lectures on
family issues and the psychosocial consequences of brain damage. She
authored Neuropsychological assessment (NY: Oxford University Press), first
published in 1976’ the fourth edication (M.D. Lezak with D.B. Howieson, &
D.W. Loring) was published in 2004. She also edited Assessment of the
behavioral consequences of head trauma (AR Liss, 1989). She was book review
editor of the Journal of International Neuropsychological Society
(1995-2004).
Dr. Lezak is Professor Emerita of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science
University. She has been on many teaching facilities including the
University of Oregon (Eugene), The West China University of Medical Sciences
(Chengdu, Sichuan Province), and the Cape Cod Institute of the Albert
Einstein College of Medicine . She is a Diplomatic of the American Board of
Professional Psychology in both Clinical Psychology and Clinical
Neuropsychology, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association , and a
past president of the international Neuropsychological Society.
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